Before Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Peña explained the thrill he felt Tuesday night, when his parents watched him play in a big-league game for the first time.

NEW YORK -- When my family first moved from the Dominican Republic to the United States, we went to New York first to live with my uncle. So we have a lot of friends and family here, and I had to leave about 30 tickets at will call last night.

This series is giving all of them their first opportunity to watch me play in the Major Leagues, and it's been great for all of us. They've been able to see me on TV, but not in person, and it feels good to know they're in the stands.

I kept looking for them early in the game, but I couldn't find them for the first three or four innings. When I finally did, I saw my father standing up and waving to me, so I waved back, and what happened next was hilarious. All of a sudden, the whole section was standing and waving to me.

Another thing that was great happened when I went to the plate for the first time. When I was a young boy, my father would always whistle when I was about to hit, just to let me know that he was there and he was watching me. It's been a long time since I heard that whistle, and as I was walking to the plate last night I started wondering if he was going to give me the whistle. I was waiting and waiting ... and I got it! I got the whistle. It was awesome.

After the game they came to our hotel and we had a nice, quiet time. It's just such a comforting feeling to be with them. It's difficult to explain. All I can say is that it's a thrill to have them with me. My family means everything.

Carlos Peña's diary appears as told to Mychael Urban, who covers the Oakland A's for MLB.com and can be reached at murban@oaklandathletics.com.