SEATTLE — In the ninth inning of the final game in the history of the Oakland Athletics, a chant broke out at T-Mobile Park.
It echoed throughout the stadium, as the green and gold clad fans who had come to watch the A’s take on the Seattle Mariners took their last opportunity to do a cheer that has reverberated around the East Bay for decades.
“Let’s Go Oakland.”
After an emotional goodbye to the home fans on Thursday at the Oakland Coliseum, the A’s brought a sizable contingent of supporters north to Seattle for the team’s final series with “Oakland” in cursive script written across their chest.
On Sunday, they made themselves heard.
“Love it,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “I mean, the emotion of Thursday will never be matched. But today, knowing that last game with the Oakland jersey, and the “Let’s Go Oakland” chants in the ninth inning, as loud as they were in a visiting stadium, was pretty impressive.”
The chants didn’t propel the A’s to a victory, as the Mariners earned a 6-4 win to secure a three-game sweep, but the echoing chants still meant a lot to the players who helped to close out the end of an era.
Shortstop Nick Allen, who broke up Seattle starter Logan Gilbert’s perfect game bid with a two-out single in the sixth inning, appreciated the magnitude of the moment in the clubhouse after the game.
“Ever since I’ve been alive, all I’ve known is Oakland A’s,” Allen said. “So it’s going to be definitely different after this. But it was truly special to play in the last game with Oakland across the chest. And, you know, I couldn’t be more honored to be in this position. There’s definitely a lot of emotion.”
For the players, the chance to play one final game as “Oakland” was a special opportunity, and the jerseys they wore on Sunday will be ones they treasure forever.
“I’ll hold on to mine for sure,” Brent Rooker said. “That’ll be a pretty special thing for me to keep, and to always have. As far as the sentiment around the locker room now, I think it’s just a lot of it’s a lot of pride. It’s a lot of pride in how we’ve improved this year and how we’ve competed, and pride and how we’ve hopefully represented Oakland.”
Kotsay won’t be holding onto his “Oakland” jersey, but he’s got a pretty good reason for letting it go.
“I’ve been asked to give that jersey up to go to the Hall of Fame,” Kotsay said. “I’m really honored to be able to do that, to be asked to do that.”
Though it was sad for the A’s to contemplate the end of the A’s 57-year stint in Oakland, outfielder Seth Brown is glad that, at the very least, there is some bit of clarity regarding the A’s future, though their future in Las Vegas is still a bit murky.
“The location of the stadium has always been one of those things where that’s above our pay grade,” Brown said. “It’s above what we do, and those decisions aren’t made with the team, they’re made higher up than that. So I think for us, there’s just finally a decision made.”
Brown also plans to keep his jersey, to remember the place that has been his professional home for the past six seasons.
“When you get to wear the green and gold, it’s a special thing,” Brown said. “You’ve got to take pride in it every day. For me, it’s been the world for me, and it’s something I’ll hold onto forever.”
On the other side of the diamond, the Mariners were also in a reflective mood.
“It’s a little bit of history passing, in a way,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “I think anybody that’s around the game can appreciate the history of the game, and so when that begins to change, it does change something inside of you, too. So I know there’s going to be some reflection for sure today, as guys realize this is the last day for Oakland as well.”
Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger grew up in the South Bay and attended A’s games as a kid, and has plenty of good memories of his time there as both a fan and a player.
“Going there as a kid and then being able to play there was a blessing. I just feel bad for the Oakland fan base, because we’d always look forward to playing Oakland,” Haniger said. “Those fans are really enthusiastic and loyal, and it’s kind of a shame that the team will be leaving.”
Mariners starter Bryan Woo, an Oakland native, was glad that the team got to end things happily in front of the home fans on Thursday.
“For me personally, so many memories there and I know for countless others, people who grew up enjoying baseball there, learning baseball there,” Woo said. “Definitely glad they were able to go out on a win on a positive note, I think. It means a lot to the city and the fanbase.”
A’s fans got a thrill before the game when Hall-of-Famer Rickey Henderson threw out the first pitch, though the A’s legend did receive some grief from the Oakland dugout for wearing a jersey that was half Oakland and half Mariners, in recognition of the one season Henderson spent with Seattle in 2000.
“It would’ve been cool if he had the Oakland jersey and not the Oakland/Seattle jersey,” Kotsay said with a smirk. “I mean, he got a little grief from the dugout when he was out there too, which I think was well-deserved.”
Another thrill came in the late innings, when the A’s rallied. Oakland fell behind 6-0 after Seattle plated four runs in the fifth, but scored two on a seventh-inning double from Tyler Nevin. The A’s added two more in the top of the ninth on a double from Darell Hernaiz.
But Troy Taylor ended the season and Oakland’s reign by striking out Kyle McCann and Max Schuemann. Despite the loss, A’s fans stood and let loose with an emotional and poignant cheer for their squad
After the team had retreated to the clubhouse, dozens of Oakland supporters stood in the stands behind the third-base dugout, soaking in the atmosphere of the ballpark as another chant echoed from the rafters.
“Let’s go Oakland.”
