Kotsay Has Key Hit in A’s Victory

Mark Mulder’s season has gone so well, it was fitting he found a way to win despite being outpitched.

The Seattle Mariners have struggled so mightily, it was not surprising to see them give this one away.

Mulder earned his 14th victory when pinch-hitter Mark Kotsay singled home the winning run in the ninth inning, and the Oakland Athletics defeated Seattle, 3-2, Wednesday for the Mariners’ team-record 15th consecutive road loss.

The A’s won their fifth in a row as Mulder improved to 14-3.

“Guys came through,” Mulder said. “Sometimes we don’t wake up until 2 o’clock. Sometimes you’ve got to wait it out, and that’s what I tried to do.”

Eric Byrnes hit a tying solo homer in the eighth off Seattle reliever Shigetoshi Hasegawa, then Julio Mateo (1-2) gave up Kotsay’s one-out hit that scored Scott Hatteberg from second.

Kotsay had been given the day off to rest before the team opens a season-long 11-game trip Friday with four games in Texas, but he was called upon to pinch-hit for Bobby Kielty.

Kotsay, who has been one of the A’s most reliable hitters recently, batted .600 during the six-game homestand.

Hard-luck Seattle starter Jamie Moyer struck out a season-high nine over seven innings but remained winless in his last eight starts.

The Mariners surpassed the 14 consecutive road losses from May 21 to June 21, 1988. Their last road victory was June 20 at Pittsburgh.

The last team to lose 15 consecutive road games was Oakland, from May 24 to June 23, 1986. Seattle is four road losses shy of matching the American League record of 19 set by the Philadelphia A’s in 1916.

The New York Mets own the major league record with 22 consecutive road losses from June 16 to July 28, 1963.