Marcus Semien masters the “pretty difficult” finale in the Coliseum

Marcus Semien saw the Coliseum parking lot fill up more than three hours before Thursday's game. He saw all the fans wearing those nifty Kelly Green jerseys and blocking the old concrete bowl.

These sights gave Semien both energy and sadness.

“It was just nice to see a big crowd here,” he said after his Texas Rangers lost 3-2. “It's pretty sad. There are a lot of people in Oakland that love this team. Pretty tough.”

Semien batted first in the final game of the Coliseum's 57-year run as home of the Oakland Athletics. This seemed symbolic and appropriate on so many levels.

He has deep roots in the East Bay, yes, from St. Mary's High in Albany to Cal. He brings plenty of history with his six seasons (2015-20) in which he went from struggling shortstop to Most Valuable Player candidate.

But it goes deeper than that. In many ways, Semien's departure as a free agent marked the beginning of the team's long, unpleasant goodbye. The A's made virtually no effort to retain him, perhaps the clearest example of their disinterest in remaining competitive over the last four seasons under owner John Fisher.

Semien's journey also helps explain why Oakland fans ultimately embraced him. In 2015, his first season with the A's, he made 35 errors. That brought a lot of criticism, but Semien earned a lot of respect by sticking around, working diligently with infield coach Ron Washington and continually improving.

In 2019, his final full season in Oakland, Semien made 12 errors, hit 33 home runs and finished third in American League MVP voting.

“That’s what a lot of people do here — they struggle to do what they need to do to be successful,” Semien said. “Everyone from here is usually proud to be from here.

“I know when I was younger I used to brag about Marshawn Lynch and Rickey (Henderson), guys that grew up here and did well. If people think of me like that, that’s great.”

Mike Aldrete, one of the A's hitting coaches, remembers the way Semien conducted himself during that tumultuous debut season in Oakland in 2015. He didn't complain, didn't apologize, just put his head down and tried to improve.

That stuck with Aldrete, and to him it shows why Semien's story resonated with paying customers.

“I just saw that people are attracted to leadership qualities,” Aldrete said. “People see it. I’m sure the fans will see it.”

The last three days have been a challenge for Semien, an unusual conflict between his stoic, no-nonsense manner and his lifelong ties to the East Bay. His parents, Tracy White and Damien Semien, attended the series, including Thursday's finale. The same was true for Semien's grandparents and several friends from his youth baseball and high school careers.

He also made a point of greeting and saying goodbye to stadium employees. And Semien found particular satisfaction in a long conversation he had with Henderson before Wednesday night's game.

Semien continued a long tradition of baseball players who grew up in or near Oakland and became standouts for the A's. Start with Henderson and former pitcher Dave Stewart, who shared ceremonial first-pitch honors on Thursday.

This includes Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley, who was born in Oakland and grew up in Fremont. And then Semien, even if he wasn't always destined for stardom.

“It takes hard work, and Marcus has done the work,” Henderson said Thursday. “I saw Wash take him out every day, work, work, work. In the long run it paid off. I’m proud of how Marcus has developed and I’m proud of how he’s doing.”

Semien hugged Henderson and talked “sadly about what's going on” during their chat this week.

“Rickey and I always had a connection when I was a young player here,” Semien said. “Being able to take grounders during the BP and throw the ball to Rickey Henderson was pretty cool to me.”

Thursday's final didn't go as Semien had hoped. He talked before the game about how he hoped to do something special, maybe hit a home run. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy heard this and said, “I hope he hits four.”

But Semien went 0-for-4 at the plate: popout, double play grounder, flyout, popout. He looked overzealous, restless, and wavering, as if he really wanted to do something special on this obviously momentous day.

Semien made a great play at second base. In the third inning, with the bases loaded and no one out, Semien dove to right to catch JJ Bleday's sharp one-hopper.

Then Semien scooped the ball out of his glove to stop Josh Smith for a force play, temporarily saving a run.

But the Rangers lost the game and prepared to continue their season-ending series in Anaheim. There will be no nostalgia there, none of the daily questions from reporters about his childhood and the jarring reality of the A's departure after nearly six decades in the Coliseum.

“I spent a lot of time here and the fans treated me well here,” Semien said of Oakland. “They still treat me well. A lot of old A players come back and get a different reaction. You have always been good to me and I appreciate that.

“Obviously it was an emotional series.”

Ron Kroichick can be reached at: [email protected]; Twitter: @ronkroichick