Mark Kotsay, A's bid farewell to Oakland with emotional speech

The Athletics have called Oakland, Calif. home since 1968. The franchise won four World Series titles, six American League pennants, and 17 AL West titles. But on Thursday, Sept. 26, the Athletics played their final game in Oakland before they moved to Sacramento before an eventual transition to Las Vegas.

On Thursday, the Athletics defeated the Texas Rangers 3-2 in their final game inside the Oakland Coliseum in front of a sold-out crowd of 46,889 fans. The crowd went from jubilation seeing the team win to being overcome with emotion and wiping tears from their eyes, knowing that they saw the last of the Athletics.

After the game, the entire Athletics roster and franchise legends took the field to wave goodbye. Manager Mark Kotsay took a microphone and delivered an emotional speech to the fans, saying "there are no better fans than you guys."

"Thank you all for loving the game of baseball. Thank you for your lifelong support of the Oakland A's," said Kotsay. "And last, I want to thank you guys for coming out today to share this moment with the club that I'm so proud of. We've played our asses off this year. "

Athletics, Mark Kotsay bid farewell to Oakland in final game at Coliseum

An emotional speech by Kotsay, who was getting choked up while delivering it. Kotsay also thanked staff members at Oakland Coliseum, who won't be going along with them for their move. Kotsay ended things off by leading the faithful in one final chant at the Coliseum — let's go Oakland.

Fans stayed long after the final pitch thrown by closer Miller Moss to take in the atmosphere one last time. Players stood on the field and issued autographs to fans one last time.

The Athletics had long been linked to a move to Las Vegas, and are still in the process of finalizing the construction of a stadium. With the team's lease at the Oakland Coliseum ending after the 2024 season, the team will hold a brief residency at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, home of the San Francisco Giants' Triple-A team, the Sacramento River Cats. The A's will play there for the 2025, 2026, and 2027 seasons, with an option for a fourth season.

Owner John Fisher has been public enemy No. 1 for the Athletics' fanbase, chanting "Sell the Team" numerous times at games over the years. The team's payroll ranked near the bottom of the league for the past 20 years, and in recent seasons, didn't boast a competitive roster.

Now, the Athletics will officially watch their team move to a minor league stadium in the state for the next three-years plus before eventually joining another ex-Oakland team, the Raiders, in Las Vegas. The players and coaching staff made sure that the last game at the Coliseum is one they will remember forever.