OAKLAND, Calif (AP) - Kurt Suzuki hit an RBI double with one out in the ninth inning to lead the Oakland Athletics to a 6-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night.
Suzuki's seventh career walkoff hit provided a happy ending to a night that began with the return of Justin Duchscherer to the mound. Duchscherer missed all of last season while recovering from elbow surgery and dealing with a bout of clinical depression. He pitched into the sixth in his first appearance in nearly 20 months and ended up with a no-decision.
With Kevin Kouzmanoff running from first with one out in the ninth, Suzuki hit a drive to the wall in left field off Mark Lowe (0-1). Milton Bradley reached up to try to make the catch, but the ball appeared to hit off his glove and Kouzmanoff raced around to score.
Jerry Blevins (1-0) got the final out of the ninth to earn the win for Oakland.
Bradley earlier hit a two-run homer for his first hit with the Mariners and Jose Lopez added three hits and a scored a run.
Tyson Ross had a memorable major league debut for Oakland, pitching 2 1-3 scoreless innings and striking out Ken Griffey Jr. Ross was helped by a diving stop by Kouzmanoff at third base that robbed Franklin Gutierrez of an extra-base hit to end the eighth inning.
Duchscherer allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings in his first major league appearance since leaving a game in Minnesota on Aug. 18, 2008, with an injured hip. The two-time All-Star then had elbow surgery last March before his depression ended any chance at a comeback last season.