Kansas City smashes Athletics, 9-2, in season finale in West Sacramento
The A’s capped their first season Sunday in West Sacramento with a 9-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals at Sutter Health Park, finishing with a 76-86 record after being eliminated from playoff contention on Sept. 17.
In 2026, they’ll look to reach the postseason for the first time since 2020, while A’s manager Mark Kotsay had mixed feelings about his club that went into the season hoping to play into October.
“From an expectation standpoint, we didn’t meet them,” Kotsay said. “Because our goal was to get to the playoffs. Our goal was to be a playoff team this year, and we felt strong about our capabilities coming out of spring training to be able to do that.”
The A’s season was ultimately marred by a stretch from May 14 to June 4 when they lost 20 of 21. They came into Sunday at 53-45 since, which was the ninth-best record in the major leagues.
“I think we learned from that,” Kotsay said. “We can eliminate that type of stretch next season and be a team that’s competitive all season.”
Both clubs were playing out the final day of their 162-game schedules, and the lineups reflected it. The A’s rested regulars Jacob Wilson, Lawrence Butler and Shea Langeliers, while Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom exited early.
A’s pitchers allowed 14 hits, including two home runs to former San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski.
The Athletics didn’t score until the eighth inning, when Nick Kurtz hit his MLB rookie-leading 36th home run of the season — a 423-foot, two-run shot — bringing his RBI total to 86. Kurtz remains a strong candidate for American League Rookie of the Year.
It was fitting for Kurtz to end his impressive rookie season with a home run in his final at-bat. Until he takes the field next year, he’ll be front of mind as a potential MVP candidate in 2026.
“I don’t tend on dealing with it. ... I’m not big on looking past what I’ve done,” Kurtz said of the offseason hype that’s coming. “It’s all about the future, moving forward. I might have had a good year, but the team didn’t go where I wanted to go and that’s the most important thing.”
Kurtz led all rookies in home runs (36), RBIs (86), runs (90) and is the heavy favorite to be named Rookie of the Year.
“I want a (World Series) ring,” Kurtz said when asked about the award. “That’s the goal. That one ring will mean a whole hell of a lot more than anything.”
Rooker started at designated hitter and was replaced after drawing a first-inning walk. He was in the lineup to extend his streak to 202 consecutive games played, including all 162 this season. Kotsay revealed Rooker had been dealing with foot tendinitis in his foot late in the season.
“He really grinded (to play) in these last six or seven games,” Kotsay said.
Rooker, along with Wilson, was one of the A’s two All-Stars in July. He finished the year with 30 home runs, 89 RBI and 40 doubles. He’ll be 31 in 2026 and in the second year of a five-year, $60 million extension he signed with the A’s last offseason.
“I’m proud of it, I am,” Rooker said of his consecutive games streak. “Obviously with DHing, which I do, it’s not as much as much of a physical grind as the other guys do. But the mental grind is there. The days when it’s been a rough stretch, there’s a really good (pitcher) on hte mound the next day and it would be pretty easy to take that day and reset. But having that fortitude to stick with it, grind through it and go through those tough times is something that I am proud of.”
Brady Basso opened for the A’s in what would have been Jeffrey Springs’ turn in the rotation. Kotsay gave Springs the day off after he led the club with 32 starts in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. The A’s used seven pitchers in the finale.
Kansas City built a 3-0 lead through four innings, then added a fourth run on a Michael Massey single in the fifth. Yastrzemski made it 5-0 with a solo homer, followed by Carter Jensen’s 482-foot home run off Michael Kelly on a 3-0 pitch. The Royals added two more runs in the inning to push the lead to 8-0. Yastrzemski homered again in the eighth to make it 9-0.
The A’s managed just two hits and no runs in 4 1/3 innings against Royals starter Cole Ragans and finished with seven hits.
The announced attendance was 8,754, following crowds of 10,543 and 10,407 in the first two games of the series.
This story was originally published September 28, 2025 at 3:00 PM.
