OAKLAND, Calif. — This marks the place where a substitute transformed into a hero, an overachiever evolved into a beloved figure, and the common man garnered the adoration of thousands of loyal fans.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt flourished in Oakland as a catcher, a pivotal figure in the clubhouse, and a fan darling. It was here that he revitalized his career before it even took off, blossoming into an All-Star player. Alongside his family, he penned an emotional final chapter to a career that defied expectations. In the eyes of the spectators witnessing his journey, he famously coined the phrase: “If that guy can do it, I can do it.” Gradually, he transformed into what he describes as “an ordinary person with an extraordinary job.”
Vogt’s story began in Oakland and fittingly concluded there as well, with a triumphant final trot around the bases. Now, after 15 years of dedication, his managerial journey will commence in the same city where it all started.
“This still feels surreal,” he admitted.
The symmetry is striking, a testament to the full circle of his career.
Here are three anecdotes that encapsulate Vogt’s remarkable baseball odyssey.
Seated in the second deck, positioned between third base and the left-field corner, the Vogt family had a prime view of the action, shielded from McCovey Cove. On March 31, 2000, 15-year-old Stephen missed witnessing a baseball plunge into the chilly waters, a moment that would leave a lasting impression.
It was Jorge Posada’s home run vanishing into the bay during the final warm-up before the grand opening of Pac Bell Park that triggered a revelation in young Stephen. Clad in his cream Marvin Benard jersey, savoring a French dip sandwich and a soda, he declared to his father, Randy, his ambition to replicate that feat one day. Although Randy doesn’t recall his son’s proclamation, he vividly remembers that evening, the initial tour of one of baseball’s most picturesque venues.
Their baseball adventures included witnessing J.T. Snow’s game-tying homer in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the 2000 NLDS, and Barry Bonds’ 69th home run in 2001, as he closed in on Mark McGwire’s single-season record.
Baseball ran deep in the family’s veins. Stephen’s son, Clark, was named after Will Clark, his father’s favorite player.
The Vogt brothers spent countless summer afternoons in their rectangular front yard in Visalia, Calif. A drive off the roof across the street equated to a home run, while hitting a rope to right field necessitated a covert operation to retrieve the tennis ball without alerting the grumpy neighbor. This challenge forced young Stephen, a left-handed hitter, to master directing the ball to the opposite field from kindergarten onwards.
The family’s baseball fervor traces back to a generation before Stephen. Randy’s father, hailing from Oklahoma, despised the and , leading him to root for the New York Giants. When the Giants relocated to San Francisco in 1958, just a couple of years after the Vogts settled in central California, the allegiance remained intact.
Randy’s admiration for Willie Mays was unwavering, dating back to his first game at Seals Stadium, the Giants’ temporary home before Candlestick Park. Fast forward to 2019, when Stephen signed with the Giants. A childhood dream shared with his brother culminated in a photo with Mays that now adorns Randy’s desk.
Later that season, after 7,070 days since his alleged promise to his father, Stephen launched a memorable shot into the bay.
Every time Vogt phoned his wife from the ballpark, she braced herself for grim news: another injury, another surgery, another arduous journey into uncertainty. So, when his name flashed on her phone the day before the 2012 season opener, she anticipated the worst.
To her surprise, Vogt had received the call-up to the big leagues. Initially slated to start the season with Triple-A Durham, he was now bound for the majors. Amidst the calm at the ballpark, Durham manager Charlie Montoyo was out jogging, leaving the team’s hitting coach, Dave Myers, to deliver the unexpected news of Vogt’s promotion.
The Rays needed a last-minute replacement for B.J. Upton, and Vogt, primarily a catcher but also adept in the outfield, was the chosen candidate. In a whirlwind of excitement, he rushed home, Alyssa swiftly packed his suitcase, and they set off to Raleigh-Durham airport with their six-month-old daughter.
During the drive, they shared laughter. Having just splurged on essentials at Costco for another minor league season, they marveled at the irony that each time they stocked up at Costco, fate intervened, redirecting them elsewhere, either through a call-up or a trade. This routine became a quirky tradition, with their Costco purchases often going unused as their plans swiftly changed.
Seated in the passenger side of their white Chevy Tahoe, Vogt felt a mix of nerves and exhilaration as he relayed the news to friends and family through a flurry of texts. What should have been a brief journey from the ballpark to the airport felt like an eternity, his anticipation palpable as he yearned to don a major league uniform in Tampa for the first time.
As they pulled up to the airport curb before his 6:30 p.m. flight, Vogt turned to his six-month-old daughter, Payton, and shared a heartfelt moment, conveying that her life was about to change forever, much like his own. Reflecting on this poignant memory 12 years later, Vogt, overcome with emotion, apologizes to Payton as tears well up, only to be met with her reassuring smile.
Vogt made his major league debut against the Yankees on Opening Day, pinch-hitting in the eighth inning with runners on the corners and the team trailing by one run. His mantra of swinging at the first pitch, regardless of location or speed, echoed in his mind. Unable to record a hit or a home run if he kept his bat idle, he fouled back a fastball. Three pitches later, he returned to the dugout, unsuccessful but exhilarated.
Vogt’s first major league at-bat came against the Yankees on April 6, 2012. (J. Meric / Getty Images)
“Struck out. It was incredible,” he recalls, before adding that the Rays walked off Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera that day. “I got to celebrate with the guy who scored.”
Guided by the familiar voices of his children, Payton and Clark, Vogt made his way from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box for the final at-bat of his illustrious career.
Now batting, our dad, No. 21, Stephen Vogt!
As Payton and Clark proudly introduced their father over the ballpark PA system, their youngest brother, Bennett, silently mouthed the words in the booth. Overwhelmed with emotion, Vogt steadied himself at the plate, ready to face [pitcher’s name].
“It meant the world to me,” he reflects.
And to think, it almost didn’t happen.
After the 2021 season, Vogt contemplated retirement, despite ending the year with two home runs despite being sidelined by an injury. The final two at-bats of that season resulted in home runs.
On September 9, he went 2-for-2 with two solo shots off [pitcher’s name]. In the sixth inning, while attempting a throw to third base, he felt a sharp pain in his hip. Diagnosed with two torn muscles and a sports hernia, he underwent season-ending surgery.
With the league entering a lockout that offseason, Vogt found himself with ample time to ponder his future in the game. Although he rehabbed as if he would continue playing, the freeze on transactions spared him the anxiety of watching free agents secure deals while he awaited his fate.
As the lockout concluded in March, the call from the Athletics beckoned, offering Vogt a chance to script a fairy-tale ending to his career. Determined to conclude his journey where it all began, he made the decision, following a heartfelt conversation with his wife during a date night in Chicago, that the 2022 season would mark his final chapter.
In the seventh inning of his farewell game, fully aware it could be his last at-bat, Vogt crushed a first-pitch fastball over the right-field fence. The ball landed in a stairwell, just a section away from Payton and a handful of family members. With a triumphant trot around the bases, he embraced , the on-deck hitter, upon reaching home plate. Moments later, Vogt took a poignant curtain call.
His major league journey began with a homer to right field in Oakland and fittingly concluded with another homer to the same spot. It was a poetic conclusion to a remarkable playing career, one that surpassed his wildest dreams during his minor league days or his childhood admiration for Barry Bonds and Will Clark in the stands across the San Francisco Bay.