Jun 19, 2002 3 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Mark Mulder won his fifth straight start to give the Oakland Athletics their 10th victory in 11 games, a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first meeting between two of baseball’s oldest franchises. The 115-year-old Pirates and 101-year-old Athletics – who spent more than half a century across the state in Philadelphia – had never met in the regular season or postseason despite winning a combined five World Series in the 1970s and playing in 21 Series overall.

The first AL West team to play a regular season game in Pittsburgh, the Athletics ran their interleague record to 9-1 this season and 59-37 overall, the best in the majors.

The Athletics had never faced Pirates starter Josh Fogg (7-5) either, but quickly opened a 2-0 lead in the first by stringing together four singles and a walk, including Jermaine Dye’s two-run single. Dye is one of only four Oakland position players to have played previously against Pittsburgh.

Scott Hatteberg added an RBI double in the second following Mark Ellis’ two-out single, and Ramon Hernandez started the fourth with his fourth homer – the 11th yielded by Fogg in his last eight starts. Fogg has allowed at least one homer in those eight straight starts.

Fogg, who leads all NL rookies with 85 2-3 innings pitched, began the season by going 3-0 and 5-1, but has since lost four of six. He lasted six innings, giving up four runs and eight hits.

Mulder (7-4) was cruising with a 4-1 lead after allowing three hits in six innings, only to give up Kevin Young’s leadoff homer and Pokey Reese’s single to start the seventh. He was replaced a batter later by Chad Bradford, who struck out Chad Hermansen before Hernandez threw out Adrian Brown attempting to steal second to end the inning.

Mulder yielded two runs and five hits in 6 1-3 innings.

Hernandez also accounted for the first out in the eighth, easily throwing out Abraham Nunez trying to steal – with cleanup hitter Brian Giles about to bat. The Pirates have been thrown out in 31 of 76 steal attempts.

Oakland used three relievers in a scoreless eighth, with Jim Mecir getting Craig Wilson to pop up with runners on first and third and two outs. Billy Koch finished up in the ninth for his 16th save in 20 chances.

NOTES: The Pirates accidentally shot off fireworks when Aramis Ramirez hit a long drive – but foul – deep into the left-field seats in the eighth. … The Athletics have won 14 of 17 and 17 of 22 overall, including six of their last seven road games. Oakland starters are 13-3 with a 3.01 ERA in their last 22 games. … Oakland has also won 17 of its last 19 against the NL.

… A 48-minute rain delay before the Pirates batted in the third was their third delay in four games, including lengthy delays in consecutive weekend games in Cincinnati. They have had 17 rain delays this season, 15 at home, totaling 17 hours, 25 minutes. … Oakland 3B Eric Chavez ran his hitting streak to 11 with a single in the first. … Pirates 2B Pokey Reese singled following Young’s homer in the seventh to extend his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games. … Mulder’s five-game winning streak has followed a four-game losing streak. He is 8-3 in interleague starts. … Pittsburgh is 1-3 in interleague play after going 8-7 against the AL Central last season.