Kotsay still processing emotions as A's begin final Oakland homestand

OAKLAND -- The Athletics started their final homestand as Oakland residents on Friday, and things just felt different. Of course, Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees are in town, which naturally causes a commotion. But the presence of the American League's top contender is secondary.

Oakland and its fans are losing their MLB team in a matter of days. Emotions are high as the A’s 57-year stay at the Coliseum drags to a hard-to-swallow end. Players, supporters and employees of the longtime East Bay franchise collectively must figure out what’s next as Sacramento and Las Vegas soon add to their respective professional sports portfolios.

Through all the change, though, there remains one constant: baseball. Six games remain to be played in Oakland, including Friday’s dance with New York, and A’s manager Mark Kotsay is trying his best to keep his club adhering to a routine agenda.

“To be honest, I'm really focused on the Yankees in this series and baseball,” Kotsay said before Friday’s game. “We kind of expressed to the group that this isn't new for us in terms of the amount of distractions we're going to experience over the next six games at home. I'm thankful there's a day off between these two series to break the distractions up.

“I do know that when we talk about it, this group's been able to really focus on what's important, which is baseball. And that's the objective this weekend: to focus on continuing to play good baseball. And at the end of the series, it [will] show how well this weekend went.”

Kotsay is trying to focus on the game he’s paid to navigate; it is harder than it sounds.

Sure, distractions aren’t new for the A’s. They formally put the Las Vegas relocation into motion last summer and the organization’s three-year stay at West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park was finalized on April 4.

But the cries and support from A’s fans are hard for Kotsay to tune out. He remembers when 27,000 loyalists filled the Coliseum on June 13, 2023, in a reverse boycott to show owner John Fisher and the rest of Oakland’s brass that the A’s still have support. Kotsay also recognizes their dedication as the current season dies a slow death.

Oakland’s last manager only can do so much. On the field, Kotsay has led the 67-86 A’s to a 30-25 record since the 2024 MLB All-Star break. But off of it, he can’t do anything about the increase in raw, intense emotion, especially throughout the stands, as the final games at the Coliseum unfold.

“Those are uncontrollable for us,” Kotsay said. “The emotion was a lot greater last year in terms of anger. This year has been really, really calm. I don't know if that's because they got the emotion of the anger out. There's still going to be that emotion, obviously, as we near Thursday. But that's part of whenever the healing process starts.

“My expectations are that these fans are going to come here as they always have … Even though there was anger to that reverse boycott game, there was a passion and an energy about it, which has always been that with this group of A’s fans, since I can recall back to 2004 when I first became a part of this organization.”

Kotsay, a native of Whittier, Ca., played 17 years in the majors, spending 3 1/2 of them in Oakland. He is in his third season as A’s manager and will lose less than 100 games for the first time at the helm -- not too bad for piloting a team with MLB’s lowest payroll by roughly $23 million.

The Coliseum grieving process is as complex for Kotsay as it is for fans. As he mentioned, baseball is the priority, but Thursday marks the last time Kotsay will manage an A’s game at the only home stadium he knew as a member of the organization.

The fans aren’t the only ones feeling frustrated and wondering, “How did we get here?” or “What’s next?” Kotsay, too, has had his moments of reflection. Perhaps the difference between Kotsay and A’s fans, who rightfully are distraught, is his reservedness. The skipper can’t afford to pay the transition any mind with games on the schedule.

“Anger is part of the healing process, so there are different stages for everyone,” Kotsay said. “As a leader, I try to control those emotions and understand them from the 26 guys I'm managing and the people that are the support group outside of those 26 … everyone from the trainers to the straight coaches to the, you know, clubhouse guys.

“In terms of being mad, I don't really have time to have that emotion. People have asked, ‘What do you feel like? What's emotion going to be like? Until I go through it on Thursday, I won't be able to give you an honest answer.”

Kotsay has two decades of major-league experience, where he has been a .300 hitter and the manager of a 50-win team. You can officially add “leading a team through to a new city” to that list after Thursday.

Kotsay knows the journey is far from over. The A’s won’t arrive in West Sacramento immediately ready to play ball. Those within the organization have to figure out housing arrangements as much as where potential home playoff games would be held.

“There's always more, right?” Kotsay said. “There are always different challenges. The beauty of this is that we'll take from these experiences and learn and continue to grow. This was different for sure, and we're not through it yet.

“There's a new phase of challenges that are going to start once the season ends -- preparing to move, preparing to play in a different ballpark. This group continues to fight through those challenges. We're going to have to come together as we have over this season and continue to fight through them.”

The A’s have called three cities -- Philadelphia, Kansas City and Oakland -- home since the franchise was born to the American Baseball League in 1901. Oakland’s time as host ends Thursday against longtime A’s shortstop Marcus Semien and the Texas Rangers.

Kotsay has held it together well over the past two seasons. However, Oakland’s last manager will have no choice but to experience his feelings next week as there will be no tomorrow at the Coliseum ever again.