Oakland Athletics Take a Final Bow

When manager Mark Kotsay removes his Oakland jersey for the final time Sunday, it's headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Brent Rooker? His final jersey with the name Oakland across the front will be preserved in a frame and displayed on his wall at home. "The last jersey that says Oakland and the last time you're representing that city specifically," Rooker said. The name Oakland being attached to the Athletics ends on Sunday after the final out of their season finale against the Seattle Mariners, reports the AP. When the 2025 season begins, the A's will still exist—and oddly enough open the year in Seattle—but the name Oakland no longer will be there.

Kotsay, who played four seasons in Oakland and now is finishing his third season as the manager, said it was an honor to be asked to give his final jersey to the Hall of Fame. (It's) "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 waves of emotion for those associated with the A's, hitting a crescendo with the final game at the Coliseum in Oakland on Thursday, followed by the final games in Seattle. There were plenty of fans in green and gold for the finale. And they were treated to the surprise of Rickey Henderson throwing out the first pitch in a custom half-A's, half-Mariners jersey.

Before JJ Bleday stepped to the plate to open the game, a loud chant of "Let's go Oakland," rung out through the stadium. "I think we've done a pretty good job of keeping things in perspective ... making sure that we understand ... the gravity of the moment," Rooker said. Seth Brown says knowing what the future looks like, with the A's relocating to Sacramento beginning next season before a planned move to Las Vegas, has been a relief for players. But that doesn't minimize the emotional ties that come with the final day as Oakland. "Every day that you get to put on that uniform is something special and for everybody who puts it on today, it's kind of one of those things where you got to feel lucky to do what you do and lucky that you get to wear a jersey that says Oakland," Brown said.

(More Oakland Athletics stories.)