ANAHEIM — Yusei Kikuchi received a nice ovation and doffed his cap to the Angel Stadium crowd after his game-opening strikeout of Shea Langeliers on Saturday night, the whiff giving the Japanese left-hander 1,000 strikeouts in his career.

Five batters later, the thrill was gone for Kikuchi, who watched helplessly as Angels left fielder Taylor Ward turned Tyler Soderstrom’s slicing drive over his head that should have been an inning-ending flyout into a three-run double.

One inning after that, those hometown cheers turned to jeers after Kikuchi gave up a three-run homer to Colby Thomas, the Athletics building an early seven-run cushion en route to a 17-4 blowout of the rapidly fading Angels, who have lost 14 of 21 since Aug. 15 to fall eight games back in the American League wild-card rac

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