10-07-2025
Athletics' Lawrence Butler pulls off extremely rare feat last done in 1943
The post Athletics' Lawrence Butler pulls off extremely rare feat last done in 1943 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Right fielder Lawrence Butler made history on Tuesday night, delivering a play that the Athletics hadn't seen in over 80 years. Right from the first pitch, Butler crushed a ball off the right-center field wall at Sutter Health Park, sending it flying just out of reach of Atlanta Braves outfielders Stuart Fairchild and Eli White. Butler slid in headfirst with no throw to the plate, marking the A's first leadoff inside-the-park home run since Elmer Valo did it on June 25, 1943, according to Sarah Langs of
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Butler's electrifying start set the stage for a powerful first inning. Unfortunately, the next batter, Jacob Wilson, got hit on the left wrist by a pitch and had to exit the game. Wilson, a top contender for American League Rookie of the Year, is now listed as day-to-day. The A's took full advantage of the early energy, adding two more home runs in that opening frame. Brent Rooker launched his 19th of the season with a two-run shot, followed by another two-run homer from Max Muncy, his eighth, giving the A's a commanding 5–0 lead.
Butler, who signed an extension last March with the Athletics, was not finished. In the third inning, he smashed a solo home run to straightaway center field for his 13th of the year, demonstrating strength and effort. This is an exciting development for Butler and the A's, who are trying to develop young players this season.
For the Athletics, Butler's achievement ends an 82-year drought without a leadoff inside-the-park home run, highlighting the special nature of Tuesday's game. The last time it happened, the team was still in Philadelphia, and Elmer Valo's inside-the-park dash took place during the 1943 season.
This is precisely the type of moment that exemplifies the unrelenting power inherent in the Athletics vast youth. Their opening-inning barrage highlighted not only their resourcefulness but, perhaps most importantly, their potential resurgence—they can come out swinging, and Butler is doing it. Wilson's injury presents ambiguity, but Butler's two-home run evening likely exemplifies Butler's potential significance to this Athletics lineup.
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