SAN FRANCISCO — Pitching in the ballpark he called home the past seven years, Santiago Casilla’s final tune-up for the regular season was his sharpest outing yet.
The A’s reliever struck out Hunter Pence to strand a runner at third in his return to AT&T Park on Friday night. Upon entering the game in the fifth, the former Giant received a mixed reaction from the crowd of 42,403 — some cheers, some boos — then he proceeded to strike out two over his scoreless inning of work.
“When you pitch on a mound you pitched in (for so many years), you’re reminded of your moments and the time you spent here,” Casilla said after the A’s 2-1 defeat in game two of the Bay Bridge Series.