From death stare to 162: How Rooker became A's Iron Man

PITTSBURGH -- About midway through August, Athletics manager Mark Kotsay approached Brent Rooker inside the weight room during a road series in Minnesota to inform him that he was getting a day off.

It didn’t take much from Rooker to change his skipper’s mind.

“I told him I was going to give him a day, and he just mean-mugged me,” Kotsay said. “He’s allowed to do that. I saw him in the gym, and he was putting up some weight that I don’t think I can handle anymore.”

Kotsay has since given up trying to find a day for Rooker. Not only to avoid another death stare, but because there has been no reason to. The All-Star slugger has shown no signs of fatigue as the season winds down, now batting .265 with an .824 OPS following his 2-for-4 effort in Sunday’s 11-0 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park.

Rooker remains the only Athletic to have played in each of the club’s 156 games this season. With only six games remaining, Rooker -- on track to become just the fifth A’s player to appear in all 162 games in a season since 2000 -- would join an exclusive list of notable names to go all-162 over that stretch:

Miguel Tejada (three times from 2001-03)
Terrence Long (twice from 2001-02)
Matt Olson (2018)
Marcus Semien (2019)

Playing all 162 games was not something Rooker necessarily set out to do this season. Once it became an attainable feat, however, the 30-year-old figured he should go for it.

“At this point, yeah, I would like to [play all 162],” Rooker said. “It wasn’t a goal of mine to start the year. But the further I’ve kind of gotten into it, I’ve played all of them at this point, so I might as well. Hopefully, I’ll be in there for every one of them the rest of the way.”

Rooker has emerged as the A’s Iron Man. His streak of consecutive games played, now up to 196, dates back to Aug. 17, 2024, standing as the longest by an Athletic since Semien’s 276-game streak from June 28, 2018-Aug. 29, 2020.

Sure, playing mostly designated hitter benefits Rooker in that it keeps his legs healthy. But he has also upped his usage on the field this season with 26 games played as an outfielder, providing serviceable defense at the corner spots when needed.

“I think the DH spot helps,” Kotsay said. “When he goes out to the outfield, I always worry a little bit about the legs and the amount of running he does out there. But he keeps himself in really good shape, and that’s a big part of the health, I think.”

In recent years, Rooker has implemented Pilates into his offseason workout routine, which he said helps strengthen his core and keeps his body feeling strong throughout the season.

“If you haven’t done [Pilates] before, it’s pretty darn hard,” Kotsay said. “I think that helps lead to the success in staying out of the training room and on the field.”

The lack of rest has not hindered Rooker at the plate. He’s already just the fifth player in franchise history with 30 homers and 40 doubles in a season, joining Semien (2019), Jason Giambi ('01), Eric Chavez ('01) and Hall of Famer Al Simmons (1929 and 1930).

“It’s been a good learning experience for me,” Rooker said. “I think I’ve evolved a lot. I’ve been pretty streaky in the past. This year, to this point, there haven’t been any really extreme highs or extreme lows. It’s just been kind of steady and consistent. There’s a lot to be said about that.

“I would like there to be some more extreme highs. But if it comes with no extreme lows, then I guess I’ll take it. But it’s been good. It’s been a different year for me in terms of just kind of learning how to maintain a steady level of production throughout the course of the season. I’m just looking to finish on a high note.”