The Athletics’ second season in the Sacramento region came to an end Sunday with a shutout loss.
The A’s fell to the Houston Astros 9-0 at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. The Astros clinched the American League West during the game when the Minnesota Twins defeated the Texas Rangers. Houston won the division for the fifth time in six seasons despite finishing 81-81, becoming the first MLB team to win a division with a record of .500 or worse.
The Athletics ended the season with 64 wins and 98 losses — a .395 winning percentage — despite a promising outlook at the beginning of the season.
On Sunday, the Athletics were unable to score against Houston. Lawrence Butler had two of the A’s five hits.
Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler (4) slides into third during a game at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com
While the Athletics originally planned to play three seasons in Sacramento before their move to Las Vegas, Sunday’s game could have been their last in West Sacramento as ongoing negotiations between MLB owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association threaten to disrupt the 2027 season.
According to previous Bee reporting, one of the key issues in negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement was the owners’ desire for a salary cap — which the players said was a non-starter. If the labor talks reach an impasse, it could jeopardize the MLB season in 2027.
But the capital region still has hopes of keeping Major League Baseball, as local officials launched a bid for an expansion team in May. The bid faced significant barriers, however. The effort lacks a lead investor for a team ownership group, and other cities were competing for an expansion franchise.
Take a look at photos from Sunday’s game.
This story was originally published September 27, 2026 at 6:55 PM.
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Hannah Ruhoff is the assistant visuals editor at The Sacramento Bee. Previously, she was a visual journalist at another McClatchy property, the Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss. She is an Ohio University alumna and native of Shaker Heights, Ohio.