How Kotsay's dad shaped his baseball dream

June 20th, 2023

This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

OAKLAND -- Partaking in his second Father’s Day as manager of the A’s, Mark Kotsay took some time before Sunday’s game against the Phillies to reflect on the key role his father, Steve, played in his baseball career.

The foundation of what went on to be a successful 17-year Major League career as a player for Kotsay began with Steve. Growing up in Santa Fe Springs, California, Kotsay was coached by his father from Little League all the way until his sophomore year of high school. Kotsay spoke further in detail about that relationship on Sunday:

MLB.com: How instrumental was your dad from where you began to where you are right now?

Kotsay: Very instrumental. He sacrificed the majority of his free time to take me everywhere, whether it was bicycle racing, basketball, baseball, football. He did everything in his power to give me the best chance or path to success and instilled the discipline and respect at a young age. That stuck with me and carried me to where I am.

MLB.com: Did you go to ballgames growing up?

Kotsay: We did. We lived in between Angel Stadium and Dodger Stadium. My dad played softball, and one of his buddies on the softball team had season tickets to Angels games, so he would occasionally throw them my dad’s way and we would go watch an Angels game. My dad worked for the Los Angeles Police Department and they would have Police Night, where we’d be in the top of Dodger Stadium in the seats behind home plate. I was joking this morning with him. He kind of got injured and ended his career short of 25 years, and I said, ‘You know, dad, I didn’t realize I’ve been working longer than you worked in your life. This is my 27th year.’ It was great. My son was in the car and you could hear the joy in his voice just from the two of us being together on Father’s Day.

MLB.com: When you played, what was your dad like in the stands?

Kotsay: If you want to call it coach, I called him coach until after my freshman season in high school. He actually coached just about every team I was a part of. When my sophomore year came, there was a discussion of, ‘Hey, it’s kind of time for you to leave the dugout.’ I went on to varsity baseball that year. But he still felt like he was in the dugout behind the fence, and that became an issue that was addressed. I was 15 years old and told him, ‘If you’re going to yell at me from behind the fence, don’t come anymore.’ He stopped coming, and that was even more impactful on me than the yelling. So I said, ‘Hey, can you come back? You can yell.’ I learned how to deal with it. He still, if he comes to a game here, he’ll yell at the players. My wife has to continually remind him, ‘Hey, you can’t yell at the players. You’re in the family section.’ But he yells at me. When we talk, he eases his way into the conversation about the team or the decisions I make and tries to kind of go there. I’ve learned to be more patient and understanding of the critique and judgment from afar. My dad’s a character, for sure.

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Martín Gallegos covers the A's for MLB.com.