A’s earn first series win in West Sacramento in thrilling fashion
The Athletics will have many firsts in West Sacramento during their three-year stay before they plan to open their new stadium in Las Vegas. Their latest came Thursday night when they won their first series in the capital region on a walk-off hit from rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson.
The A’s entered the final frame trailing 3-2 to the first-place Rangers, who had their closer Luke Jackson on the mound. They tied the game two hitters before Wilson went to the plate. He asked his coaches for a last-second scouting report on Jackson.
“He asked me,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said, “’What do you think he’s going to do?’ I said, ‘He’s going to stay with his breaking ball. It’s his best pitch. So stay on the breaking ball the whole at-bat.’ And he did.”
Wilson, the 23-year-old who came into the night with only one walk in his 90 plate appearances prior, worked the count to 3-1 before Jackson threw a hanging breaking ball, which Wilson served into center field allowing Luis Urías to score the game-winning run.
Justin Timberlake’s “Summer Love” blared through the upgraded sound system at Sutter Health Park, the same song Wilson walks up to before each at-bat, while Wilson’s teammates pushed the winning celebration into right field. Then came 2Pac’s celebratory “California Love,” which the team has made its official victory song in West Sacramento. The remaining fans of the 9,008 announced attendance were able to celebrate a scarce winning moment for the A’s in their new home.
“I got that 3-1 count and I was just like, I gotta stay on the slider,” Wilson said. “I kept sitting on it.”
He continued: “Great feeling. Obviously a great series win.”
The A’s story in West Sacramento through the first month had been largely disappointing. Their 3-8 home record before Thursday’s win was the worst in baseball and they remain tied for the worst home winning percentage in MLB at 4-8. They hadn’t won back-to-back home games until Wednesday and Thursday, and they lost each of their first three series in their new digs while playing markedly better on the road. The A’s are 8-5 in away games, tied for second-best in the majors.
The win improved the A’s overall record to 12-13 this season and tightened the American League West standings early in the campaign. They’re now just two games back of the Rangers and the Seattle Mariners, tied for first at 14-11.
A’s have faced tough tests at home
It should be noted all four of the A’s home opponents at Sutter Health Park — the Cubs, Mets, Padres and Rangers — are currently leading their respective divisions. The A’s came in 5-1 against teams below .500 and 6-12 against teams with winning records. The belief around the team is that as the schedule eases, the wins will increase.
And fortunately for them, they’ll get the club with the worst record in the American League, the Chicago White Sox (6-19), at home during the upcoming weekend series. The A’s swept them on the road last week while outscoring Chicago 23-4.
“Obviously with the start, we didn’t win too many games at home,” Wilson said. “Just to be able to start warming up to this stadium, to start warming up to this atmosphere and to get the series win ... and then just be able to provide wins for the fans, that’s what they want to see. That’s what they come out to watch.”
A bright spot in their 18-3 home-opening loss to the Chicago Cubs on March 31, Wilson also picked up the distinction of becoming the first A’s hitter to homer in their new home ballpark. That blast also marked his first MLB home run.
On Thursday, the A’s plated the game-tying run with one out in the ninth when Rangers center fielder Leody Tavares misplayed a single from Urías that allowed Max Schuemann to score from first.
The A’s got a two-run double from Tyler Soderstrom to take the lead in the third inning after Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford lost a routine fly ball from Lawrence Butler.
Texas responded with back-to-back homers on consecutive pitches from Josh Jung and Jonah Heim in the top of the fourth to tie it at 2. Taveras hit his first home run of the season later in the inning to give the Rangers the 3-2 lead.
The A’s prevented star pitcher Jacob deGrom from getting his first win in almost exactly two years. A star pitcher whose career has been hampered by injuries, deGrom’s last win came April 23, 2023, also against the A’s before undergoing his second Tommy John surgery. His recovery forced him to miss the bulk of 2024 before his return when he made three starts last December.
The A’s will take on the White Sox on Friday with ace Luis Severino (1-3, 3.31 ERA) going against Sean Burke (1-3, 6.23).
This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 11:18 PM.
