A’s defeat Japanese club in lively exhibition

TOKYO – It was only an exhibition game, but the atmosphere inside the Tokyo Dome made the first matchup between the A’s and Hokkaido Nippon-ham Fighters feel like something much more special.

Everything about the pregame batting practice in the A’s 5-1 victory over the Fighters Sunday seemed like an important game. The Japanese fans arrived early and marveled at the show put on by A’s sluggers Khris Davis and Matt Olson. They both took turns peppering the several billboards that surround the deepest corners of the stadium well above the bleachers.

“It’s a carnival atmosphere,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “There’s a lot going on that’s different from the States. It’s one of the things our guys were looking forward to and it lived up to the billing.”

A’s legend Rickey Henderson was in the house and got the Elvis treatment as he snuck away from his pregame interviews for a stroll down the right-field line where he signed autographs and was mobbed by fans chanting his name and hoping to lay just a finger on the Hall of Famer.

Once the game began, it was as if the A’s picked up right where they left off from their 97-win 2018 season.

Robbie Grossman, the new leadoff man, started things with a bang – specifically a triple off the wall in right center. He scored on a Khris Davis groundout and the A’s had a lead they never relinquished.

The A’s bullpen was lights-out in what was an all-reliever game started by Liam Hendriks. Hendriks along with seven other pitchers were sharp as they combined for 11 strikeouts and no walks over nine innings.

“We finished the season last year the same way,”

A’S / 10