OAKLAND, Calif. – The atmosphere felt like old times in Oakland for Mark Kotsay and Bob Melvin.
And for Mark Canha and Matt Chapman, a couple of former Athletics stars now wearing the rival's jersey.
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And even for a teary and touched José Canseco, one of the newest members of the A's Hall of Fame who never saw this honor coming.
“I'd like to thank the fans. I'm an emotional wreck right now,” the former Bash Brother with Mark McGwire said. “I can't believe I've been given this chance, the opportunity to be honored. ... I wish I could give the fans right now a forearm bash to everybody. Incredible memories here with the Oakland A's.”
He was hardly the only one overcome by it all as the A’s and Giants played the first of two games that will mark the final Bay Bridge Series in Oakland. Even the Wave made a special and rare appearance by fans all the way to the upper decks.
With such nostalgia and an energetic crowd filling the Coliseum and many chanting, “Let's Go Oakland!” this was reminiscent of the franchise's glory days. A season-high 37,551 fans turned up for the Saturday matinee, won 2-0 by the home team.
Tony La Russa was here. Fellow Hall of Famers Dennis Eckersley and Rickey Henderson were, too. Miguel Tejada came back to be honored in the same group with Canseco.
“The excitement and the energy in the stadium today was amazing. One thing I want to say is that the A's fans showed up today, they showed up in big numbers, bigger than the Giants fans today,” said Kotsay, a former A's outfielder and now third-year Oakland manager who replaced his former mentor, Melvin. “That was special, it was something that you can't replace and that we'll remember.”
Melvin, the Giants manager who spent 11 seasons managing the A’s from 2011-21, couldn’t quite believe this weekend would mark his club’s final two games at the Coliseum, saying “unfortunately that’s the case.”
The A’s are scheduled to play the next three years in Sacramento before a planned move to Las Vegas for the 2028 campaign.
“I’ve been here a lot and I love this place,” Melvin said. “So I’m going to miss it, it’s going to be sad. ... Probably a little bit more, I don’t want to say emphasis (because) you’re trying to win every game, but this is the last Bay Bridge Series so it would be nice to play well.”
It already had been a turn-back-the-clock kind of day, as the A’s introduced their new Hall of Famers.
“We got a great win in front of our home crowd,” Kotsay said. “We've got one more (Sunday) against the Giants to take care of it.”
Kotsay appreciated arriving at the ballpark around 9 a.m. Saturday to see fans already waiting in line to get into the parking lot and begin tailgating — something not seen around here much with the divisive feelings between fans and an ownership set on leaving.
“The reality is this is the last series between the Giants and A's in this stadium,” Kotsay said. “I'm sure when it's all said and done, it'd be best to wait 'til then to describe the emotion.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB