Marcus Semien's first career MLB game at the Oakland Coliseum came nearly 10 years ago to the day, when he went 0-for-4 as a member of the Chicago White Sox in an 11-0 loss to the Athletics on May 13, 2014.
Seven months later, Semien was traded by the White Sox to the A's in a deal headlined by Jeff Samardzija going to Chicago.
After spending six impactful seasons with the A's, Semien bounced from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Texas Rangers, where he has found a long-term home.
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The place Semien called home from 2015 to 2020 no longer will host MLB games after the 2024 season with the A's moving to West Sacramento for at least the next three seasons while they wait for their proposed Las Vegas ballpark to be built.
That means that Semien has, at most, five games remaining at the Coliseum, with the A's and Rangers set to play a scheduled doubleheader Wednesday, followed by a three-game series in Oakland at the end of September.
"I'm going to miss playing here," Semien told NBC Sports California's Brodie Brazil on Monday at the Coliseum. "This is one of my favorite places to play. Obviously I was a home player here, but coming back here I know my parents can be here, my siblings. My family always comes back for this trip too. So those times would be a little bit different moving forward, unless something crazy happens and they stay But I'll never forget this place."
Semien enters Wednesday's doubleheader having appeared in 405 career games at the Coliseum. With just a few games remaining, he has totaled 394 hits, 78 doubles, 47 homers and 172 RBI.
Athletics
A Bay Area native who was born in San Francisco, went to St. Mary's College High School in Albany and attended Cal, Semien is disappointed to see professional baseball leaving Oakland.
"I just feel for the young people in the Bay Area who love baseball," Semien told Brazil. "This is a place you can come watch good baseball being played. The Texas Rangers are in town, Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia, a lot of good place players that you can come watch. it'll be sad. You could go across the bay now, I guess, but this place was special to watch AL baseball."
During his time in Oakland, Semien developed from an error-prone player into an AL MVP candidate, while becoming a fan favorite. But following the 2020 season, the A's decided not to retain him.
Semien eventually signed a one-year, $18 million contract with the Blue Jays that winter before inking a massive seven-year, $175 million deal with the Rangers the following offseason.
If Semien had it his way, he would have stayed with the A's. But like a lot of stars, they don't get the choice about whether they get to stay in Oakland or not.
"I wanted to [stay], but at the end of the day, business is business," Semien told Brazil. "Same thing with what's going on with the relocation situation. Business is business. I had a great time playing here in front of my family and friends and we had a great team, but at the end of the day, all of us former A's from 2018 to 2020, we're all around the league and still playing."
Semien, in his third season with the Rangers, is slashing .266/.314/.449 with six homers and 27 RBI as Texas' primary leadoff hitter.
In an ironic twist, Semien's first home game as a member of the A's came against the Rangers on April 6, 2015, and on Sept. 26, 2024 -- presuming he's healthy -- the then-34-year-old will play his final game in Oakland as a member of Texas.