Tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the 12th in Oakland, Matt Chapman led off against Brad Hand, who was working heavy on sliders. But Hand opened with two straight fastballs and missed the zone both times. Now in a fastball count, Chapman watched a heater down the middle without swinging. Looked like he was sitting slider. Hand delivered one, and Chapman stepped out, adjusted, and locked in. Another slider came on the full count, this one in the zone. Chapman crushed it. Walk-off home run. His first. Game over.
Chapman’s celebration was quiet, just a small fist pump. His teammates, though, lost it. Players pointed from the dugout, calling their shots. The on-deck circle turned into a mini celebration. Catchers argued over who had predicted it. Piscotty barely missed stepping on Chapman’s dropped bat. Then came the Gatorade chase. Laureano tried to beat another teammate to the plate, but the toss was just okay. Not great, not terrible. Postgame fun kept going with Chris Davis throwing playful punches and some old-school high fives. Then came the full-force Gatorade shower. Cold, sticky, miserable for Chapman. Just like the hanging slider Hand left for him.