You just don’t realize how important some things are until you forget to do them. Change the oil. Back up the hard drive. Raise the debt ceiling. Or, in baseball, guard the bases. The Oakland A’s got a harsh lesson in this unspoken fundamental yesterday when Brendan Ryan executed the “just don’t stop running” strategy that is usually only effective in T-ball.

In the first inning, Ryan reached first base safely on an infield single deep in the hole behind third base. Then, noticing that A’s 2B Jemile Weeks had ranged far over toward first base in anticipation of an errant throw, and that SS Eric Sogard was ambling slowly back to his position from the leftfield grass with his head down, Ryan took off for second base. A’s 3B Scott Sizemore ran to cover the base, but arrived too late to even get a throw. Sizemore then dropped his head, failing to notice that he’d left third base uncovered. Ryan took off again, and slid into third without a throw. (Watch the play for yourself here.)

Those Safeco Field fans who’d been paying attention went wild with delight, and even stoic M’s manager Eric Wedge cracked a smile from the dugout.

Ryan then scored the first run of the game on Mike Carp’s double. The Mariners won 4-2, and now, just one week after losing their 17th consecutive game, are one win away from sweeping a three-game series against Oakland.