The Athletics’ Zack Gelof and his brother Jake -- a third baseman in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization -- lived out a childhood dream when their teams met on Sunday at Camelback Ranch.
The Dodgers’ 4-2 win over the A’s signaled the first time the Gelof brothers played against each other professionally -- a huge milestone for the family.
Zack detailed his experience sharing the diamond with his brother as an opponent with MLB.com writer Martín Gallegos.
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“I can’t remember the last time I played against him,” Zack told Gallegos. “Maybe like practicing against each other. But we’ve always been on the same team or different age groups, so this is pretty cool.”
Zack, 24, is the older brother to Jake, who happened to turn 22 on Sunday. Zack told Gallegos that Jake had the ideal birthday, considering he was playing the game he loves -- let alone against his brother.
Jake was inserted into Sunday’s game as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the eighth, ultimately striking out. Zack watched his brother’s plate appearance unfold from a different perspective after being relieved from the game five innings in.
Oakland Athletics
“I was just being a spectator,” Zack said. “It was a win-win. We either get the out or he gets a hit. It was awesome. Seeing him out there was awesome. Not the result he was looking for, but he was letting it eat. Nothing changes. Just super excited for him.”
The Gelof brothers always were teammates growing up, even at the University of Virginia. Oddly enough, they were both No. 60 overall MLB draft selections for their respective teams -- Zack in 2021 and Jake in 2023.
Zack is hopeful he and his brother will match up during an MLB game on a major league field. However, the Gelofs will enjoy this one for a long time.
“Hopefully, I stay up for a while and he makes it up here,” Zack said. “We’ll get to play against each other sometime. He's just got to take it day by day and have fun doing it.”