Oakland A’s Pat Neshek, wife mourn loss of newborn son

Something happened to the Oakland A’s family on Wednesday that put the joy of winning the AL West and making the playoffs in the proper perspective. A’s reliever Pat Neshek and his wife, Stephanee, suffered a tragedy when their newborn son died less than 24 hours after being born.

While his teammates were celebrating a playoff spot, Neshek, who had left the team on Tuesday to be with his wife during the childbirth, tweeted the following:

“Please pray for my family. Tonight my wife & I lost our first & only son 23 hours after he was born with no explanation.�

That tweet came just a few hours after Neshek had excitedly tweeted the news of the birth, including a photo of his newborn son, named Gehrig John Neshek.

Later Wednesday, Stephanee Neshek tweeted:

“I am at a loss for words right now ... he died peacefully sleeping in my arms unexpectedly without any explanation.

“There was no cause of death and I am having trouble understanding why God can let such a thing happen [to] an innocent being.�

In a statement, the A’s said: “Our hearts go out to Pat and Stephanee and we share in their sorrow of losing their young son. The entire A’s organization will keep the Neshek family in our prayers and thoughts, as they try to come to grips with this tragic occurrence in their lives.�

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