ST. LOUIS — The trade that sent Stephen Piscotty from St. Louis to Oakland in December of 2017 was bigger than baseball.
On Tuesday, Piscotty stepped back into the Busch Stadium batter's box for the first time since that trade.
When he stepped in, Cardinals fans did what Cardinals fans do, and showed their gratitude for Piscotty's time as a Cardinal and his graciousness after the trade with a standing ovation.
Piscotty talked about still getting support from Cardinals fans before Tuesday's game.
"Obviously it's talked about all throughout the country, but this fan base is truly special, and I felt their love on the west coast," Piscotty said. "It's just really really special and to have the love from both organizations is really humbling and I'm just thankful for it."
The trade that sent Piscotty to Oakland and Yairo Munoz and Max Schrock to St. Louis made sense in baseball terms, but it also made sense on a human level.
Piscotty is originally from the bay area of California, and his mother, Gretchen, was back home battling ALS.
Gretchen Piscotty passed away last year, but the trade to Oakland allowed Stephen to be closer to his mom and help his family out during some hard times.
"It just meant the world for my family, especially for my mom. It wasn't easy, it was bittersweet. My mom loved coming here. She loved watching me. This is kind of all I knew as a professional, but the value of being home, you couldn't really put a price on that."
"I'll be honest, being home was a ton of work. It wasn't just hanging out on the couch spending time together. There was work to be done," Piscotty said. "There was just a lot. To be able to help my family go through that and to be there and give them some support and to give them a break. I would go on the road and I felt like I was leaving them hanging a little bit, so it was not easy. But it was easier being home and It was something I wanted to be a part of and be there for and I'm just forever grateful for that opportunity."
Piscotty said he hopes other players might be able to be as fortunate as he was if they're confronted with a similar set of circumstances.
"That trade meant the world. Going through what we went through as a family, I couldn't imagine being 2,000 miles away from that," Piscotty said. "I felt like the trade in itself was unique and hopefully it sets a precedent for the future, you don't hope for things to happen, but if they do maybe teams can weigh that into consideration."