A's win their final game at the Oakland Coliseum, an emotional farewell

OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland A's final game at the Oakland Coliseum is now in the history books. 

The A's played their first game at the Coliseum in 1968 and lost 4-1 to the Baltimore Orioles. The A's have now balanced that with a win in their final game at the Oakland Coliseum.

Even before the game started, it was clear this would be no ordinary baseball game as the A's took on Texas. The first pitch was thrown out by A's royalty, Dave Stewart and Ricky Henderson.

Matt Irish brought his young son, Andrew, to watch his first A's game. 

"First and last, unfortunately," said Irish. "We flew up this morning to let him see the last game, and it's heartbreaking. But it is what it is."

Throughout the game, the Coliseum was filled with the chant, "Let's go Oakland." Alternating with "sell the team."

It was a memorable game for everyone, but 18-year-old Ari Fendel has proof he was there: A foul ball was snatched out of the air early in the game. 

"I can't believe I'm so lucky to have this happen to me," said Fendel. "Look at the fans, look at how many people showed up. We love baseball in Oakland. There's nothing like it, it's beautiful."

While all eyes were on the field, between innings there were all the familiar sights and sounds for A's fans. Musician John Souls has played here off and on for 20 years. 

"Very sad," said Soulis. "I don't want it to be a wake, I want it to be happy. But, not good. Not good at all."

After the game there is the dismantling of the pitcher's mound, as A's head groundskeeper Clay Wood looks on. 

Wood has been with the A's for more than 30 years.

"It's that green and gold blood that you develop over all those years; that's definitely the difficult part," he said.

Wood said the home plate was removed so it could go to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Wood said to KTVU that he started working for the A's when he was 19 years old. 

His future is uncertain as he and many others lose their jobs.

"It's been a rough day for sure. Just everything about it.  Almost like a death in the family...a rollercoaster all day but amazing game, amazing crowd. It's been a great run for 30 years. So much to be grateful for," Wood said.

Fans lingered long after the game, savoring the finality of this moment in history.

As any baseball fan knows, music is a part of the game, and in the 7th inning, fans stood to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" for one last time inside this ballpark.

Fans say this coliseum is more than just a stadium. 

"I had to be here because this is my home away from home," said Holly Magno. "I met friends here. I have friends I only know through here. It's heartbreaking."

Finally, the game came down to the top of the 9th with the A's up by one. A few fans scrambled onto the field, only to be tackled by security. 

Then a few items were thrown out, delaying the end of the game by a few minutes, until the final pitch. 

The A's rewarded fans with a 3-2 win. 

Manager Mark Kotsay thanked the fans, in an emotional farewell. 

"Thank you all for loving the sport of baseball," said Kotsay. "Thank you all for your lifelong support of the Oakland A's."

KTVU's Amber Lee contributed to this report.