OAKLAND -- When Tony Kemp made his way to the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning on Monday night with “Desperado” by Rihanna playing over the Coliseum speakers, there was confusion inside the A’s dugout.

With the exception of a handful of games, “Desperado” has been Chad Pinder's walk-up song of choice for the entirety of his seven seasons in the big leagues, all of which have come as a member of the A’s. But with Pinder set to hit free agency after this season and only three games left in the 2022 campaign, Kemp decided to pay homage to the beloved A’s utility man.

"For this series, I just wanted to [use] his walkout song if he doesn’t come back," Kemp said. "A little head nod to him. I’ll be using it until the season ends. When I walked up to the plate, he met eyes with me and we acknowledged each other. It was a tender moment. Can’t lie to you."

The walk-up switch also brought Kemp some extra magic. Coming off the bench and hitting for Ernie Clement with a runner on third, Kemp lined a ball off the glove of the Angels' Matt Thaiss at first base that trickled into right field, scoring Jonah Bride for a 5-4 walk-off victory.

It’s fitting that Kemp’s heroics while paying tribute to Pinder came in a pinch-hit spot. Over the course of his career, Pinder has established himself as a pinch-hit expert of sorts, currently holding the A’s franchise record for pinch-hit home runs (6) and the Oakland record for pinch-hit RBIs (24).

"He’s the A’s pinch-hit king," Kemp said of Pinder. "He has a bunch of records. A bunch of pinch-hit homers. I actually just moved out of my place and we’re roommates for the next couple of nights. He’s obviously a great dude. He encapsulates what an Oakland A is."

Kemp’s clutch knock completed what was a furious late-inning comeback. Trailing 4-0 after seven innings, the A’s began to chip away in the eighth with back-to-back RBI hits by Seth Brown and Shea Langeliers. In the ninth, Brown once again delivered with two outs, tying up the game with a bases-loaded single.

"This was a really good team win," said A’s manager Mark Kotsay. "A lot of excitement late in the game. The energy picked up in the dugout. It was great to see these guys continue to battle and fight. They showed their character. It’s what I’ve talked about all season with this team. They just don’t quit."

While the A’s may not have much to play for in the way of standings in the final three games, a win like Monday's is still something that can be viewed as a valuable experience for a roster filled with rookies looking to establish themselves at this level.

"It’s huge, especially for all the young guys, to watch how they battled and the resiliency they showed," Kemp said. "It’s a lot of the things they can build off of and learn from to take into next year. It reminds guys you’re still playing in the big leagues. It doesn’t matter how many games we have. I feel like a lot of guys are making these days count. These are your last couple of at-bats of the season and you want to go out on a high note."

Kemp added: "Shea [Langeliers] and Nick Allen, all these rookies, being able to see what these guys are doing at the big league level is big. We didn’t get all the wins we wanted this year, but the wins we’re getting now will be big on the back end."

Kemp himself isn’t completely sure if he’ll be a part of this team in 2023. Though he remains under contract and is enjoying a strong second half, now hitting .279 (58-for-208) with five home runs, 12 doubles, two triples and 32 RBIs in 60 games since the All-Star break, the second baseman/outfielder will be entering his third and final year of arbitration this offseason.

For his part, there’s no place Kemp would rather be next year than Oakland.

"I want to be here," Kemp said. "I want to be with this team. I feel like the job is not done in the things that I’ve wanted to share with all the younger guys and being able to have moments Chad Pinder and Stephen Vogt have over their careers in an Oakland uniform. It’s been a blessing these last three seasons. Going into my last year of arbitration, I just think being able to be part of this team would be something special.”