OAKLAND — Throughout the Oakland A’s final homestand, music has been a focus, as the players intentionally chose walk-up songs with connections to the Bay Area and the A’s history. But, ultimately, there was only one song the 46,886 fans who showed up on Thursday to say goodbye to their team wanted to hear.
As A’s third baseman Max Schuemann’s throw landed in the mitt of first baseman Tyler Soderstrom for the final out at the Oakland Coliseum, Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” blared out from the loudspeakers. It was the only way this chapter in MLB history could end.
The final out at the Oakland Coliseum.
End of an era pic.twitter.com/QsHguLf79N
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 26, 2024
For much of the A’s 57 years in Oakland, “Celebration” has been synonymous with a win for the home team. On a day that will mostly be associated with loss, fans reveled in the sound of victory one last time as the A’s beat the Rangers 3-2.
After the final out, A’s players and coaches rushed onto the field and lingered there in front of the cheering crowd as their manager Mark Kotsay gave a heartfelt speech, with his voice cracking with emotion.
“On behalf of my staff, myself and this team and these coaches, and all the past players and coaches, every one was important to the green and gold,” Kotsay said to the crowd. “There are no better fans than you guys. Thank you all for loving the game of baseball.”
He finished his speech by asking the crowd to join him for what he called “the greatest cheer in baseball — Let’s go Oakland.”
“There are no better fans than you guys.”
Mark Kotsay delivers parting words to A’s fans at the Coliseum 🥲 pic.twitter.com/BcoVvGvIMh
— A’s on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) September 26, 2024
It was a sad and also joyous ending to a day — and a year — that has been filled with heavy emotions since it was announced the team would be relocating to Sacramento next season ahead of their proposed move to Las Vegas. A’s All-Star closer Mason Miller, who recorded the final four outs, said the move weighed heavily on the minds of everyone on the team as they played this final homestand.
“Throughout the season, you knew this day would come eventually, and the closer we got, the more real it felt,” Miller said. “Just this small homestead, appreciating every moment that you have with each fan, each moment in the game, and just knowing how much it means to the people here.”
Kotsay came into the game on Thursday with only one goal in mind — to bring home a win in the finale. He said before the game he would chase a win if necessary, and he managed his bullpen aggressively, bringing in Miller with a runner on first and two outs in the top of the eighth. Miller induced a groundout back to the mound to close out the eighth before retiring the side in order in the ninth.
“We’ve been pretty good with the lead, and when we grabbed that lead, I did feel confident that we would be able to match up and run this thing down,” Kotsay said. “And handing the ball over to Mason is always a boost of confidence.”
Miller, the A’s homegrown fireballer who holds the franchise record for saves (28, and counting) by a rookie, never flinched as he took on the task of closing out the A’s chapter in Oakland, even as he had to wait out a few delays as two fans ran onto the field and some debris was thrown into the outfield.
“It’s an honor that I think any pitcher would love to have,” Miller said. “To be able to say that (he recorded that out) for the rest of my career, no matter where it takes me, that’s always going to be a moment that I look back on.”
All three players involved in the final out at the Coliseum — Miller, Schuemann and Soderstrom — have spent their entire professional careers with the A’s. Schuemann, who has been with the organization since 2018, sprinted around the field flying the Oakland A’s flag after the game.
Max Schuemann flies the A’s flag around the Coliseum one last time 👏 pic.twitter.com/vDTZ5GsR1o
— A’s on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) September 26, 2024
He said it was a spur-of-the-moment decision that he quickly ran past team leaders Brent Rooker and Zack Gelof before sprinting with the flag into the outfield.
“It was special. Just being a homegrown player, it means a lot to me,” Schuemann said of recording the final out. “It’s been my dream to be a big-league player and to be drafted by the Oakland A’s and then to represent them this year means a ton to me.”
Even with the strikeout artist Miller on the mound, Schuemann said he had a premonition that the final out would be coming his way. A natural shortstop who has moved all over the field during his career, Schuemann confidently snared the grounder and fired to first.
Representing the organization has been at the forefront of Kotsay’s mind all season, and as he stood on the field addressing the crowd, telling them how on Wednesday night he and his wife had walked to center field — his position for four seasons with the A’s — his emotions were evident.
“The speech comes from the heart,” Kotsay said. “I’m as much an Oakland A as a major-league player and manager, because this is where home began, and this is hopefully where home finishes.”
“I couldn’t be more proud to represent this organization on this day and be able to honor it in the way that we did,” Kotsay added.
There was a playoff atmosphere throughout the game, with fans hanging on every pitch.
“Every pitch, every ball, every strike, every out, every hit, every run. It means more. You feel it in the stadium,” Miller said.
Much as they did for postseason games at the Coliseum, fans lingered after the game for more than an hour before being shuffled out of the stadium. As they left, there were echoes of that cheer Kotsay — and so many others — so cherish.
“Let’s go Oakland.”
(Photo of A’s players waving to the crowd after the game: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
