The first time he played for the A’s, he had such an adrenaline rush that he couldn’t even remember the details. In fact, he had to re-watch the game in order to jog his memory. He said, “It was almost surreal.”

Doolittle isn’t just an outstanding relief pitcher, but also a great clubhouse presence, a fun-loving teammate. When asked about the importance of good team chemistry, he said, “I think it’s incredibly important. You’ve got a group of 25 guys who put their egos aside and try to work together. We try not to think about last year but embrace the identity of the team we have this year. We hope to do it all over again this year. We try to look forward. To play well, you use pressure to your advantage, you harness that energy. You use it as a positive to strike out the other players.” Doolittle added, “The way we hit home runs lends itself to success. We have a cool dynamic on the team here.”

Doolittle’s style was cool too. He has managed to combine the looks of Macklemore (slicked-back hair) and teammate Josh Reddick’s 2013 look (giant brown beard) into one. And why not, when your childhood dream is coming true? “I mean, I’m living…my dream, essentially,” said Doolittle. He’s putting his full effort into his baseball career. He hasn’t even thought about what he’s going to do after his baseball career is over. “I’m throwing myself into this, and having as much fun as I can,” Doolittle said.

Doolittle is a great example of the diverse personalities on the Oakland A’s. They all have different interests and not one is like the other. However, somehow it is all put together beautifully. Though there are 25 guys on the team, all different, they combine to form just one thing: the American League’s best team. Being able to meet and talk with Sean Doolittle, who has become the best closer on one of the best teams in baseball, was the experience of a lifetime.