Here’s how MLB schedule rules made it easier for A’s and River Cats to share Sutter Health Park
The annual release of the Sacramento River Cats’ schedule is usually only a noteworthy event for die-hard fans and team employees. But Monday’s announcement of their 2025 schedule was far more notable because of the looming arrival of the Oakland A’s next spring with the two teams slated to share Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento as their home venue.
The A’s released their schedule July 18 leaving questions about the logistics of sharing the ballpark with the Triple-A River Cats. Those questions were somewhat answered when the River Cats’ schedule was released Monday.
Notably, there will be no doubleheaders where both teams have scheduled home games on the same day. The teams will alternate their home and away contests or both play away games throughout the season. However, games for either team could get rescheduled due to weather.
Times of the games for each team have not been announced.
The scheduling process for the A’s and River Cats was simplified when Major League Baseball took over operations of Minor League Baseball in 2021. Before, Triple-A teams had similar schedules to their parent clubs with two-, three- and four-game series and multiple-city road trips.
But in an attempt to save money and operate more efficiently, MLB moved to make each series for six games with an off day every Monday for travel. Sacramento’s only series that aren’t six games next season are when the River Cats host the Albuquerque Isotopes for three games to open the season March 28-30 and then Oklahoma City the weekend after the All-Star break in mid-July. The long series presumably made it easier to schedule two teams sharing a stadium.
To accommodate the 156 games played by the two clubs from late March to September, artificial turf will be installed at the 24-year-old, 14,000-seat venue. Other improvements required for the A’s arrival include a new clubhouse and weight rooms beyond the outfield wall, a new press box, television booth, upgraded camera wells and lighting.
The River Cats, who are owned by the Sacramento Kings, announced upgraded premium areas for fans last month. Construction on the upgrades is expected to begin after the River Cats’ current season ends in September.
Next season’s schedule calls for the River Cats to play 150 games while the A’s play 162. The River Cats will have 23 off days during the year while the A’s will have 20, not including All-Star breaks.
The A’s will play their first home game in Sacramento on Monday, March 31, against the Chicago Cubs after the River Cats host Albuquerque. Sacramento’s season ends Sept. 21 with a six-game series against the Round Rock Express. The A’s will be playing in Boston and Pittsburgh during that time before finishing their regular season with a home stand against the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals Sept. 23-29.
The A’s announced last April they would share Sutter Health Park with the River Cats for at least three seasons with an option for a fourth in 2028, which is when they hope to open a new stadium on the Las Vegas strip. Finalized financing and architectural plans for the proposed $1.5 billion stadium have not been made public, although A’s officials say they plan to break ground on the project next March.
This story was originally published August 13, 2024 at 12:00 AM.
