Stephen Piscotty's Mother Gretchen Dies at Age 55

Gretchen Piscotty, the mother of Oakland Athletics right-fielder Stephen Piscotty, died Sunday night at the age of 55 due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, according to ESPN.com.

She had been diagnosed with the neurological disorder in May 2017.

Piscotty, 27, spent his first three seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals before being traded to Oakland this offseason. That allowed him to be closer to his mother and aid in her care, however, as Piscotty grew up in Pleasanton, California.

"The thought of playing at home is a dream and to be close to my mom and family is priceless," Piscotty said at the time of the trade, per Jane Lee of MLB.com.

"With or without the illness, I'm very grateful they're all close by," Gretchen said of having her entire family nearby in January, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. "I wish this wasn't impacting them, impacting the family, but I'm very grateful to see them. They're all very tender and caring and gentle with me."

Piscotty also spoke fondly of having more time with his mother.

"We usually end [the day] playing the guitar with 'Amazing Grace,'" he told ESPN before his mother's death, noting it was a song his mother played for him as a child. "It's definitely emotional. Playing it is kind of a full circle aspect going on there. It gives me some little bit of peace, and I hope it does the same for her. It's important to spend time with her because we're running out of it, and we're just trying to cherish every moment."