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By Aaron Coloma
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Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler hit two homers including a walk-off bomb against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, and wasted no time in taking a shot at the Seattle Mariners.
Butler, having spent his whole career with the A's in the AL West, has a long history with the Mariners, and made sure to make his distaste for the Pacific Northwest squad known earlier in the season following an A's win.
“They’re our top opp," Butler said in April. "If we want to beat anybody, we want to beat the Mariners. It felt really good beating them. I wish [the stadium] was more packed so more fans could go home sad.”
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Butler's first homer on Sunday came in the first inning, and he took his time watching it as it flew onto the berm behind the bullpens in right field. in his subsequent at-bat in the third inning, Butler wore a fastball from starter Bryce Miller off of his right arm.
The outfielder got the last laugh, though, as he stepped up representing the winning run in the ninth inning. He capitalized on a fastball right down the pipe in a 3-1 count, sending the ball over the right field fence yet again. He made a meal of his trot, admiring the ball from the other batter's box for several seconds before beginning his slow trip around the bases.
"I'm feeling amazing right now," Butler said after the game. "Especially when you can get some get back. I hit a homer, they wanna hit me, so I'm just gonna end the game on 'em."
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How Did the Athletics Perform Against the Mariners This Season?
Sunday's win secured a season series win over the Mariners for the A's, marking the first time since 2019 they have taken every game from their opponents.
The Mariners outscored them by a wide margin in the matchup, largely in part to a 19-1 win on Saturday, but lost seven of their 13 games against the fourth-place A's.
The A's have done well against all four of the other teams in their division this year, currently owning winning records against every team in the division. They still have one series to play against both the Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros, though, so that may change by the end of the season.
How Has Lawrence Butler Performed This Season?
Butler has been one of the A's' most pleasant surprises this season, as he is finally showing glimpses of his breakout 2024 season following a difficult stretch to start the season.
He had a .592 OPS at the All-Star break, hitting just five homers and tallying 22 RBIs up to that point. Since then, though, the 26-year-old has been the best hitter on the team amid their slew of injuries.
He has 11 homers and 36 RBIs in the second half of the season, pairing nicely with a .859 OPS. August was his best month of the year by far, as he had a .893 OPS with six homers during a monstrous stretch.
The A's extended him through the 2031 season with an option to keep him for 2032 after his breakout campaign two years ago, and will hope he can maintain the form he has now as they get ready for their transition into baseball in Las Vegas in 2028.
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