Tony Kemp may have played his final home game at the Coliseum on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers with the team headed on the road to wrap up the regular season and a date with free agency for Kemp this off-season.
After spraining his ankle on Friday night, Kemp was out of the starting lineup for Sunday's contest with a sore ankle, but came on as a pinch-hitter in the ninth with a runner on second. He flared a ball down the left-field line that the left fielder couldn't come up with, but it landed in foul territory. On the next pitch Kemp struck out.
"I kinda had a different outcome in my head, like a Stephen Vogt homer."
Kemp said postgame that his ankle was still a little tender, but "I for sure just wanted to at least go out there to see if I could give one more at-bat. If it's my last time throwing on that home white, green and gold, then I was gonna do it and try to obviously get an at-bat. I'm happy they listened to me. I don't think they really wanted me out there, but I kinda forced my way onto field."
Mark Kotsay admitted he was looking for a spot to get Kemp that one at-bat off the bench so the fans could show their appreciation. The fans in Oakland responded with a standing ovation.
After the game, Kemp was asked about his favorite moments in an A's uniform over the past four seasons. Despite there being "a ton," these are the ones that stuck out to number five.
If you've been an A's fan since last year, you've either seen this one already or you know the face that Kemp makes after he dives for this ball up the middle.
This next one is from 2021 has a lot of familiar faces in the highlight, but it also has the voice of the late Ray Fosse.
For his offensive highlight, he named his home run against Chad Green back in 2021 for one of Sunday Night Baseball's rare appearances in Oakland. You may also remember that TK owned the Yankees that year, going 8-for-16 with three home runs and seven rbi.
"These last four years I have no regrets of how I played and what went on in this clubhouse. These guys, the staff, the PR team, especially Mark. Great journey. Obviously don't know what's going to happen next year, but I think I can look back at my time here and hold my head high for sure."
The "especially Mark" comment is in reference to Mark Ling, the A's Director of Baseball Communications, and Kemp said it because Mark wasn't standing there, but another member of the comms staff was, and Kemp was having fun with him.
Kemp also talked about what the last four years have meant to him, and what A's fans have meant to him in his time in Oakland.
"Definitely blessed. It was always an honor wearing these colors. These fans have always been behind me ever since I came here in 2020. The fans here really make the game and they came loud every time they did. Everything they poured into it, heart and soul. Wish the team could stay here. There's a lot of good that these fans deserve."
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