When manager Mark Kotsay takes off his Oakland jersey for the last time on Sunday, it will go to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Brent Rooker will keep his final jersey with “Oakland” on it framed and displayed at home.
“That’ll kind of be my thing. The last jersey that says Oakland and the last time you’re representing that city specifically,” Rooker said.
The name Oakland will be officially dropped from the Athletics after the last game against the Seattle Mariners. When the 2025 season starts, the A’s will still be around, starting the year in Seattle, but without the Oakland name.
Kotsay, who played for the A’s for four seasons and is now finishing his third year as manager, said it’s an honor to give his last jersey to the Hall of Fame.
“We talked about it on Thursday, the pride that I have of managing this club, of representing the city and the jersey and the front of it being Oakland one last time,” Kotsay said.
The last few weeks have been filled with strong emotions for everyone involved with the A’s, especially in the final days. This included the last home series and the final game at the Coliseum in Oakland on Thursday, followed by the last games in Seattle.
“I think we’ve done a pretty good job of keeping things in perspective and by that I mean making sure that we understand the weight, the gravity of the moment, the situation, and how much it means to a lot of people,” Rooker said.
“And doing our best to honor that and to play homage and respect to everything else to the city of Oakland and the organization, the franchise, the people, the fans, the workers, all the people deserve.”
