A’s edge LA late, reward Fiers’ strong debut

Four perfect innings spelled out the beginning of Mike Fiers’ A’s tenure. The right-hander hardly played shy when introducing himself to the Coliseum crowd, striking out eight of his first 12 batters. Then the Dodgers got a hit. Yasmani Grandal’s home run christened the fifth inning, simultaneously erasing Fiers’ bid at a perfect game and a shutout. The A’s won, anyway. A two-out rally against Clayton Kershaw in the fourth inning helped facilitate a 3-2 victory, allowing the A’s to split this two-game Interleague set and gain a game on the Mariners for the second American League Wild Card spot.