For the first time ever, a Major League Baseball game was played in West Sacramento. Thousands of fans flocked to Sutter Health Park to watch the Athletics’ first “home” game against the Chicago Cubs Monday night. The occasion unfortunately ended in a brutal loss for the Athletics in their new temporary home.

The Athletics, formerly from Oakland, will play in West Sacramento for the next three seasons until their new stadium is finished in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Some fans were happy to see a major league game in the city, and some were upset that the team left Oakland, where the Athletics played since 1968.

Hundreds of fans entered the park’s gates when it opened, where they were met by staff who handed out trucker hats with the Sacramento sleeve patch logo on them and Rickey Henderson towels. 

Fans were given Rickey Henderson towels for Opening Day at Sutter Health Park. Henderson died in late December of last year and he’s the all-time leader in stolen bases.Chris Felts/CapRadio

 

As the first pitch approached, the Athletics introduced the team to the Sacramento fans in attendance. After the introduction, Vivek Randadive, the Sacramento Kings and River Cats owner, got on the microphone and said the two words that get every baseball fan excited: “play ball!”

The game ended with the Athletics losing 18 to 3. Catcher Carson Kelly from the Chicago Cubs pulled off a cycle: hitting a single, double, triple, and a homerun–a rare achievement in baseball. 

Fans express their feelings on moving to Sacramento 

Tommy Ford came to watch the game with his wife Nancy. They both grew up Oakland A’s fans. Ford said he attended the last game in Oakland at the Coliseum, which was on his son’s birthday. He said they’re glad that the team is now playing in Sacramento. 

 

Tommy Ford and Nancy Ford came to Opening Day to watch the Athletics play against the Chicago Cubs.Keyshawn Davis/CapRadio

 

“I’m excited about it. I think it’s great,” Ford said. “Oakland really went downhill, and it just wasn’t a nice area anymore.”

Ford, who lives in Reno, said he has family in Las Vegas. He and his brother have already put in a deposit for season tickets in Las Vegas, he added. 

Jason Harris, an Oakland native and A’s fan for over 30 years, came to Opening Day to support his team. He was upset that another Oakland team had left his hometown for Las Vegas, but he said he would always root for them. 

“I’m a Raiders fan too, so I mean to have all our teams taken out of Oakland sucks,” Harris said. “But I’m always going to be an A’s fan, no matter what. So, I’m going to support my team, but management is horrible.”

Harris has lived in Sacramento for the last 15 years. He loves that the team plays so close to where he lives.

Although Harris would rather the A’s play in Oakland, when the Athletics do move to Las Vegas after three seasons, he would like them to play right next to the Raiders Allegiant Stadium. 

“They are brother and sister,” Harris said. “So that’s where the Raiders are. The A’s need to be there, too.”

Jalen Brown and Jocelyn Rivera attending Opening Day at Sutter Health Park after visiting Drake’s: The Barn. The couple is excited to have baseball in Sacramento while also feeling bad that the team is no longer in Oakland.Keyshawn Davis/CapRadio

 

Jalen Brown and Jocelyn Rivera are Sacramento natives and longtime A’s fans who have attended numerous games at the Coliseum over the years.

For Opening Day, the couple decided to check out Drake’s: The Barn before the game started. Rivera said it’s a tradition that she and Brown go to at least one game yearly, and she hopes this can continue. 

“The last time I was at [the Coliseum], it was very fun. It’s very sad to leave Oakland,” Rivera said. “So we’re very hopeful to be here for a few years and hopefully stay here longer.”

Brown said the team should’ve stayed in Oakland, but he’s excited to see his team play in Sacramento.

“I don’t want them to go to Vegas, but when they leave, I’m gonna be sad,” he said. “Then I gotta be a new fan, maybe a Padres fan.”

Game recap 

The Cubs started the game off hot, scoring four runs in the first inning. It was downhill from there, and the Cubs finished the game with 21 hits, including four home runs. 

 

Fans enter Sutter Health Park and are greeted by staff with trucker hats with a Sacramento logo.Keyshawn Davis/CapRadio

 

The A’s did manage to score some runs with rookie Jacob Wilson, who hit his first career home run and the first home run for the A’s at Sutter Health Park, leading off in the third inning. The A’s scored two more runs in the fourth inning, but that was the end of their streak.

After more hits from the Cubs, a whopping 11 more runs were scored in the 5th and 6th innings, and two more runs were scored in the 8th and 9th innings, leaving the team with 18 runs. 

Although the Athletics lost, they’ll have another chance at the Cubs on April 1 and April 2 at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento.


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