Joey Estes goes the distance and Athletics beat Angels 5-0

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Joey Estes pitched Oakland’s first individual shutout in more than three years and the Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-0 on Wednesday night.

Estes (3-3) threw 68 of his 92 pitches for strikes, limiting Los Angeles to five singles and a walk with four strikeouts in the first complete game of his career.

“It’s an unreal feeling,” he said. “I’m still just kind of processing it myself and just kind of enjoying what this feels like.”

Estes induced three double plays and struck out Taylor Ward swinging to end the game.

“I don’t know if you saw, I went crazy,” Estes said of his celebration. “I didn’t know how to feel. It was my first time going through it, so definitely a lot of emotion. I was into it. It’s something you dream of.”

It was the 16th complete game in the major leagues this season, 10 of them shutouts.

The last Oakland pitcher to accomplish the feat was Sean Manaea, who blanked the Mariners on June 2, 2021.

“For him to go nine, it's a testament to the mentality and the mindset that he has,” A's manager Mark Kotsay said.

“The focus and concentration, and the competitor that he is, that's what it takes to finish a game.”

Brent Rooker had three hits including a homer and Max Schuemann also homered.

“It’s a great team win,” Rooker said. “I think it’s just an example of how good a team we can be when we put things together and play well.”

The A’s benefitted from some shaky Angels defense to score two runs in the second inning. With runners on first and third, Brett Harris hit a comebacker that should have been an inning-ending double play, but Davis Daniel’s low throw to second base ended up in center field, allowing Zack Gelof to score.

Later in the inning, Harris attempted to steal second, drawing a throw from catcher Matt Thaiss. Lawrence Butler sprinted home before Harris was tagged out to make it 2-0.

Schuemann took Daniel deep in the fifth.

“He missed up and in, hung one a little bit, and I took advantage of it,” Schuemann said.

Rooker connected for his 17th homer in the sixth. Harris added an RBI single later in the inning.

Daniel (1-1) allowed five runs (four earned) and seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: 3B Luis Rengifo exited with an apparent right wrist injury after a foul ball in the ninth inning. Rengifo fouled the ball straight back, then shook his hand in pain. He was briefly examined by manager Ron Washington and a trainer before walking to the dugout. “We’re still evaluating," Washington said. "We didn’t come up with anything yet. ... He just said that his wrist was hurting. That’s it. So until we get something definite, that’s all I know.” ... 3B Anthony Rendon (left hamstring strain) is scheduled to face live pitching this weekend. Washington is hopeful he can return next week.

Athletics: LHP Kyle Muller (left shoulder tendinitis) threw 42 pitches in a rehab start for Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, allowing two runs in 2 2/3 innings with five strikeouts. He returned to Oakland on Wednesday and Kotsay said they would discuss how he felt before determining his next step. ... RHP Ross Stripling (right elbow strain) and RHP Paul Blackburn (right foot stress reaction) faced hitters in live batting practice Wednesday. Kotsay said they would either face hitters again or begin rehab assignments.

UP NEXT

RHP Roansy Contreras (1-0, 3.82 ERA) makes his second start for the Angels on Thursday. The A’s counter with LHP JP Sears (4-7, 5.00), who has lost four straight decisions.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Oakland Athletics pitcher Joey Estes reacts after second baseman Zack Gelof turned a double play against the Los Angeles Angels during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Los Angeles Angels' Luis Rengifo, right, holds his arm during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. Rengifo left the game with an injury. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Oakland Athletics pitcher Joey Estes reacts after striking out Los Angeles Angels' Taylor Ward to end a baseball game Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. The Athletics won 5-0. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Oakland Athletics' Joey Estes walks to the dugout after pitching against the Los Angeles Angels during the seventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel is unable to catch a ball hit into foul territory by Oakland Athletics' Zack Gelof during the seventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Oakland Athletics right fielder Lawrence Butler catches a fly ball hit by Los Angeles Angels' Mickey Moniak during the eighth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Oakland Athletics' Joey Estes (68) pitches to a Los Angeles Angels batter during the ninth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Oakland Athletics pitcher Joey Estes, right, reacts after striking out Los Angeles Angels' Taylor Ward to end a baseball game Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. The Athletics won 5-0. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Oakland Athletics pitcher Joey Estes, center, celebrates with catcher Shea Langeliers, right, after the team's victory over the Los Angeles Angels in a baseball game Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Jenn Tran can't stop thinking about being the first Asian American lead in the history of “The Bachelor” franchise — not that she wants to.

“I think about it every day, all the time. I think if I pushed it aside, that would be such a dishonor to me in who I am because being Asian American, that’s me,” the 26-year-old aspiring physician assistant tells The Associated Press.

A Vietnamese American woman reigning over Bachelor Nation marks a significant moment for the reality TV dating behemoth. Historically, fewer roses on “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” have gone to contestants of color. The roses that were handed out often came with plenty of thorns, including racist social media commentary.

Tran's season doesn't debut on ABC until Monday, but it's already received some criticism for having few suitors of Asian descent. Still, Tran — who made it to the final six in the last “Bachelor” season starring Joey Graziadei — is embracing her unconventional search for love as an opportunity to share her bicultural upbringing.

