But Healy, who beat them all to The Show last year, is a central figure of this crusade. The corner infielder offered a not-so-silent reminder on Tuesday, belting his first career grand slam to help the A's beat the American League West-leading Astros, 6-4, in the opener of the three-game series.
The two-out, go-ahead blast off Houston right-hander James Hoyt in the sixth inning capped an eight-pitch at-bat, and it traveled 378 feet to the opposite field.
Healy's 18th home run of the season was a doozy that padded his RBI total to 49 -- one shy of Khris Davis' team-leading mark.