A’s Piscotty — ‘It’s been an emotional roller-coaster.’
Piscotty says being on the field made him feel good, but now he’ll take time to grieve
OAKLAND >> When the Athletics departed for a 10-game trip Wednesday following a 4-1 loss to the Houston Astros, Stephen Piscotty stayed behind.
With a celebration of life planned for his late mother Gretchen on Monday, there will be tears of grief but also joy, with love and appreciation for all she meant to the Piscotty family and anyone who entered their world.
Piscotty, who found the baseball field to be his sanctuary for the past two days, will rejoin his teammates in Boston on Tuesday or Wednesday for the second leg of a difficult eastern swing.
“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster,” Piscotty said in his first interview since Gretchen Piscotty passed away Sunday night after battling ALS for almost a year. “There’s obviously a lot of
sadness but some relief. It felt good for my family to kind of have something to cheer about.
“It felt good for me to get right back to where I belong. I am about to take some time
and go through that grieving process.”
Before that gets underway, Piscotty played another nine innings Wednesday, contributing a double off Houston starter
Gerrit Cole and a sliding catch near the corner of a twisting foul by George Springer.
“He’s playing with a heavy heart, and going out there and trying to perform for his team, it’s good to see,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said.
Piscotty talked about the role of his father during the ordeal of ALS, the fighting spirit of his mother, the outpouring of support from the A’s community and Major League Baseball, and his feelings about how special it was to be playing in the Bay Area during Gretchen’s final days.
The Pleasanton native had his voice catch a time or two, but showed the kind of perspective and resolve which points to just how powerful an influence
both parents have been in his life.
Piscotty was pleasantly surprised that his father Mike was displayed on the scoreboard Tuesday night while being interviewed by the A’s in-stadium host.
“I thought it was great to kind of get him in the limelight a little bit,” Piscotty said. “He’s been one of the people most impacted. I love him. He worked so hard throughout the progression of this disease.”
Piscotty offered an unflinching view of what Gretchen’s life was like in the final days.
“With ALS, it robs you of many things,” Piscotty said. “When you can’t move and you can’t talk, I’m sure people can imagine how difficult that is. There’s a lot of lifting and getting my mom in certain chairs in comfortable places, making sure the mask is on and making sure she’s getting food and fluids, medications. It was a full-time job so to speak, and I know he was exhausted.”
As for his mother, Piscotty marveled at her strength in the face of impossible odds.
“I can’t imagine what she was going through, what she was feeling,” Piscotty said. “Putting on that front like she was OK. I think she was doing that for us. She was just so strong.
“That was one of the things we stressed in the last week as things were kind of shaping up to be kind of the end — just making sure she knew how impressed we were and proud of her we were for how hard she fought.”
Piscotty said he was “overwhelmed” at the support from fans, the A’s and
players on other teams. The Astros delivered a card to Piscotty on Tuesday night and starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. stepped off the mound to make sure he’d get a rousing ovation.
Chicago Cubs pitches Yu Darvish and Jon Lester donated $10,000 each to a fund for the ALS Therapy Development Institute. More than $56,000 was raised as of Wednesday evening,
and the A’s will contribute $50,000.
“Jon Lester and Yu Darvish contributed huge amounts. I want to thank them personally,” Piscotty said. “ALS needs the funding. Once the dust settles, I’m speaking with my agent. We’re going to come up with some other cool ways to raise money. It’s going to be my mission.”
As difficult as the month or so has been, Piscotty was
grateful to have been home for his father and brothers.
“I wouldn’t have traded that for the world,” Piscotty said. “I can’t imagine being 2,000 miles away or in a different place. The trade (to Oakland) has meant the world to me and I know it did to my mom. Being able to share every last moment together was something that warms my heart. I’m so grateful for it, I’m at a loss for words. I’m just so
glad to be home.”
• Back-to-back home runs off starter Daniel Mengden (2-4) by Max Stassi and Derek Fisher — the latter a titanic shot into the second deck in dead center field — erased a 1-0 A’s lead in the seventh. Houston added a two-run double in the seventh by Yuli Gurriel off Yusmeiro Petit.
The A’s, 18-19 overall and 3-3 on the homestand, got their lone run off Cole through six innings on a run-scoring double by Jed Lowrie in the sixth.
• The A’s placed Trevor Cahill on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to May 6 with an elbow impingement and recalled outfielder Dustin Fowler from Triple-A Nashville. Melvin said the hope is Cahill misses only one start. Cahill said an MRI was clear, and that the A’s were being cautious after an injuryplagued 2017.
Fowler pinch hit for Mark Canha in the seventh inning and grounded to second. He will likely start in New York on Friday against Sonny Gray — the pitcher for whom he was traded for last season.