LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jacob Wilson won’t forget his Dodger Stadium debut. The Athletics rookie hit a pair of two-run homers against the defending World Series champions in an 11-1 rout.
Growing up in Thousand Oaks, about 40 miles from Los Angeles, Wilson visited the ballpark as a kid. His father, Jack, was an All-Star shortstop during his major league career with Pittsburgh, Seattle and Atlanta.
Wilson had about 25 family and friends in the stands and they got loud.
“For them to show up and have that game was pretty special,” he said Tuesday night.
The 23-year-old shortstop went 4 for 5 and had a career-high four RBIs, boosting his batting average to .363. His 58 hits are second in the majors behind Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees.
Wilson had his eighth multi-hit game in his last 12. His first four-hit game came last week against Seattle.
“We talked about his ability to put the barrel to the baseball and you saw every bit what he is capable of doing,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “This kid is off to a great start and continues to do things that in some ways, we’re watching him grow up as a big leaguer right now.”
Thanks to his father, Wilson already had a comfort level around the major leagues.
“He is really advanced in his approach and just the way he plays the game,” Kotsay said. “It definitely helps to get your feet on the ground but from the confidence standpoint you still have to have the results and have the success and he’s been doing that since we drafted him.”
Wilson has struck out just nine times and leads American League rookies in batting average and several other categories.
His first two-run shot in the third gave the A’s a 2-0 lead. He did it again in the fifth to make it 4-1. Both homers came off Landon Knack.
“The guy’s a very good player,” Knack said. “The guy does seem to hit everything. I got to execute a little better.”
Wilson said, “I don’t hit too many homers, so to be able to get the multi-one now out of the way was pretty awesome.”
The A’s had a season-high five homers as part of their 18-hit attack.
“To be able to come here on their home field and with the talent they have on their roster, to be able to get that first win, it really just shows that we can play with the power teams in the league,” Wilson said.
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