July 10th, 2008: Mariners 2 at A's 3 F(11) -- The unsung hero of Thursday's thrilling 11-inning, 3-2 victory over the Mariners was not Emil Brown. Sure, the A's left fielder lined a fastball on a 1-2 count from Seattle's Cesar Jimenez just over the left-field wall to earn his first career walk-off homer. Nor was the hero Jack Cust or Kurt Suzuki, both of whom hit homers in the ninth inning to tie the game at 2. If not for them, Brown never would have been given the extra-inning stage in the first place. Rather, it was the man standing proudly in the dugout who received a big bear hug from Brown after the win. Say hello to the real hero -- A's hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo, who Brown said "prepared me more for that at-bat than I had ever been prepared for any other situation. "Before I went up there, Ty told me everything the guy may do. And he did all of it." That's what turned a game with an inauspicious beginning into the A's seventh walk-off win of the season. "Strange game," manager Bob Geren said. "You don't usually get three runs on three homers. And we haven't had the best of luck with pinch-hitting, but for Suzuki to have a nice, short swing and drive that ball out gave us a chance to win the game."