OAKLAND -- Oakland native MC Hammer will throw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of Wednesday’s American League Wild Card Game at 5:09 p.m. PT. A limited amount of tickets for the A’s game against the Rays, Oakland's first home postseason game since 2013, are still available at athletics.com/postseason.

Stanley Burrell, the “U Can’t Touch This” and “2 Legit 2 Quit” rapper, was born in Oakland and served as clubhouse assistant and bat boy for the Oakland A’s from 1973 to ‘80. Team owner Charlie Finley discovered Burrell when he was 11 years old selling stray baseballs and dancing in the parking lots, and Finley invited him to watch a game from a luxury box before hiring him as a bat boy.

Players dubbed Burrell “Little Hammer” due to his resemblance to Hank Aaron. He adopted the moniker MC for “Master of Ceremonies” when he performed at clubs when the A’s were out of town.