A’s play final game in Oakland today. Here are the details ahead of move to Sacramento
Representing new chapters for the Athletics franchise and Sacramento’s sports scene, it’s a moment the Oakland faithful have dreaded for months: the final A’s game at the Coliseum.
The A’s are moving from Oakland to Las Vegas. But in the interim, as A’s and River Cats ownership announced earlier this year, the MLB team will relocate to West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park for at least the 2025 through 2027 seasons, with an option for a fourth in 2028, while the team’s new permanent home is built on the Vegas strip.
As a result, Thursday marks the last A’s ballgame at the storied, concrete-heavy enclave that’s been their home since 1968. They’re hosting the reigning World Series-champion Texas Rangers.
Here’s a quick catch-up on today’s game, the state of the A’s and their impending move.
Today’s game and how to watch
First pitch is set for 12:37 p.m. Starting pitcher J.T. Ginn will take the mound for the A’s in his sixth career start. Kumar Rocker, a 2022 first-round draft pick, is taking the mound for the Rangers.
The game will be televised on NBC Sports California, with the pregame show starting at noon. On the radio, it’ll be on KHTK 1140 AM in the Sacramento area.
How will A’s in West Sacramento work?
Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé and Athletics owner John Fisher announced April 4 that the A’s will relocate to West Sacramento beginning next year. Ranadivé owns the River Cats, the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A minor-league affiliate, who have played in West Sacramento since 2000.
Ranadivé has said upgrades will be made to the stadium to bring it up to MLB standards. It can currently fit about 14,000 people.
The minor- and major-league teams will share Sutter Health Park, and they will play a total of 156 home games next season. Because of the anticipated wear and tear, artificial turf is expected to be installed, creating concerns about on-field heat during triple-digit summer weather.
There’s also no guarantee yet whether the A’s will be allowed to host home postseason games at Sutter Health Park, The Sacramento Bee reported earlier this month.
When’s the move?
The A’s will open regular-season play in 2025 on the road.
Their first home series at Sutter Health Park is slated for March 31 through April 2. They’ll host the Chicago Cubs.
The Oakland A’s, and their 2024 season, at a glance
The A’s, with a paper-thin $63 million payroll and dismal average attendance of below 11,000 that each ranked last in MLB this season, entered the day with a 68-90 record. They are already locked into a fourth-place finish in the American League West division and have missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
After this game, the A’s will hit the road for their final three games of 2024 in Seattle on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The A’s last made the postseason in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. They finished 2022 and 2023 with 112 and 102 losses, respectively.
The franchise has won nine World Series titles in its history, four of them since moving to Oakland (the A’s started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 to 1954 and played in Kansas City from 1955 to 1967). The Oakland titles came as a three-peat from 1972 to 1974 plus the famous Bay Bridge Series — a four-game sweep of the Giants — in 1989.
