As the Oakland Athletics bid farewell to Oakland Coliseum in their final game there on Thursday, Athletics manager Mark Kotsay revealed that former MLB manager Terry Francona reached out. The A's will play their final game at the stadium they called home for over 50 years. Ahead of their three-game series finale against the Texas Rangers, Kotsay says Francona reaching out meant a lot to him and helped him through an emotional day to be the Athletics manager, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

“Mark Kotsay says that he’ll forever be grateful that Terry Francona reached out to him this morning to express a heartfelt message telling him it’s perfectly fine to be emotional,” Nigtengale reported.

The highly anticipated matinee follows Wednesday's final night home game when fans stole a stadium seat as a parting gift. Six security guards chased the chair-stealing thief outside Oakland Coliseum before getting away. Athletics fans have expressed frustration over the franchise's move to Sacramento for the upcoming seasons before it moves to its final destination, Las Vegas, in 2028.

Athletics fans rip John Fisher's public statement

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay (7) celebrates with teammates after the win against the Texas Rangers at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
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Mark Kotsay could feel how sad fans have been lately, despite Athletics owner John Fisher issuing a public apology that fell on deaf ears for most of their fans. In the statement, Fisher claims he tried his hardest to keep the ballclub in Oakland but couldn't reach a deal after approaching five different potential locations in the Bay Area, per Athletics reporter Jessica Kleinschmidt.

“Our dream was to win championships and build a new ballpark in Oakland. Over the next 18 years, we did our very best to make that happen,” Fisher penned in his open statement. “We proposed and pursued five different locations in the Bay Area. And despite mutual and ongoing efforts to get a deal done for the Howard Terminal project, we came up short.”

The A's, who won four World Series titles, six pennants, and 17 division titles in 21 postseason appearances, end a 57-year history in Oakland.