OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s will celebrate longtime equipment manager Steve “Vuc” Vucinich during a pregame ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 26, when the team hosts the Houston Astros at 1:07 p.m. Vucinich, who joined the organization as a ballboy in 1968, is in his 54th season with the Club and will retire following the completion of the A’s 2022 Spring Training in Arizona. 

A fixture in the A’s organization, Vucinich joined the A’s organization as a ballboy in 1968 when the franchise relocated from Kansas City to Oakland. From 1969 to 1973, he served as an assistant in the home clubhouse before taking over as the visiting clubhouse manager from 1974 to 1993. Vucinich is in his 28th season as the Club’s equipment manager. He is a past president of the Major League Baseball Equipment Managers Association and currently serves on the MLBMA’s board of directors. He is also a past member of the advisory committee for Major League Baseball Properties. Vucinich graduated from St. Joseph’s High School in Alameda and Chabot College in Hayward. 

The A’s will honor Vucinich next season as a member of the Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2022, which also includes Sal Bando, Eric Chavez, Keith Lieppman, and Joe Rudi. The sixth and final member of the Class of 2022 will be selected by a panel of A’s personnel, alumni, and fans. 

The A’s have also made a series of promotions within the Clubhouse and Equipment Operations department, beginning on Jan. 1, 2022. Matt Weiss, longtime umpire/clubhouse assistant, will take over as the Director, Clubhouse and Equipment Operations; Brian Davis, who first joined the A’s as a batboy in 1991 and is in his 31st season with the Club, becomes the Manager, Clubhouse and Equipment Operations; and Mike “Cliffy” Clavin will serve as the Assistant Manager, Clubhouse and Equipment Operations.