Daz, his dad and a reunion at home ... plate

This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos' Athletics Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

OAKLAND -- Set to play a matinee against the Mariners on Thursday, Daz Cameron was lying down on a couch inside the A’s clubhouse at the Coliseum when he was approached by manager Mark Kotsay about two hours before the game.

“Kots walked up to me,” said Cameron. “He said, ‘Hey, you’re going to be exchanging lineup cards today.'”

Although Cameron found the assignment a bit strange, he didn’t think too much about it as he took the field for his pregame routine. After he was done, he went about preparing to handle the exchanging of lineup cards with the umpires.

A few minutes before first pitch, Cameron emerged from the A’s dugout and walked over to home plate. On the way out, he noticed a familiar face on the opposing side carrying the lineup card for Seattle.

It was his father, Mike.

“That’s how I found out,” Cameron said. “To see him at home plate in a big league stadium, it was inspiring. It’s something that I won’t forget. It was special for me.”

Daz and Mike interacted with each other during Spring Training for Cactus League matchups between the A’s and Mariners. However, Thursday marked the first time the father-son duo shared the same Major League field.

“Nothing beats an actual regular-season big league game,” Cameron said. “To see him on the field, shake his hand and talk to him for a little bit before the game and exchange cards, that was cool to do.”

Daz joined the A’s on May 23 after a strong start to his season at Triple-A Las Vegas. Having previously appeared in 73 games for the Tigers in parts of three seasons from 2020-22, the 27-year-old is getting a shot to contribute with Oakland. He played a key role in Wednesday’s victory over Seattle when his fifth-inning single led to him scoring what ended up as the game-winning run on a passed ball later in the inning.

Mike spent four of his 17 Major League seasons with the Mariners. Over that stretch from 2000-03, he earned an All-Star selection (‘01) and became a beloved figure in Seattle. Now working for the club as a special assignment coach since 2019, he flew into Oakland for Thursday’s series finale. Turns out, he’s the one who arranged the special meeting.

“It was a casual talk,” Daz said of the moment with his dad. “After we exchanged cards, we said good luck to each other. The umpires were standing around just laughing.”