feature-image

Imago

feature-image

Imago

Athletics’ shortstop Jacob Wilson has not recorded an error at the position since July 6, 2025. On Tuesday, that record was at stake against the Tampa Bay Rays after a throw to second base went wild.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

Everyone, including Wilson, believed his errorless streak had come to an end after 112 games. But in the latest turn of events, the official scorer overturned the ruling post-game. After the brief hiccup, Wilson’s incredible streak was alive and stretched to an MLB-high 113 games.

ADVERTISEMENT

On Tuesday night, the Athletics were trailing 9-2 against the Tampa Bay Rays with Yandy Diaz at the plate. On a splitter from Yunior Tur, Diaz hit a grounder to shortstop. Wilson nabbed the ball and threw it to second base. With a runner on first, it was the obvious play to make.

But his throw went wide of 2B Donovan Walton, keeping all runners safe at the bases. The play was initially ruled as an error on Wilson’s part but was later overturned. It was changed to Diaz reaching on a fielder’s choice.

Get the EssentiallySports Daily Newsletter. Stay ahead of the game with daily updates, exclusive stories, expert takes, and the biggest moments from the world's most popular sports.

ADVERTISEMENT

Posting the play that was overturned, Jomboy Media wrote on X, “Jacob Wilson’s errorless streak was extended to 113 games after this error was changed to a fielder’s choice.”

The decision to overturn the error came post-game after official scorer Mark Honbo reviewed the play. Official scorers have a 24-hour window to make such changes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Honbo concluded that it was a tough defensive play, not a routine mistake by Wilson. Manager Mark Kotsay also agreed with Honbo’s postgame decision.

“Jacob didn’t feel he had a chance to get the runner at first and went for the out at second. … I think the official scorer got it right now with the fielder’s choice. You wouldn’t want to see a play that was marginal by any measure dictate a streak like this,” noted Kotsay, per MLB.com.

ADVERTISEMENT

Wilson has signed a seven-year, $70 million contract extension with the Athletics this January. His deal includes a club option for 2033. A 3-year veteran in MLB, Wilson has played 224 games as a shortstop for the Athletics. Since his debut in 2024, Wilson has recorded only 8 errors at the position, all in 2025.

His debut season, when he played 27 games as shortstop, was spotless as well.

ADVERTISEMENT

Following Wilson’s wild throw on Tuesday, Tur recorded the second out of the inning in the next at-bat. The Rays put runners on base, with Diaz at second and Palacios at third, as Jonathan Aranda grounded out. Carson Williams came to bat next and launched a three-run homer to extend the Rays’ lead to 12-2.

The Rays’ pitching staff mostly silenced the Athletics’ offense.

ADVERTISEMENT

They recorded only two scoring plays— a two-run home run from Butler and a 2-RBI double from Carlos Cortes. Apart from scoring on Butler’s homer in the fourth inning, Wilson hit a single in the same frame.

But none of it could prevent the Tampa Bay Rays from winning their 8th straight game, 12-4. Yet, Wilson’s excellence remains undeniable.

The A’s shortstop has a slash line of .269/.299/.392 in 78 games with 7 homers and 37 RBIs this season. With his 113-game errorless streak, Wilson is now the MLB record holder.

ADVERTISEMENT

He surpassed Mike Bordick’s record as a shortstop. Bordick had a 110-game streak, which he set in 2002 while playing for the Orioles. Wilson broke Bordick’s record on Sunday at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox.

The Athletics also snapped their 9-game losing skid with a 4-3 win on the same day.

The 24-year-old’s skills at shortstop probably come from his bloodline.

ADVERTISEMENT

His father, Jack Wilson, played 12 seasons in the big leagues as a shortstop. From 2001 to 2012, Jack Wilson played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Seattle Mariners, and the Atlanta Braves, retiring with a .265 BA.

Wilson expressed gratitude towards his father as he continues to excel as a shortstop.

“He’s a very defensive-first guy for me, growing up by teaching me defense first before the hitting side of things,” Wilson told ESPN. “Making sure you’re always prepared to play defense every day.”

Following their series sweep against the Rays, the Athletics would next face the Texas Rangers. But the Athletics would be at a disadvantage without their star slugger Nick Kurtz.

Nick Kurtz’s 2026 season at risk

The Athletics placed their 23-year-old star slugger, Nick Kurtz, on the IL after he sprained his right thumb on July 10. He returned two weeks later, but continued to struggle at the plate.

His production saw a steady decline over the last month, hitting only .184.

Kurtz has registered only one hit in his last 18 at-bats across 7 games. The last time he recorded a hit was against the Minnesota Twins on July 26.

Kurtz, who took a platelet-rich plasma injection on August 4, was scheduled to see a hand specialist last week. But before Tuesday’s game, manager Mark Kotsay had an ominous update for Kurtz.

“Four weeks of no mobility. You probably can do the timeline and think through the scenarios in front of us for Nick,” Kotsay told Martin Gallegos of MLB.com.

Kurtz will have to be in a brace for now, and he will not return before the last week of September.

He has hit 21 home runs for the Athletics so far this season. Now, the team has to navigate the rest of this season without the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year. With the Athletics being 13 games out of a Wild Card spot, it might be best for Kurtz not to rush back and let his hand heal completely first.

ADVERTISEMENT

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Srijanee Chakraborty

540 Articles

Srijanee Chakraborty is a MLB Writer at EssentiallySports, with a specialty in reporting on trade decisions and off-field stories. She started her career as a fact-checker, and that background still shapes how she reports today, digging past the box score for the story behind the numbers. She holds a master's degree in English and a postgraduate diploma in Mass Communication. Outside baseball season, she follows professional tennis closely and keeps a running list of favorite fictional characters she'll defend in any argument.

Know more

Edited by

editor-image

Ahana Chatterjee

ADVERTISEMENT