Stephen Piscotty trotted down the left-field line before Tuesday night’s contest to join his teammates for a pregame stretch session. His eyes scanned the railings in the right-field bleachers, real estate usually decked out with banners repping A’s players and the city of Oakland. But on this evening, a lone sign hung over the out-of-town scoreboard: the initials “GP,” painted in green, surrounded by a heart with a yellow border.

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They stood for Gretchen Piscotty.

A mother. A wife. A warrior.

On Sunday, Piscotty’s mother passed away after a year-long bout with Lou Gehrig’s disease, surrounded by her family in nearby Pleasanton. She was 55. She was an inspiration to her family in her final days, slowed by the debilitating and aggressive disease.

But on Tuesday, the Piscottys celebrated a special moment at the Coliseum, a site that’s always served as a haven for the family throughout the years.

As Stephen stepped to the plate in the bottom of the second inning, Astros right-hander Lance McCullers backed off the mound. The clapping crowd at the Coliseum rose to its feet while Dick Callahan’s voice boomed over the loud speakers to introduce Piscotty.

Umpire Joe West, in a veteran move, took a moment to stroll over from third base to “inspect” the ball in McCullers’ hand, ensuring an extended ovation. Alex Bregman applauded Piscotty from his post at third base, slapping his right hand against his glove. Forget that Bregman had Houston spelled across his chest — allegiances were obsolete. Team Gretchen.

The moment nearly brought Piscotty to tears. He placed his hand over his heart, acknowledged the Astros dugout and then the fans. Then he promptly stroked a sharp single to right field.

“All day, I didn’t feel alone,” Piscotty said Wednesday morning. “I felt like someone was with me. I had a round in batting practice where I hit five homers out of five and I’d never done that. That’s not me. I didn’t feel alone. I felt like there was someone with me yesterday. I know it was her. She was with me up there during that at-bat.”

It might have gone down in the box score as an innocuous single. But it’s a hit Piscotty said he’ll never forget.

On Monday night, both the A’s and Astros paid tribute to Gretchen with a moment of silence. McCullers doesn’t know Piscotty personally, but realized the gravity of the moment and wanted to step off the mound.

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“I just wanted him to have some time,” McCullers said. “I know that this game in general can be emotional and I can’t imagine what he was going through today. I wanted to give him some time to be able to come up and have the fans recognize him. They were. I just want that moment to be his.

“I’m not trying to give up a hit. But if I have to concede one the whole year — he earned it, I’m not saying I conceded it — but if I have to give up one all year, I’d be OK with that one.”

Piscotty trotted back out to his plot of land in right field moments later. A single ray of light, shining through a concourse corridor from the Coliseum’s second deck, bathed the “GP” sign in a warm gold hue. Earlier in the day, a few of the right-field regulars thought of the tribute.

“Stephen’s first game back,” said right-field drummer Bryanne Aler-Ningas. “Wouldn’t it be cool if he looks up and it’s the first thing he sees, and it’s the only thing he sees?”

Piscotty noticed. Once he came out to the field in the bottom of the first, he tapped his hand over his chest and shared an exchange with the fans.

“The hand over my heart — that’s something my mom would do when she wasn’t able to speak,” Piscotty said. “This was, ‘I love you’ and ‘Thank you.’ That’s what I did in the box and that’s kind of her way of saying it. I’m going to keep that with me.”

Since learning of Gretchen’s diagnosis last May, the entire Piscotty clan rallied around their matriarch. Perhaps no one supported her more than her husband, Mike, who took round-the-clock care. Keeping her comfortable. Making sure the mask was on right. Medications. Food. Fluids. And lots of love.

After watching his son hit the single, Mike Piscotty appeared on the big screen for a quick in-game interview.

“I just want to say thank you for supporting and visiting our site,” he said, referring to his family’s ALS research crowdfunding page. “There’s been an outpouring from the baseball community for us and my wife.”

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Stephen Piscotty might have been warming up his arm in right field, but he paused to listen to his pops. Piscotty’s pride couldn’t be hidden as he talked about his dad on Wednesday morning, with the word “MOM” written on his cap.

“I didn’t know that they were going to do that,” Piscotty said. “It was a beautiful moment that I’ll also remember from yesterday. I thought it was great to get him in the limelight a little bit. He’s really been one of the people impacted and he’s worked so, so hard. I want to thank him so much. I love him. He worked so hard throughout the progression of this disease. I love him a lot.”

Back on March 25, during Piscotty’s first home game in the green and gold, an exhibition against the Giants, Mike and Gretchen made a visit out to the right-field bleachers. It turned out to be Gretchen’s only visit of the season. Hugs were exchanged and the fans gave the parents a T-shirt to bring home — the equivalent of a passport to these bleachers creatures. So when the news broke about Gretchen’s passing, it hit close to home.

“A lot of us in the bleachers have lost a parent. Maybe not to ALS, but we can relate,” Aler-Ningas said. “I had chills. When I was reading through what happened with her and all of that recently, I felt that hug all over again. I’m like, ‘Oh wow.’ It hit me pretty good.”

The strong feelings are mutual.

On Tuesday night, Piscotty’s family and fiancée stopped by the bleachers to bang on the drums and support the right fielder up close. It provided a bit of levity in the midst of melancholy — Piscotty said he couldn’t help but crack a smile as he looked up to see familiar faces with drumsticks in their hands. It’s only been two months, but Piscotty said he’s loved developing the relationship he has with the bleacher crew.

And to think — none of it would have been possible if the Cardinals and A’s didn’t agree to a trade that sent Piscotty back to his hometown team.

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“I wouldn’t have traded that for the world,” Piscotty said. “I can’t imagine being 2,000 miles away or in a different place and not being around what all’s been going on. The trade has meant the world to me and I know it did to my mom. Being able to share every last moment together was something that just warms my heart. I’m so grateful for it. I’m at a loss for words. I’m just so glad to be home.”

Piscotty started again on Wednesday but will miss the upcoming series in the Bronx against the Yankees and be placed on the bereavement list. The family will celebrate Gretchen’s life on Monday, the day after Mother’s Day, before Piscotty will rejoin the A’s in Boston.

Throughout the league, there has been a major outpouring of support for Piscotty’s family, something he called “overwhelming.” Piscotty wanted to make a point to thank Cubs pitchers Yu Darvish and Jon Lester for contributing to his family’s research fund, and the A’s for matching up to $50,000. But this is just the beginning. Piscotty said he plans to brainstorm ideas with his agent to continue to raise funds and awareness to fight ALS.

“It’s going to be my mission,” Piscotty said.

Throughout the entire process, Piscotty has been praised by teammates and coaches for his poise and strength. As he looks back on the last year, and especially the last week, Piscotty is struck by his mother’s continual ability to fight. Now he’s ready to make sure her legacy lives on.

“That was one of things we stressed in the last week as things were kind of shaping to kind of be the end,” Piscotty said, “just making sure she knew how impressed we were and proud of her we were for how hard she fought. She’s just a warrior. That’s something that’s at the front of my mind that I’ll always remember.”

— Reported from Oakland

(Top photo: Ben Margot/AP)