a patch for gehrig john neshek

a couple of days from now (october 2) will mark what would have been gehrig john neshek's first birthday.  he was born to a's reliever pat neshek and his wife in the midst of a division title race in 2012, but tragically passed away 23 hours later.

the a's, who clinched the american league west on october 3 - the same day that gehrig died - wore memorial patches during the playoffs.  you can see the 'gjn' patch on coco crisp's 2013 topps gypsy queen card below.

pat neshek returned to the team during the playoffs against the tigers, and he threw a perfect two-thirds of an inning.  neshek and the a's will return to the playoffs again this year, but i am not sure that it makes this time of year any easier on pat and his wife.  i cannot imagine the weight of that loss.