See the moment an MLB superstar showed up to play backyard wiffle ball
Kansas City Royals catcher, Salvador Perez, stops to join a group of kids in a backyard game of wiffle ball in Kansas City, Kansas.
USA Today
With the Athletics playing their final game at the Oakland Coliseum on Thursday, players and fans alike have been clamoring to get their hands on some mementos from the stadium that has hosted the team for 57 years.
One of the most popular (and legally-obtained) keepsakes will be dirt from the field. After Wednesday’s penultimate game at the Coliseum, a stadium grounds crew member was seen helping out fans along the railing by pouring dirt into water bottles and bags.
A handful of Athletics players are planning on going home with some gravel – even if it’s just a consolation prize for a bigger-ticket item.
“It would be really cool to have home plate, if they let me,” Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers told USA TODAY Sports. “If not, I’ll have to settle on a jar of dirt. No matter what it is, I know it’s going to be emotional. There’s a lot of emotions and feelings colliding together now.”
Said All-Star closer Mason Miller: “I’ll get some jars of dirt, knowing I made my debut here less than two years ago. Having the opportunity to come back to the place where it all started kind of weighs a little heavy.”
Infielder Jacob Wilson: “To have (dirt) from the same spot I stepped on the field for the first time as a big leaguer, that would be pretty special. That’s the one thing I’ll look for.”
The Athletics will play in Sacramento from 2025-2027 before the expected 2028 opening of a new ballpark in Las Vegas.
Contributing: Bob Nightengale in Oakland
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