Stephen Piscotty's whirlwind season continued Tuesday night.
Just over a week after making his return to the A's lineup following surgery to remove a melanoma from his right ear, Piscotty returned to the scene of his MLB debut when Oakland faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of a two-game series at Busch Stadium.
Piscotty, a Pleasanton, Calif. native, broke through with St. Louis in 2015 and remained there for three seasons. However, he requested a trade to the A's following the 2017 season in order to move closer to his mother Gretchen, who had been diagnosed with ALS.
The Cardinals graciously agreed, allowing Piscotty to spend more time with Gretchen until she sadly passed away in 2018.
In Piscotty's first at-bat after his mother's passing, he singled, prompting a standing ovation from the Oakland crowd. Then, after going on the bereavement list, Piscotty homered in his first at-bat back.
On Tuesday in St. Louis, the Busch Stadium crowd greeted Piscotty with a standing ovation ahead of his first at-bat in the second inning.
Sports
Piscotty gets a standing-O in his first appearance back in St. Louis 😢 pic.twitter.com/g51RCmotDb— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 26, 2019
While Piscotty flied out to right, it was nonetheless a very heartwarming moment for all involved. To this day, Piscotty is extremely grateful to the Cardinals for permitting his trade request, and clearly, the respect is mutual.
