Win No. 1 comes in a big one for rookie Ginn
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OAKLAND – For a first Major League win, it does not get much better than what J.T. Ginn just pulled off.
Drawing Thursday’s start for the A’s in their final scheduled game at the Coliseum, Ginn walked out to the field for pregame warmups and quickly realized his sixth Major League start was going to be anything but ordinary. The 25-year-old right-hander witnessed a raucous sold-out crowd of 46,889 fans pack the stadium to say its final goodbyes to the home team.
In what was without question the most anticipated game of the year for the A’s, Ginn matched the moment with a strong performance in a 3-2 win over the Rangers. The rookie limited Texas to two runs on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts across 5 1/3 innings.
Ginn’s first big league win doubles as the final win recorded at the Oakland Coliseum, a building whose rich baseball history spans nearly six decades.
“It’s pretty incredible,” Ginn said. “I’m very fortunate that I lined up to pitch the last day ever. It’s pretty crazy to think about. It’s definitely one I’ve been counting down for a couple of weeks and hoped it would work out. To get my first win in the last win ever in the Coliseum is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Ginn navigated through five scoreless innings of one-hit ball before running into trouble in the sixth. His outing came to an end following an RBI single surrendered to Adolis García with one out.
“For our young starter to go out in front of that crowd and be composed, to get into the sixth inning, that beats expectations,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “To get his first Major League win, right? Pretty amazing on this day. That’s history-making.”
Upon handing the ball to Kotsay, Ginn walked off the mound to a standing ovation from the green and gold faithful. About halfway towards the dugout, he tipped his cap and clapped his hands in acknowledgement of an emotional crowd that was loud from the first pitch to the final out.
“Just the emotions from all my teammates and how excited the guys were to be out there,” Ginn said when asked what he will remember most from this day. “You look into the stands and you can feel the love the fans have for this place. You could just feel how special it is. When I was walking off the field, I tried to take a second and look around. Take it all in and enjoy the moment.”
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Keeping a game ball is tradition for any first Major League win. With Thursday being the final game in Oakland, however, several players came away with keepsakes such as bases, signs and even some Coliseum dirt as a memory.
Ginn was no exception.
“I snagged the rosin bag during all the commotion,” Ginn said. “I got that one. I’m going to keep that one tucked away.”