A’s first game in West Sacramento welcomes MLB fans: ‘Baseball in your backyard’
The Athletics’ three-season stint in West Sacramento began Monday night with a renewed sense of optimism for baseball fans, though the mood soured at times as the Chicago Cubs kept widening its lead.
By the night’s end, with a final score of 18 to 3, some fans booed and chanted a familiar tune of “sell the team.” In many ways, Sutter Health Park’s first-ever Major League baseball game was more of the same for A’s fans who spent much of last season in misery.
Still, the game offered a glimpse of this season will bring — Sacramentans ready for professional baseball near their home.
“It’s baseball in your backyard,” said Juan Jauregui, a resident of Elk Grove and lifelong A’s fan. “You can’t beat that.”
By 5 p.m. — about two hours before the game started — hundreds of fans stood in line for the gates of the park to open. Others spent the time barbecuing and enjoying refreshments in the parking lots with family and friends before joining the sold-out crowd.
The stadium, with a capacity of about 14,000, was filled with a blend of baseball fans. Team jerseys seen on Monday included the Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, White Sox, Yankees and Red Sox. The crowd roared both when Cubs infielder Michael Busch slammed a homer run in the first inning and when the Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson did the same in the third.
“It’s the dream come true, just to drive 20 minutes and have a big league baseball here,” said Vincent Locascio, a Chicago native who now lives in Elk Grove. “Even when I lived in the Chicago area, it took like an hour to get to the field.”
A’s fans reveled in the moment for the most game, despite a lopsided score. While at times, chants of “sell of the team” could be heard in the stadium, fans cheered into the ninth inning when the game was already decided.
“I love all sports, so I’m going to try to come to as many games as I can,” said Shiva Chatkara, a Lincoln resident and Giants fan.
Chatkara, who attended the game with four friends, said they had already bought their tickets for the Yankees series in May. No one in the group was an A’s fan.
Monday’s festivities featured a mix of activities celebrating the A’s past, while also looking toward the future. Fan-made attire highlighting the Athletics move to the capital region was seen throughout the grounds.
The team have not adopted Sacramento as part of its official team branding and have asked to be called the Athletics or A’s. The A’s will stay for at least three years while it awaits the construction of a stadium on the Las Vegas strip.
Some fans wore makeshift jerseys and shirts with “sAc” and “SacrA’smento,” while others quickly donned the promotional yellow hats with the Tower Bridge emblem supplied by A’s employees. An early line of dozens formed outside the team store with people ready to buy new gear within minutes of the park opening.
The team celebrated Athletics legend Rickey Henderson, who died in December, with a pre-game video and 24-second moment of silence. His three daughters threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and all the players wore his number 24.
The atmosphere was mostly optimistic throughout Monday — a stark contrast from last season at the Oakland Coliseum, when fans regularly protested and had explicit chants for A’s owner John Fisher.
“I’m just ready for the new chapter,” said John Metz, who traveled from Seattle. “Honestly, the last few years as a fan have been hard.”
The day’s festivities took time to pick up, another change from last September.
At 3 p.m., the parking lots of Sutter Health Park were nearly void of cars. Fans arrived as early as 6:30 a.m. to tailgate during last year’s final game at the Oakland Coliseum.
“By now, in Oakland, it’ll be nuts,” said John Escalante, a resident of Modesto.
Escalante, 34, had made the hour and half drive alongside two friends to enjoy Sacramento’s first taste of professional baseball and make a few dollars by selling shirts and chains branded “SacrA’smento.”
“You have to support the local community,” said Jauregui, who bought one of Escalante’s chains for his daughter.
Among the early attendees was Camille Cruz, a resident of Oakland who showcased the love for her fandom with yellow socks and green hair extensions.
Cruz, who called the home opener “bittersweet,” said she had spent much of last season dreading the team’s farewell from the Bay Area. On Monday, she still was dealing with the emotions of losing her childhood team but was ready for the new season.
“Will I be going to any other future games?” Cruz asked. “Only time will tell. But I’m happy just being here and seeing what Sacramento has to offer.”
Fans packed the stadium by the start of the game and maintained strong support through the sixth inning, when the Cubs extended its lead by six runs. Soon after, many of the A’s fans began to disperse, and the Cubs faithful took control of the crowd.
This story was originally published March 31, 2025 at 9:33 PM.
