Stephen Piscotty Homers In First At-Bat Since Returning From Bereavement List

Oakland A’s outfielder Stephen Piscotty—who missed his team’s previous four games after his mother, Gretchen, died from ALS—smashed a dinger over the Green Monster tonight in his very first at-bat since returning to the team. The reaction to the homer was subdued, in part because it was hit on the road, but Piscotty covered his heart with his hand and looked to the sky as he crossed home plate.

The Cardinals traded Piscotty, a Bay Area native, to the A’s in December so he could be closer to home, where he cared for his mother. Both of Piscotty’s parents were regular presences at their son’s games, and players from all over baseball offered both condolences and donations to ALS research in response to Gretchen’s death.

Correction (10:04 p.m. ET): The headline originally stated that this was Piscotty’s first at-bat since his mother’s death, when he actually played a game and got a standing ovation in Oakland two days after she died. This was his first at-bat since returning from the bereavement list.