Yielding just three hits and not permitting a runner past first base, Steve McCatty lowered his league-leading ERA to 2.20 in pitching the A's to a 3-0 whitewashing of the Rangers. Rickey Henderson cracked a leadoff homer in the first inning and the A's picked up two more runs in the eighth on a squeeze bunt by Rob Picciolo and RBI single by Henderson. [The Sporting News]



Oakland Athletics 3, Texas Rangers 0
Game Played on Tuesday, September 8, 1981 (Night game) at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Rangers      0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   0  3  0
A's          1  0  0    0  0  0    0  2  x  -   3  4  1


Rangers              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      A's                  AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Rivers cf             4   0   1   0     0   0   .259      Henderson lf          4   1   2   2     0   1   .334
Sample lf             4   0   0   0     0   0   .268      Murphy cf             3   0   0   0     1   1   .273
Oliver dh             4   0   0   0     0   1   .317      Johnson dh            3   0   0   0     1   1   .251
Bell 3b               3   0   0   0     0   1   .309      Armas rf              3   0   0   0     0   2   .276
Jones rf              3   0   0   0     0   3   .296      Spencer 1b            3   0   0   0     0   1   .196
Sundberg c            3   0   0   0     0   1   .271      Gross 3b              3   0   1   0     0   0   .182
Putnam 1b             3   0   1   0     0   0   .248        Sexton pr           0   1   0   0     0   0   .000
Wills 2b              3   0   1   0     0   0   .248        McKay 3b            0   0   0   0     0   0   .211
Mendoza ss            2   0   0   0     0   1   .249      Heath c               2   0   0   0     1   0   .241
  Poquette ph         1   0   0   0     0   0   .083      Stanley 2b            3   1   1   0     0   0   .212
  Wagner ss           0   0   0   0     0   0   .333      Picciolo ss           2   0   0   1     0   1   .222
Hough p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      McCatty p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Comer p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Mercer p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Kern p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               30   0   3   0     0   7             Totals               26   3   4   3     3   7

Time of Game: 2:26   Attendance: 17,469
Left on Base: Rangers 3, A's 3
DP: Rangers 0, A's 0
Errors: McCatty
Home Runs: Henderson (6)
Stolen Bases: Sexton (1)
Caught Stealing: Johnson (2)
Sacrifice Hits: Picciolo (9)


Rangers                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Hough L(0-1)            7     3   3   3   2   7   1  25   3.99
Comer                   0.2   1   0   0   0   0   0   3   3.00
Mercer                  0     0   0   0   1   0   0   1   4.26
Kern                    0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   1.86
Totals                  8     4   3   3   3   7   1  30

A's                    IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
McCatty W(11-6)         9     3   0   0   0   7   0  30   2.19
Totals                  9     3   0   0   0   7   0  30

Wild Pitches: Hough (2)

Umpires: HP - Russ Goetz, 1B - George Maloney, 2B - Rocky Roe, 3B - Ken Kaiser


RANGERS 1ST: Rivers singled to center; Sample flied out to
center; Oliver reached on an error by McCatty [Rivers out at
third (pitcher to first to shortstop)]; Bell struck out; 0 R, 1
H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 0.

ATHLETICS 1ST: Henderson homered; Murphy grounded out (second to
first); Johnson struck out; Armas struck out; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

RANGERS 2ND: Jones struck out; Sundberg struck out; Putnam flied
out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

ATHLETICS 2ND: Spencer made an out to second; Gross made an out
to catcher; Heath grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E,
0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

RANGERS 3RD: Wills grounded out (pitcher to third to first);
Mendoza struck out; Rivers grounded out (catcher to first); 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

ATHLETICS 3RD: Stanley grounded out (shortstop to first);
Picciolo grounded out (first unassisted); Henderson struck out;
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

RANGERS 4TH: Sample flied out to right; Oliver grounded out
(shortstop to first); Bell flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

ATHLETICS 4TH: Murphy grounded out (shortstop to first); Johnson
walked; Johnson was caught stealing second (catcher to second);
Armas struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

RANGERS 5TH: Jones struck out; Sundberg made an out to first;
Putnam singled to left; Wills grounded out (first to pitcher); 0
R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

ATHLETICS 5TH: Spencer made an out to third; Gross made an out
to second; Heath grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

RANGERS 6TH: Mendoza flied out to center; Rivers made an out to
shortstop; Sample grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E,
0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

ATHLETICS 6TH: Stanley singled to right; Hough threw a wild
pitch [Stanley to second]; Picciolo struck out; Henderson flied
out to right; Murphy struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers
0, Athletics 1.

RANGERS 7TH: Oliver flied out to left; Bell made an out to
second; Jones struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 0,
Athletics 1.

ATHLETICS 7TH: Johnson grounded out (third to first); Armas made
an out to shortstop; Spencer struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Rangers 0, Athletics 1.

RANGERS 8TH: Sundberg flied out to center; Putnam flied out to
left; Wills singled to left; POQUETTE BATTED FOR MENDOZA;
Poquette flied out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 0,
Athletics 1.

ATHLETICS 8TH: WAGNER REPLACED POQUETTE (PLAYING SS); Gross
singled to right; SEXTON RAN FOR GROSS; Sexton stole second;
Heath walked; COMER REPLACED HOUGH (PITCHING); Stanley forced
Heath (third to second) [Sexton to third]; Picciolo out on a
sacrifice bunt (first to second) [Sexton scored, Stanley to
second]; Henderson singled to center [Stanley scored, Henderson
to second (on throw to home)]; MERCER REPLACED COMER (PITCHING);
Murphy walked; KERN REPLACED MERCER (PITCHING); Johnson forced
Murphy (third to second); 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Rangers 0,
Athletics 3.

RANGERS 9TH: MCKAY REPLACED SEXTON (PLAYING 3B); Rivers grounded
out (second to first); Sample flied out to center; Oliver struck
out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 0, Athletics 3.