LAS VEGAS (AP) — Lawrence Butler scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning on a throwing error and had an RBI single in the eighth to lead the Athletics to a 6-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.
Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz hit back-to-back solo home runs in the fifth for the A's. Langeliers' homer, his team-leading 18th, traveled 450 feet to center field. Kurtz, who has 16 homers, hit his 471 feet to right-center.
Click to Gallery
Colorado Rockies' Kyle Karros (12) slides into third base off a single hit by Colorado Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield (7) during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, June 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Athletics starting pitcher Gage Jump (61) throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Sean Sullivan (45) throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Athletics' Nick Kurtz (16) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Athletics' Shea Langeliers (23) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Mason Barnett (1-0) worked 1 2/3 innings for the victory, and Hogan Harris got the final four outs for his sixth save.
Zach Agnos (0-2) took the loss.
Butler broke a 4-4 tie with two outs in the seventh when he got caught in a rundown. But Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman threw the ball away, allowing Butler to score. Goodman, who had slugged five home runs in his previous nine games, also went 0 for 4 and struck out three times.
Zack Gelof singled in the sixth inning for the A's to extend his career-high hitting streak to 16 games. Tyler Soderstrom extended his on-base streak to 21 games with a seventh-inning walk.
Colorado's Cole Carrigg hit a three-run 450-homer to right-center field in the sixth to put the Rockies ahead 4-2. Max Muncy answered with a two-run double in the bottom of the inning to tie it.
The game began with an unusual pitcher's duel in this ballpark between rookie starters.
Gage Jump tossed five shutout innings, allowing three hits while striking out six batters. He then loaded the bases in the sixth with no one outs on two singles and a walk to end his night.
Left-hander Sean Sullivan pitched three shutout innings in his major league debut. He allowed two hits and struck out two. Sullivan was removed after throwing 49 pitches.
Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-6, 7.81 ERA) was set to start Saturday night in the second of the three-game series. The A's hadn't announced a starter.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Colorado Rockies' Kyle Karros (12) slides into third base off a single hit by Colorado Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield (7) during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, June 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Athletics starting pitcher Gage Jump (61) throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Sean Sullivan (45) throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Athletics' Nick Kurtz (16) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Athletics' Shea Langeliers (23) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Workers began removing President Donald Trump's name from the facade of the Kennedy Center early Saturday, hours after a court-ordered Friday deadline to remove references to Trump from the building and other aspects of the iconic performing arts venue’s operations.
Scaffolding was erected Friday around a section of the building that includes Trump’s name, but shortly after midnight, the Kennedy Center asked a judge to extend the deadline until noon Eastern Time on Saturday because of thunderstorms that had swept through the Washington area, causing a delay.
In the filing, the Kennedy Center offered assurance that the “removal work is presently ongoing” and would “conclude in the early hours of the morning.”
A few hours later, workers began covering the scaffolding with tarps before they eventually started taking down Trump's name. They packed up and left the site around 3:30 a.m., though the tarps remained, leaving it impossible to determine if all the letters had been removed.
Dozens of people spent hours Friday on the plaza in front of the Kennedy Center taking pictures and cheering occasionally as they broke into chants of “take it down.” Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex-officio board member who sued to have Trump's name removed from the building, was spotted at one point on the plaza.
Earlier Friday afternoon, a judge rejected a request to pause the court-ordered deadline. The institution appealed that ruling, an effort that was also rebuffed Friday evening.
After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. Trump's name was quickly added to the building.
In his ruling that only Congress could make changes to the Kennedy Center's name, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to start in July and last for two years.
The Kennedy Center's leadership argued in its appeal Friday that the renovation was badly needed and accused the lower court, in terms that seemed similar to Trump's speech patterns, of interfering in the effort.
“The District Court is not allowing us to close in order to properly fix up and repair the Building, including potentially life threatening structural damage like beams and parking garage ceilings that are rusted, and in serious danger of falling onto people below,” according to the appeal. “Indeed, total collapse!”
Even as the Kennedy Center has fought efforts to remove Trump's name from the building, it has taken steps to comply with Cooper's initial ruling.
A June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel said email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “Kennedy Center.”
The Kennedy Center’s website has dropped Trump's name. And an earlier email sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Trump’s name.
Associated Press journalists Anna Johnson, Mark Sherman and Emily Wang in Washington and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.
A worker removes a letter from President Donald Trump's name from the wall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
A worker removes a letter from President Donald Trump's name from the wall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Workers wait for the rain to stop before resuming work to remove President Donald Trump's name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Workers erect scaffolding in front of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts sign in Washington, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
A double rainbow is seen from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Workers construct scaffolding below the sign for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Protestors wave a U.S. and signs as workers prepare to remove President Donald Trump's name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
