OAKLAND -- Daulton Jefferies typically doesn¡¯t pay much mind to the starter he¡¯s opposing. The personal significance of Wednesday¡¯s matchup, though, was much too special for him to ignore.

The prospect of taking the mound in Oakland's series finale against the Twins at the Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon struck a large sum of nostalgia for the A¡¯s right-hander. Lining up opposite Sonny Gray?, Jefferies found himself anticipating a pitching showdown against somewhat of an idol.

Gray, of course, was a homegrown A¡¯s product, a first-round Draft pick in 2011 who developed into an ace and All-Star during his time in green and gold from 2013-17. His downright electric performances made him a wildly popular figure amongst fans in Oakland. Few likely shared a grander admiration than Jefferies, whose time attending nearby UC Berkeley coincided with Gray¡¯s impressive run.

What Jefferies viewed in Gray was much more than just a favorite pitcher. He saw a blueprint. A model he could pattern his pitching style after. When he wasn¡¯t going down the rabbit hole of watching Gray¡¯s pitching highlights on YouTube, Jefferies strategically planned his frequent visits to the Coliseum as a college student around games in which Gray was starting.

Jefferies remembers those days quite vividly. He would hop on a BART train from Berkeley to Oakland early enough to catch Gray¡¯s pregame workout. Setting up with a pen and notebook in the lower-level seats near the A¡¯s bullpen, Jefferies treated the experience as if it were one of his college classes. He studied everything about Gray¡¯s routine, jotting down observations from his delivery to his sequence of pitches during bullpen sessions.

¡°I would stand on the walkway at the top of the section because I didn¡¯t want to look like a weirdo,¡± Jefferies said with a laugh. ¡°I kept my distance. But I¡¯d stand right by the bullpen while he warmed up and take notes on the pitches that he would throw. He was someone that I always tried to emulate. He¡¯s still my favorite pitcher to watch and [he's still] doing it at such a high level.¡±

The similarities between Jefferies and Gray are evident. Both were first-round Draft picks by the A¡¯s. Both are undersized -- Gray is listed at 5-foot-10, 195 pounds and Jefferies at 6-foot, 200 pounds. According to many people on the internet, the two also appear to be doppelgangers of each other, an opinion Jefferies himself and several of his A¡¯s teammates agree with.

¡°I didn¡¯t have the same stuff he did back then," Jefferies said, "but we have similar stuff now. He has the really good big breaking ball. I¡¯m still kind of learning mine. He has the cutter, sinker and rise-up fastball. A lot of things we do are pretty similar. You try to take things away from guys you look up to and make sure you¡¯re doing the best thing that works for you. I wanted to take away things Sonny does, but be the best me.¡±

Jefferies, who was drafted by the A¡¯s in 2016, got a chance to first meet Gray in 2017 shortly before the star pitcher was traded to the Yankees later that season. It came while Jefferies was a member of the Single-A Stockton Ports, when Gray was sent there to making a Minor League rehab appearance.

¡°He was just the nicest guy,¡± Jefferies said. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe that he was one of the best pitchers in the world just because of his personality and how humble he is. That¡¯s another thing I try to emulate.¡±

Five years since that interaction, Jefferies spotted Gray in a Twins jersey on Monday afternoon just before the start of a three-game series against Minnesota. Admittedly still a bit starstruck, Jefferies was hesitant to make his approach. It took some convincing from a couple of teammates, but Jefferies ultimately made his way over to reintroduce himself.

¡°I was kind of nervous,¡± Jefferies said. ¡°But he¡¯s awesome. He remembered my name and said 'Hi.' I just told him he was fun to watch and that I looked up to him and that I used to take BART to watch him pitch. He was like, ¡®When are you throwing?¡¯ and I was like, ¡®Oh, I¡¯m throwing against you,¡¯ and he was like, ¡®Oh man, that¡¯s awesome.¡¯¡±

Pitching against Gray is one of a couple of ¡°full-circle¡± moments Jefferies has been able to experience in what is still his rookie season as a big leaguer. The Merced, Calif., native was also able to reflect on his first opportunity to pitch at Oracle Park in San Francisco last month, a stadium he grew up visiting as a teenager.

¡°I¡¯m just looking to take these moments in,¡± Jefferies said. ¡°When you¡¯re done with the game, you¡¯re not going to remember every stat or record. You remember those cool moments like this one.¡±