Noda begins season with birthday gift to remember

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OAKLAND -- Thursday was quite the occasion for Ryan Noda.

In addition to participating in the pageantry of what was his first career Opening Day, the first baseman was celebrating his 27th birthday. His birthday gift from manager Mark Kotsay? A substitution into the game as a pinch-runner in the ninth inning for his Major League debut, which led to him being on the field at first base to finish off a 2-1 A’s victory over the Angels at the Coliseum.

Maintaining a sharp focus throughout it all, Noda really didn’t get a chance to soak in the accomplishment. After the game, though, he returned to the field, where around 20 friends and family gathered near home plate and surprised him with a special birthday cake.

Finally, the moment sunk in.

“It was like, ‘Damn, this is pretty sweet,’” Noda said. “Being able to share that with everybody on the field, that’s when it first hit me. That was pretty special.”

The group of supporters included his grandma, who is without question Noda’s No. 1 fan.

“From college until now, my Nana has watched every game on TV, listened to it on radio or has been there since I can remember,” Noda said. “She goes on vacations and even on her vacations she’ll tune in at 4 in the morning and look at the scores. She’s been there throughout. It was special for her to be there.”

A 15th-round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2017 MLB Draft, Noda has had to grind to get to this point. After spending three seasons in Toronto’s system, he was traded to the Dodgers in 2021. Despite strong numbers at each level, the call to the Majors never came with either club. Still, he never lost hope of his end goal.

“I think to get to this level you have to think that you belong at this level and you can achieve it,” Noda said. “I’ve always had it in the back of my head that I can get here. Now it’s just about being myself and trying to help the team win.”

The A’s had kept tabs on Noda over the past couple of years and selected him in the Rule 5 Draft this winter. Having performed in Spring Training and earned a spot on Oakland’s Opening Day roster, he’ll now get a shot to translate what has been a successful professional career throughout the Minors. Through 555 Minor League games over five seasons, Noda hit .264/.407/.486 with 94 homers, 107 doubles and 361 RBIs.

“We’re excited to go watch him play,” said Kotsay. “Hopefully, this is the beginning of a long and successful career for Ryan.”