Jun 27, 2021; San Francisco, California, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Cole Irvin (19) gestures on the mound during the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
The Oakland A’s desperately needed Cole Irvin to pitch deep into Sunday’s game. The bullpen has been overworked lately, resulting in several late game meltdowns over the past few days. Those issues have affected the A’s in the standings, as the Astros have surged ahead for the AL West lead.
That was the situation that Irvin found himself in on Sunday.