Trade’s result — the gift of time
Stephen Piscotty’s mom dies from ALS at 55
Thanks to one of the few transactions in professional sports completed in part for compassionate reasons, A’s right fielder Stephen Piscotty was able to spend more time with his mother, Gretchen, in recent months.
On Sunday night, Gretchen Piscotty, 55, died in Pleasanton, less than a year after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neuromuscular disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The Cardinals traded Piscotty to the A’s in December, a deal that was made primarily for baseball reasons — St. Louis had a glut of outfielders, Oakland was looking for a right-handed-hitting corner outfielder — but also in order to allow Piscotty to be near home as his mother dealt with ALS. He has been living at the family’s home, along with younger brother, Nick. The youngest of the Piscotty sons, Austin, is also nearby, playing baseball at St. Mary’s.
“With or without the illness, I’m very grateful they’re all close by,” Gretchen Piscotty told The Chronicle in January. “I wish this wasn’t impacting them, impacting the family, but I’m very grateful to see them. They’re all very tender and caring and gentle with me.”
Piscotty was not with the A’s on Monday and though he is expected back for games Tuesday and Wednesday at the Coliseum, he is likely to take bereavement leave this weekend when the
“How lucky this world is for her contribution.” Will LaMarche, family friend, on Gretchen Piscotty’s death
team is in New York to play the Yankees.
“Obviously, as an organization, the players, we have heavy hearts with what he’s been going through,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We really feel bad for him. He’s really close to his mom. He was there with her last night.”
Gretchen Piscotty said in January that the disease had progressed much more quickly than expected. As many as 30,000 Americans are affected by ALS, and there is no known cure, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
“It’s relatively hard to watch, to see the progression take place,” Stephen Piscotty said in February. “I feel so bad. I want to put a positive spin on it, but there are things that are out of our control and we’re just trying to make the best of a bad situation, and hopefully with what we’re doing, we can one day get to a point where other folks don’t have to go through it.”
Family friend Will LaMarche said Monday: “Her spirit will always continue to be with the daily lives of (Gretchen’s husband) Mike, Austin, Nick and Stephen, and because of that, all of us who are lucky enough to know this family will always continue to feel the presence of Gretchen. How lucky this world is for her contribution.”
The A’s and Cardinals both put out statements expressing their condolences Monday; since the deal, the teams have received plaudits for helping get Piscotty back to the Bay Area.
“I’m grateful that baseball found a way to bring his family together,” said Houston manager A.J. Hinch, who — like Piscotty — played at Stanford.
The A’s and Astros held a moment of silence for Gretchen Piscotty before Monday night’s game at the Coliseum.
In Gretchen’s memory, Piscotty and the A’s have set up a donation fund for ALS research and those affected by the disease at www.youcaring.com/piscotty. The A’s will match up to $50,000.
Yu Darvish and Jon Lester of the Cubs each donated $10,000, according to the fund’s page. “We are all one family,” Darvish responded to a fan on Twitter when asked about the donation.