Lowe's 403-Foot Grand Slam Ends It Before It Starts

Josh Lowe hit a 403-foot home run to right field in the second inning, driving in four runs and single-handedly building a lead the Angels never surrendered. The Athletics managed just one run the rest of the way, falling 4-1 in Anaheim on June 28.

The game was effectively over in the second inning. With Grissom, Meckler, and Peraza all on base, Lowe turned on a pitch and sent it 403 feet to right, clearing the bases and putting Los Angeles up 4-0. The win probability swung from 63% to 87% on that single swing — a 24-point lurch that made everything that followed feel like a formality. Lowe finished 1-for-2 with 4 RBI and a run scored. That's the whole offensive story for the Angels, and it was more than enough.

Aaron Civale took the loss for Oakland, allowing all four runs on 7 hits over 5.0 innings with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. The Athletics did claw back one run in the fifth — Meneses hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring McNeil — but that was the extent of the damage. Lawrence Butler went 2-for-4 to lead Oakland's offense, and McNeil scored the team's only run after going 1-for-4. Jose Suarez came on in relief and was sharp, throwing 2.0 scoreless innings with no hits, no walks, and 2 strikeouts, but the deficit was already too steep. On the Angels' side, Sam Aldegheri held Oakland to 1 earned run over 5.0 innings, scattering 5 hits with 4 strikeouts. Jose Fermin closed it out with 2.0 hitless, scoreless innings.

The story of the night was how little the Athletics could do once Lowe put the game away. Oakland managed just 5 hits total against Aldegheri and Fermin combined, and their bullpen — Suarez included — actually outpitched Los Angeles's starters on a per-inning basis. It just didn't matter. The Angels are operating under new front-office leadership after firing GM Perry Minasian and bringing in John Mozeliak as interim GM, and wins like this — built on one explosive moment rather than sustained offensive pressure — look like exactly the kind of scrappy result a transitional roster produces. Whether that's sustainable is a different question, but on Sunday, one swing from Lowe was all Anaheim needed.