Daz Cameron reflects on journey leading up to wild A's debut
Daz Cameron reflects on journey leading up to wild A's debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
It has been a whirlwind week for A’s outfielder Daz Cameron, who went from the minor leagues to hitting a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of an unforgettable win in Oakland.
Speaking to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Brodie Brazil and Dave Stewart on "A’s Postgame Live," Cameron explained the quick turnaround from a Las Vegas Aviators game against the Tacoma Rainiers in Washington to today's contest at the Oakland Coliseum.
“Yesterday during the game, at the top of the second [inning], we made the last out and I ran into the dugout and as soon as I stepped foot on the bottom floor, [Aviators manager Fran Riordan] walks over to me and he says ‘Hey man congratulations, you’re going to the big leagues,’ and it was a special moment for me and to see a lot of my teammates happy was a good thing,” Cameron said.
Daz Cameron describes getting called up by the A's and leaving at 3 a.m. to catch a flight to Oakland pic.twitter.com/CQI05w5lu4
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) May 23, 2024
Cameron then went on to describe the wild travel he had to go through to make it from Tacoma to Oakland in time for the 12:37 p.m. start time against the Colorado Rockies.
“I was able to pack the rest of my things in the dugout that day and go into the locker room to pack my bag and head out at 3 a.m. to leave the hotel,” Cameron explained “My flight was at 5:40 so I left there and got through customs around 3:40 and I was able to hop on the flight early this morning to get in at 8:00. It was a long day for me to say the least but I’m happy to be here.”
Despite the quick turnaround time for Cameron, the 27-year-old explained how plenty of pregame preparation had him ready to go before stepping into the batter’s box against Colorado starter Ryan Feltner.
“The coaches give us a lot of detailed work before the game to prepare for the pitcher that’s on the mound for that day,” Cameron told Stewart and Brazil. “We battled throughout the entire game, over nine innings today, and won the game so that was big for us.”
Daz Cameron speaks on his preparation before his A's debut today pic.twitter.com/TTRPSvrmko
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) May 23, 2024
The son of former major leaguer Mike Cameron, the 27-year-old has had quite the journey after having spent much of the past two seasons in the minor leagues, waiting for his opportunity to get back to baseball’s highest level.
“There have definitely been some ups and downs, but the mentality has been to just keep it positive, keep a positive mindset and continue to work hard and improve on the small things,” Cameron said.
In his first game with the A’s, Cameron's solo home run in the bottom of the ninth tied the game and set the stage for one of the wildest finishes in MLB so far this season.
Daz Cameron with a game-tying ninth-inning homer in his A's debut ?? pic.twitter.com/x2ksW6DsI6
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) May 23, 2024
With Oakland trailing by four runs in the bottom of the 11th inning, the A’s scored five runs, punctuated by Tyler Soderstrom’s walk-off walk, to win the game 10-9.
The extra-inning triumph came during a crucial point in Oakland’s season, with the team reeling after a rough road trip. The win over the Rockies clinched the series victory for the A’s, giving the young squad a much-needed morale boost.
Now Oakland will look to ride this momentum into a critical three-game series against the Houston Astros.