Mark Kotsay approached this day, which felt overwhelming, as if it were the World Series he has never experienced as a player or manager.
With tears in his eyes, just like many others on Thursday, Kotsay and the Oakland Athletics said an emotional goodbye to the Coliseum, their home since 1968.
The venue is known for its quirks, like plumbing issues and rally possums, as well as the stray cats that inspired Hall of Famer Tony La Russa’s former Animal Rescue Foundation.
The A’s won against the Texas Rangers 3-2, and afterward, Kotsay took the microphone to express his heartfelt thanks to the sold-out crowd of 46,889. He led one last chant of “Let’s go Oakland!” Meanwhile, third baseman Max Schuemann waved a large A’s flag as he ran around the field, stopping to acknowledge different sections of fans.
“I’ve never been to a World Series before,” Kotsay said. “But I feel like today is one of those days that you can kind of experience the emotion of that, the magnitude of it.
Driving in the gates today and seeing the fullness of a parking lot, feeling the energy and the emotion is something I’ll treasure for the rest of my life.”
Fans of all ages skipped work or school to attend the afternoon game under a clear September sky. With the A’s being Oakland’s last remaining team, they follow the NFL Raiders and the Golden State Warriors out of town.
In a spontaneous moment, Schuemann took the flag from mascot Stomper and started running.
“I wanted to enjoy it with them, for sure,” he said of the fans.
Soon after, home plate was removed and the pitching rubber was taken away. Head groundskeeper Clay Wood’s dog, Reba, made one last run through the outfield toward her master’s office beyond the fence.
Kotsay had one request for a keepsake: he is taking home three bases, which were swapped out each inning so there were 27 available as souvenirs. Longtime groundskeeper Clay Wood received the first-inning bags as a gift.
From Kotsay’s time as an outfielder to the 1989 World Series that was interrupted by an earthquake when the A’s beat the Giants, to the famous Bash Brothers, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, and the memorable 20-game winning streak in 2002, this stadium has seen many amazing moments across different eras and generations of players.
Barry Zito sang the national anthem to loud cheers, while Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart threw out the ceremonial first pitches.
Close to the A’s dugout, Kelly Mattson from the grounds crew allowed fans to scoop dirt straight from his shovel.
Hours before the game began, A’s bullpen catcher Dustin Hughes played catch in left field with his father, John, who is an Oakland scout. They later hiked up to Mount Davis and explored the inside of the scoreboard and other hidden areas beneath the center-field stands.
In recent days, hundreds of fans have wandered through the concourse, taking photos and videos of memories from many years. The parking lots were full even before breakfast, with tailgaters enjoying the atmosphere one last time.
Former A’s fan favorite and current Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien expected 10 to 15 family members and friends—including his parents and grandparents—in the stands for this special day.
“Thank you to all the security guards, concession workers, everyone who made this place a major league stadium,” Semien said on the field. “I really appreciate you welcoming me as an East Bay kid to your place of work.
I feel very sorry for anybody who can’t continue on with Oakland but keep on grinding like you always have been.”
Longtime manager and former catcher Bruce Bochy felt emotional in the visiting dugout. The Coliseum means a lot to him as well.
The A’s plan to spend the next three years in Sacramento while hoping to open a new ballpark in Las Vegas before the 2028 season.
“Big day,” said Bochy, who used to catch for the San Francisco Giants and led them to World Series titles in 2010, 2012, and 2014. “Memorable day for I think so many people but for me, it’s starting to hit me now that baseball’s done here.
It’s kind of sad. Because I love this place, love the field and everything.” He added about his team, “I think they’re really appreciating what this place is.” Kotsay wanted to take it all in.
“It’s a day that will come and go pretty quickly,” he said, “and you just don’t want to miss any opportunity to express your gratitude toward the fans, toward the people that mean everything, the workers in the stadium. Sharing moments with them today was tough.
There’s a lot of people here that have invested their lives and their souls into this organization and into this stadium and into the game of baseball.
The love for the game of baseball but more for the love for the people and the relationships that have been built over 57 years in this stadium.” Even his players recognized the significance of saying goodbye.
“It’s unique in that there’s no frills. A lot of stadiums have, whether it’s good or bad, kind of become less about the actual baseball game and more just about an entertainment product,” slugger Brent Rooker said.
“What the Coliseum offers is, ‘Here’s just a bunch of seats, and here’s a field and there’s going to be a baseball game happening.’ And that’s really cool.”
