SAN FRANCISCO — A day after saying farewell, Matt Chapman and Mark Canha each still had a piece of the Oakland Coliseum with them.
On the top shelf of Canha’s locker back in home clubhouse at Oracle Park, there was a mini gatorade bottle filled halfway up with dirt, which he scooped up from around home plate after the Giants’ 4-2 win in their final game at the 58-year-old multipurpose venue on the other side of the San Francisco Bay.
Chapman’s keepsake took up too much real estate to reside in his locker stall. He requested and was granted the third-base bag, an appropriate parting gift for the player who won three of his four Gold Gloves at the position in Oakland, where he spent the first five years of his career with Canha and manager Bob Melvin.
“Just glad that we got the win on the last day there, our last game in Oakland. Being there and (Melvin) being the manager of the Giants and I’m on the team, it’s a pretty full circle moment,” Chapman said. “A lot of emotions playing there. Glad I don’t have to play there anymore. It’s not easy to go back.”
Canha, a San Jose native who also got his start with the A’s, was still in uniform when he made his way over to home plate and filled his makeshift canister.
“I couldn’t really decide if I wanted to do it or not, but then I was like, ‘Maybe if I don’t I’ll regret it,’” he said. “So I got a little something to take with me.”
In seven seasons in Oakland, Canha was hit by 46 pitches while standing in the right-handed batter’s box — a franchise record — so his memento was a fitting one, too.
“I know it’s maybe not the nicest ballpark, but I always liked playing there,” Canha said. “It was just nice to see the place one last time and be there. Especially for the Bay Bridge series. One last Bay Bridge series was cool. It was just fun for me personally to experience it one more time.”
The trio was together for five years in Oakland, and Melvin made sure the rest of the clubhouse understood the significance of Sunday’s game.
“Bob said something to us before the game. How it was meaningful to him and meaningful to some people in the room, talking about me and Chapman,” Canha said. “In the meetings he was like, ‘This is our last time here. It’s important to us. It’s important to our fans.’ It was cool.”
While Melvin arrived extra early to soak it all in for the last time, Chapman said he treated it like any other day.
Chapman did make his way into Melvin’s office for a postgame toast, and before the game shared a moment with Canha, his catch partner.
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When they were done warming up, Canha said, “Me and Chappy, we hugged it out and said, ‘All right, one last time here.’”
Once the game started, the former A’s had to balance the sentimentality with the real stakes it carried for their current team’s playoff hopes.
Four games behind Atlanta with 36 games to go, starting Monday with three against the White Sox, Chapman was ready to put the emotional day behind him.
“The way it all went down, there were just a lot of emotions,” he said. “I tried the best I could to stay focused and help the team anyway I could. It’s just hard playing there after so many memories there and so many different things. It’s where I started my career, so it’s always got a special place for me. I’m glad that we got that win on that last day and I’m ready to just focus on winning baseball games from here on out.”
