Before Friday's game against the Detroit Tigers, A's starter Frankie Montas had never pitched into the ninth inning at the major league level.
That all changed with 8 2/3 dominant innings against the Tigers in which he struck out a career-high 10 batters.
Montas came close to his first career complete game, but on his 109th pitch of the night, Tigers designated hitter Miguel Cabrera doubled in a run.
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SIGN UP HERE Even with two outs and a comfortable lead, manager Bob Melvin wasn't going to take any chances. He walked to the mound and took the ball from Montas.
"I tried," Montas told NBC Sports California when asked if he tried to talk Melvin out of removing him. "I gave him that look like 'Don't take me out, man.'"
It didn't work. Lou Trivino came in and got the final out to secure the A's 7-2 win.
But it was a big step for Melvin to let Montas go back out in the ninth inning.
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"Just getting the ball back, I feel like they have confidence in me, they trust me and they know I can do the job, I can get the job done, so it's huge," Montas said. "I appreciate Bob Melvin for giving me the ball."
The A's acquired Montas, a Top-100 prospect, in a 2016 trade that sent Josh Reddick and Rich Hill to the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's taken a few years, but the A's are finally seeing the player they had hoped they were getting when they traded for him.
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"He's pitching deeper into games, he's got more and more confidence, he's very unpredictable with his pitches," Melvin told reporters in Detroit. "He probably had his best moving fastball I've seen this year tonight. We knew he had a lot of talent in him, but he's taking it to another level right now."
Through nine starts, Montas now has a 2.67 ERA and has struck out 52 batters in 54 innings. So far this season, he's looking like he could be the staff ace.
