Chapman, Canha take heartfelt mementos after last game at Coliseum originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Former Oakland Athletics players Matt Chapman and Mark Canha took some precious mementos from their final game at the Coliseum.
After the Giants‘ epic 10-inning victory over the A’s on Sunday afternoon, Chapman asked to take home the third-base bag, while Canha scooped up some dirt from the home plate area.
Bob Melvin didn’t take anything to remember the Coliseum by, just “one last look.”
Matt Chapman will get third base from today’s game to take home.
— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) August 18, 2024
San Francisco Giants’ Mark Canha scoops up dirt from home plate after their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Aug. 18, 2024. The San Francisco Giants defeated the Oakland Athletics 4-2 in 10 innings. This is the Giants last game at the Coliseum after this season. pic.twitter.com/F6NPx6OkFV
— Jose Carlos Fajardo (@FuzyJoe) August 18, 2024
The emotional finale to the annual Bay Bridge Series featured plenty of San Francisco-Oakland connections, with the Coliseum filled at near-sellout capacity with fans from across the Bay Area.
Chapman, who played for Oakland from 2017 to 2021, couldn’t hide his feelings when speaking to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Carlos Ramirez before the game.
“It’s emotional for sure,” Chapman said. “But it’ll definitely be emotional for me since this is the last time I’ll ever play here.”
Canha, a Bay Area native who was with the organization from 2015 to 2021 echoed similar sentiments.
“Yeah it’s kind of crazy,” Canha told Ramirez. “I can’t believe this day is here, it’s going to be [a day of] mixed emotions and something I’ll probably hold on to for a while.”
Giants manager Bob Melvin, who grew up in Palo Alto and played at Cal, managed the A’s from 2011 to 2021 and also remarked on the heightened emotions of his final appearance at the Coliseum.
“It’s sad, first of all, because it’s going to be the last game that I’ll be here, but there’s just a lot to it today,” Melvin said. “There are a lot of emotions to it today.”
The A’s lease at the Coliseum expires at the end of 2024 and the franchise will play at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for at least three seasons before they hope to relocate to Las Vegas.
The conclusion ends 56 seasons of baseball in Oakland after years of fruitless negotiations with the city of Oakland over a new ballpark.
For Canha and Chapman, they’ll always have a piece of the old ballpark along with all those cherished memories they picked up along the way.
