A’s manager ends final game in Oakland with a roaring chant. Here’s what Mark Kotsay said
The Oakland A’s went out well-loved.
Following their final game in the Coliseum — a 3-2 win against the Texas Rangers — A’s manager Mark Kotsay grabbed a microphone Thursday afternoon to talk to the more than 46,000 in attendance. Kotsay, surrounded by his team, grew emotional while thanking the crowd and those staff members who would not be going with the team to Sacramento.
The Athletics will begin playing at West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park next year. The team will remain there until at least 2027, while a stadium is being built in Las Vegas.
“There are no better fans than you guys,” said Kotsay, who played for the team from 2004 to 2007. “Thank you all for loving the game of baseball and thank you all for your lifelong support of the Oakland A’s.”
Katsy ended his speech by asking the crowd to give him what he called the “greatest cheer in baseball.”
“Let’s go Oakland,” roared the tens of thousands in attendance.
A few minutes later, to the delight of the crowd, A’s shortstop Max Schuemann ran around the field carrying a large green-and-gold flag. Schuemann fielded the final out on Thursday.
The final A’s game in Oakland ended mostly on a positive note.
Dozens of security guards stood on the field to prevent fans from storming. The show of force mostly worked, with only a few fans throwing debris and smoke bombs on the field.
During play in the top of the ninth inning, two fans ran out to the field but were quickly stopped by a mass of security guards.
This story was originally published September 26, 2024 at 4:19 PM.
