Athletics 7, Angels 3: Bolte's First Four-Hit Night

Four hits, a 115-mph double, and a first inning that stuck

September 23, 2026 - West Sacramento - Henry Bolte had never had a four-hit game in the majors. He went 4-for-5 on Wednesday at Sutter Health Park with two doubles, two runs, and an RBI, and the third hit off Walbert Ureña left the bat at 115.1 mph. That was the hardest ball anyone hit all night. The Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-3.

Clear. 86 degrees. Wind 3 mph, calm. First pitch 6:40 p.m. Attendance 7,430. The game lasted 2 hours, 59 minutes. The Athletics had 13 hits and no errors. Los Angeles had eight hits and one error.

Manager Mark Kotsay had seen Bolte's name on MLB Network last week and been a little surprised the show was about his rookie, not a playoff race. "They were doing something on Henry, specifically about his year and the bright spot for us," Kotsay said. "Obviously, he's been one."

Bolte is 23. He has reached base in all 20 of his September games. He is hitting .320 in the month and .314 since August 1 after a .164 July. Wednesday was the night the skill set showed up in one box score.

Walton's third, then Bolte again

Ureña (9-11) did not get out of the first. Bolte reached. Lawrence Butler singled him home, a grounder that Zach Neto deflected. 1-0. Jeff McNeil reached. Zack Gelof reached. Donovan Walton hit his ninth, a three-run fly to right. 4-0 before Ureña had recorded three outs.

Alika Williams scored in the second on Bolte's first double, a ground ball to right. 5-0. Bolte later said Ureña's sinker had given him trouble the first few times they met. He beat it for an infield single, a ball the other way, and then that 115-mph double.

"He's got an electric sinker and really good stuff," Bolte said. "It's definitely been a challenge the first few times I've faced him. I was able to grind out an infield single and shoot one the other way, but that third hit was more of a nod to the stuff we've been working on."

Ureña lasted four: seven hits, five earned, one walk, two strikeouts, one homer, 81 pitches. He balked. He hit Gelof. He watched Mike Trout and Vaughn Grissom go back-to-back in the fourth, Trout's 22nd to left and Grissom's 13th to right-center. 5-2. Grissom singled Tyler Heineman home in the fifth. 5-3.

Jeffrey Springs started for the Athletics and did not get the win. He threw 4 1/3: five hits, three earned, one walk, three strikeouts, two homers, 84 pitches. Geoff Hartlieb (2-1) threw 1 2/3 scoreless after him and inherited the decision. Luis Medina, Hogan Harris, and Elvis Alvarado each threw a zero.

Langeliers in the sixth, and a 13-hit night

The Angels had crawled back to 5-3. The sixth put it away. Williams was on. Bolte was on. Shea Langeliers doubled them both home, a line drive to right. 7-3. That was the last run either club scored.

Bolte's four hits were two doubles, a single, and another single. Butler went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Gelof went 2-for-3 with a double, a run, and two steals. Williams went 2-for-4 with two runs and a steal. Walton went 1-for-2 with the homer, a walk, and three RBI. Langeliers went 1-for-5 with the double and two RBI. McNeil walked and scored. Jonah Heim walked and did not get a hit.

Trout finished 2-for-4 with the homer. Grissom went 2-for-4 with the homer, a single, and two RBI. Neto went 1-for-2 with two walks. Wade Meckler singled twice. Jose Siri walked. Christian Moore went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Josh Lowe went 0-for-2. The Angels had the two loudest swings of the middle innings and never caught the first-inning hole.

Kotsay talked about Bolte maturing and staying at the top of the lineup long enough to earn it. Bolte talked about finishing the year and carrying the stretch into the winter. The Athletics are 63-95. The Angels are 60-98. Four games left. Neither club is playing for October. Bolte is playing like he wants the next one.

"I had hopes that I'd play well," Bolte said. "I definitely had confidence coming in and just treating it like baseball. I've just been trying to keep that mindset. It's nice to be rolling."

A 7-3 that belonged to the leadoff spot

Thirteen hits is how a last-place club looks like it has a future. Walton's first-inning homer is how the night started 4-0. Bolte's four hits are how it stayed interesting after Trout and Grissom cut it to two. Hartlieb's 1 2/3 zeroes are how Springs avoided a no-decision turning into something worse.

The box score is a 7-3 in September in Sacramento. The story is a 23-year-old who forced a national hit and then went 4-for-5 when the cameras were not the point.

AthX Engine after the baseball

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) put the Athletics at 14 team fantasy points, fourth on the slate. Bolte, Walton, and Gelof each had 9 hitting FP. Los Angeles finished at minus-2.

Fantasy points measure the night under platform scoring rules. Share prices also move with traders through dynamic pricing. They are related. They are not the same number.

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*Sources: ESPN recap and box score, MLB.com Gameday wrap, MLB.com schedule, and AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*