Jeff Samardzija wins debut with Oakland Athletics

Jeff Samardzija was thrust right into the spotlight for his debut with the Oakland Athletics. Just days after being traded to Oakland by the Chicago Cubs, Samardzija pitched a stellar game against a contending team in the Toronto Blue Jays and logged the win as the A’s went on for a 3-1 victory.

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Not only did ‘Shark’ win the game, but he put his final inning of work in the books with a flourish. Having worked the first six innings of his start primarily by inducing contact to get outs, Samardzija then punctuated his outing by striking out the side in the seventh inning. That half inning consisted of three of his five strikeouts for the day and ended on this note.

Samardzija finished the day with seven innings of one run baseball; he issued just one walk, allowed only four hits and had the five strikeouts. For a guy who had generated buzz this season because of his emergence as a borderline ace, he sure pitched like one against a stout lineup in his Oakland debut. Furthermore, he was visibly energized to be on the mound for a team in the playoff race.

As for the Blue Jays, this loss rubbed salt in the wound as they had long been linked to a potential deal for the now-former member of the Cubs. They will have to look elsewhere while the Athletics look forward to big things with Samardzija and Jason Hammel in the rotation.