Often referred to as the ‘walk of shame,’ the unceremonious departures of ejected baseball managers are usually quick journeys from home plate to the clubhouse by way of the dugout.
But in West Sacramento, where the migrating Athletics are playing for three years en route to their new Las Vegas home, that walk is considerably longer and more embarrassing.
As manager Mark Kotsay discovered Sunday, ejected managers in West Sacramento will need to hoof it about 330-feet to their respective outfield corners in order to access the clubhouse. So when Kotsay was tossed in the seventh inning of Sunday’s game against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, the proceedings needed to pause briefly as he exited stage left (field).
Kotsay said something from the dugout after the first pitch from Jesús Luzardo to Andujar, a sweeper near the bottom of the strike zone, was called a strike despite appearing to be outside.
He then came out of the dugout to continue the argument and motioned with an arm at Ortiz following his 15th career ejection, the first for the A’s this season.
The A’s, who were on an 11-game losing streak, took a 3-0 lead in the first inning but were tied 3-3 at the time of the ejections in the seventh. They went on to a wild 5-4 victory over the Phillies to snap their skid.
Kotsay is seen walking towards the left-field corner, where he could access the clubhouse
The left-field corner in West Sacramento (circled) is about 330 feet away from home plate
Mark Kotsay, front, argues with umpire Roberto Ortiz, back, leading to his ejection
‘I was more frustrated in the reaction that I got back from the umpire,’ Kotsay said. ‘And that’s what we kind of talked about, and I made sure that he was aware that I was frustrated with how he treated me. I know he’s frustrated with my disagreement in the balls and strikes, which he’s perfectly allowed to be, but I think we agree to disagree in that situation.’
Andujar took another strike, then struck out swinging on the third pitch. He motioned at Ortiz with an arm and also was tossed.
‘For Andujar, he felt the next pitch was in the same location, maybe even a little higher, called for another strike. And then he chased the fastball up,’ Kotsay said. ‘So there’s a lot of frustration in there and I think that came out and it’s OK.’
Bench coach Darren Bush took over as acting manager to get the win. The A’s had not lost 12 straight games in a season since 1994.
Prior to the 2025 campaign, the Athletics moved about an hour east from Oakland to the Sacramento area, where they will be based in a minor league ballpark for the next three seasons while hoping a more permanent home in Las Vegas will be ready in 2028.
The A’s now play at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, a 14,000-seat park they share with San Francisco’s Triple-A River Cats.
The team is owned by John Joseph Fisher, who has faced criticism for routinely fielding the team with the lowest payroll in MLB.
However, thanks to an offseason ‘spending spree,’ in which they signed pitcher Luis Severino to a three-year, $67 million deal, the A’s now rank 29th in baseball, ahead of only the Miami Marlins.
