OAKLAND -- It was difficult for JP Sears not to feel a bit sentimental as he took the mound on Saturday night.

With this being the last homestand for the A’s at the Coliseum -- the stadium they’ve called home since 1968 -- before relocating to Sacramento next season, Sears was making his final start at the ballpark he’s pitched at more than any other over his first three seasons in the big leagues.

Making his way out to the field for pregame warmups, Sears took extra time to soak in the sights that have become so routine for him. He acknowledged the many A’s fans who entered about four hours before first pitch looking to take in one more visit to the Coliseum.

Once the game got underway, Sears struggled to harness that excitement, leading to an undesirable result. Facing his former team in the Yankees, Sears was tagged for six runs through the first three innings of Oakland’s 10-0 loss to New York.

“For JP, I think some emotion got involved a little bit out there on the mound,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “This is a learning experience. Any time you go through a tough one, you have to take what you can from the failure. We talked about it after he came out of the game in the fifth. I think we’re both on the same page of, we’re going to take this, learn from it and get better.”

After jumping on Sears for two runs in the first, the Yankees added four more in the second and third on a pair of homers by Anthony Volpe and Giancarlo Stanton.

Sears could live with the solo homer surrendered to Volpe, which came on a 1-2 fastball that he felt was placed well up in the zone. It was the first-pitch changeup that Stanton swatted out for a three-run homer traveling a Statcast-projected 441 feet that frustrated him most.

Facing Stanton with the bases loaded two innings prior, Sears got the slugger to ground into a double play on a changeup down and away.

“I made a poor decision there,” Sears said of the homer pitch to Stanton. “I had gotten him out on [the changeup] a couple of times before that. Maybe he was just sitting on it. Not a terrible pitch, but a really good swing from him and one I want back.”

Sears did bounce back with two scoreless innings to complete five frames, showing a composure that earned the praise of Kotsay. Ultimately, Sears took little solace in his ability to rebound after the damage was already done.

“It was a big game,” Sears said. “Obviously, I get a little emotional at times. I’ve got to do a little bit of a better job controlling that, for sure. … I think the scoreboard just kind of speaks for the night.”

If there is a positive to take away from a frustrating night for Sears, it was that he set a new career high in innings pitched. His five innings on Saturday upped his total to 174 2/3 on the season, surpassing his previous career-best mark of 172 1/3 from 2023.

Sears is now the first pitcher in A’s history to make 31 or more starts in back-to-back seasons since Sonny Gray (2014-15), and the 28-year-old left-hander is slated to make one more start in Seattle next week to close out his 2024 campaign.

“The durability is really what you love about him,” Kotsay said of Sears. “For a guy that’s not big and physical, for him to be consistent in making every start, the preparation and work ethic off the field is a direct impact of him putting in that time and that work. … I love the fact that JP has been consistent over the last two seasons in what he’s given us.”

The celebration of the Coliseum continued following Saturday’s game with a special A’s “Through the Decades” drone and fireworks show that featured a video narrated by A’s broadcaster Ken Korach. Saturday’s announced crowd of 33,198 was also the third largest at the Coliseum so far this season.

“It was a fun atmosphere,” Sears said. “I’m just upset with the results. I’ll definitely remember tonight as the last game here for me. It means a lot. But I’m not happy with how it went. So, mixed emotions that are still a little fresh.”