“My mom and I speak a lot of Vietnamese together. And I can’t wait for people to see that. That’s not something that people have seen before,” Tran says.

“The Bachelor” has been a mixed bag when it comes to showcasing Asian cultures. In 2019, “Bachelor” lead Colton Underwood went on a group date over Singaporean street food. The mostly white contestants made gagging noises and Colton, who is also white, made a toast “to weird food.” The outing drew some backlash and even a Washington Post column.

Tran, whose season has already completed filming, assures that the show has handled her Vietnamese identity respectfully.

“There is a small scene in the beginning in my intro package where I talk to my family about leaving as a bachelorette and there they cooked a big, big Vietnamese meal,” Tran says. “I hope ... I’m exposing people to something that’s different than them. And so that can incite change and that can incite acceptance into people.”

Non-white contestants and leads, including Black trailblazers Rachel Lindsay and Matt James, have historically been met with hostility from the majority-white Bachelor Nation audience. Longtime host Chris Harrison left the franchise in 2021, under fire over his handling of a racism controversy in an interview with Lindsay. Rachel Nance, who is Filipino and Black and outlasted Tran on Graziadei's season, tearfully recounted in March getting “hundreds” of DMs and comments using racial slurs for both Black and Asian people. (Some viewers were disappointed that host Jesse Palmer did not call it racism but instead asked viewers to temper their “strong opinions.”)

Tran hasn't been immune to the same treatment. She gets racist comments “every day" on Instagram and TikTok, she says. Her approach is to simply ignore it, though it isn't easy.

“Social media is like this platform for all these people just come at me all at once and it’s a new feeling. It’s overwhelming. And unfortunately, that’s the world that we live in right now,” Tran says. “I hope that people are more open-minded and that they open their hearts up to this truly.”

Tran's star turn has definitely piqued the interest of Asian Americans who don’t typically watch “Bachelor” programming, however. One is Vi Luong, 27, a Vietnamese American social media influencer/content creator who has only watched “The Golden Bachelor.” She's never been interested in the younger incarnations.

“I’d say 90% of my friends are Asian and yeah, they’re kind of like in my boat where they’ve never really cared until now,” says Luong, who is based in Irvine, California. “The bad rhetoric I was seeing was like, ‘Oh, she’s a diversity hire.’ Maybe but, like, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. ... Tapping into a whole different demographic — I think it's a smart choice."

Luong has already received invites to watch parties happening within the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. Luong, whose boyfriend is white, wants to see how Tran and the show handle interracial dating and any culture clashes. She's also looking forward to how Tran's mother handles the boyfriend meet-and-greets.

“This is where I’m like, ‘Oh, this might get really interesting,’” Luong says. “If there’s something you have to know about Vietnamese people, is we are very, very blunt people, very direct people, especially our parents' generation.”

The star herself says her mother has only watched Vietnamese reality TV shows. Tran isn't sure how her parent will react to whatever makes it to air — but her mother wasn't shy during filming, which Tran thinks will make for good TV.

“There are some concerns and things that she brought up because of our Vietnamese culture. So that’s something that I’m excited for people to learn about,” Tran says. “She really was just trying to wrap her head around it all.”

Only a few of the 25 men vying for her affections appear to be of Asian descent, and only one is Vietnamese American. The franchise's dearth of Asian men has been an ongoing gripe: The “Bachelor” universe, which debuted in 2002, didn't have an Asian contestant until the 2016 season of “The Bachelorette.” Jonathan, a half-Scottish and half-Chinese technical sales rep, entered in a kilt and was primarily remembered for a crude punchline implying that his Asian side wasn't as manly.

In response to the lack of Asian men, Asian American production company Wong Fu Productions made two parody “Bachelorette” skits in 2017 and 2018. Collectively, the YouTube videos, one of which features a pre-“Shang Chi” Simu Liu, have amassed more than 9 million views.

Philip Wang, co-founder and video director, plans to check out Tran's journey. He called her casting “a net positive move” but hopes the series avoids any stereotypical tropes.

“Ultimately the bachelor/ette shows are very white leaning/adjacent so it’s an uphill battle to shift that branding/audience...if it’s even worth it," Wang wrote in an email.

In a wide-ranging interview last month with the Los Angeles Times, the showrunners who took over from creator Mike Fleiss last year addressed the franchise's troubling history with race. They acknowledged falling short in responding to concerns of the few non-white leads and online bullying, and acknowledged Tran should have had more Asian suitors.

As for if any of those suitors put a ring on it, Tran will not confirm.

“I can tell you that I'm happy with the way things ended,” she says with a smile.

Besides romance, Tran also feels that she found her voice on “The Bachelor” franchise. She has been candid about wanting to break a streak of toxic relationships. She hopes viewers will see an Asian American woman unafraid to advocate for what she knows she deserves.

"Throughout this journey I really learned to stand up for myself because if you don’t, nobody else will,” Tran says. “I hope that women will see that and will resonate with that and will understand that it’s okay to have a voice and in fact, that makes you stronger in who you are.”

This image released by Disney shows Jenn Tran during the taping of "The Bachelorette," premiering Monday, July 8 on ABC. (John Fleenor/Disney via AP)

This image released by Disney shows Jenn Tran, a contestant on "The Bachelor." (John Fleenor/Disney via AP)