Major League Baseball
Athletics 5, Blue Jays 4(15)
Major League Baseball

Athletics 5, Blue Jays 4(15)

Published Aug. 4, 2012 9:17 a.m. ET

Another 15-inning marathon, another victory. The Oakland Athletics are getting used to walkoff wins this season.

Jemile Weeks hit a leadoff triple and scored on Coco Crisp's sacrifice fly to lift the A's to their second 15-inning win this week, 5-4 over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.

A crowd of 30,169 stayed relatively intact for what turned out to be Oakland's major-league leading 13th walkoff victory and another pie in the face delivered by Josh Reddick, this time wearing a Spiderman costume, complete with mask.

''It's fun to get everybody involved like that,'' Crisp said of getting his third pie of the year. ''The fans were getting into and it seems more like a family atmosphere. It's like giving them something extra.''

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Weeks was a star Monday night, too, when his sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 15th beat Tampa Bay.

''I was just trying to get it up in the air and deep enough,'' Crisp said. ''I'm glad Weeksie has enough speed to beat that arm out there.''

The A's became the first team to play a pair of 15-inning games in a five-day span since the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006. This win took 4 hours, 47 minutes; the victory over the Rays lasted more than 5 hours.

Toronto lost its sixth in a row. Jeff Mathis hit a tying, three-run homer in the ninth for the Blue Jays, and Omar Vizquel was thrown out at the plate in the 12th.

Blue Jays manager John Farrell used a five-man infield and also shifted his lineup. After the designated hitter spot was lost, Aaron Loup (1-1) became the first Toronto pitcher to bat in an AL game.

Travis Blackley (4-3) pitched three innings for the win.

Oakland has won 10 straight one-run games, its longest such streak since 2000.

A's manager Bob Melvin credited a defensive play by shortstop Eric Sogard in the top of the 15th that ended the inning with the Blue Jays leaving two runners on.

Sogard dove for a sharp grounder in the hole and was able to get a force at third.

''Not only did it save the game it gave us momentum going into the dugout,'' Melvin said. ''We were all juiced up when he made that play.''

A's closer Ryan Cook retired the first two batters in the ninth. But David Cooper and Rajai Davis each singled and Mathis hit his sixth home run, tying it at 4-all.

''Can't say enough the way our bullpen came in with nine scoreless innings and getting the game into the 15th,'' Farrell said. ''We played our hearts out.''

Mathis' homer spoiled Dan Straily's major league debut.

Straily averaged 11.39 strikeouts per nine innings in the minors this year, the best rate in pro ball. Called up from Triple-A before the game, he allowed one run and five hits in six innings, striking out five.

Jonny Gomes and Chris Carter each homered for the A's. Brandon Inge and Josh Reddick also drove in runs as Oakland improved to 21-6 since the start of July.

Crisp and Yoenis Cespedes, who left the game with a right wrist sprain, each had two hits.

Toronto starter Brett Cecil allowed four runs on nine hits over five innings. Brad Lincoln went 3 1-3 scoreless innings for the Blue Jays, giving up one hit.

NOTES: The 2006 Dodgers lost in 15 innings at Arizona on Aug. 25, then beat Cincinnati in 16 innings on Aug. 29, according to STATS LLC. ... Inge has a 13-game hitting streak. ... Toronto INF Brett Lawrie left the game after one inning with tightness in his rib cage. ... A's OF RHP Ricky Romero (8-8, 5.69) goes for the Blue Jays on Saturday. He never finished the second inning in his last outing against the A's and has lost seven straight. He's 4-1 against the A's in seven career starts. The A's will start A.J. Griffin (3-0, 2.51).

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