‘Today there is crying in baseball’: Athletics bid farewell to Oakland with one final victory

By Homero De La Fuente, CNN

(CNN) — In an emotional farewell to the city of Oakland, the Athletics secured a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Thursday in front of a sold-out crowd at the Coliseum, marking the end of their 57 seasons at the iconic stadium.

“Today there is crying in baseball,” one fan’s sign read, as some lined up outside the stadium from the early morning hours as they waited to watch the A’s play at the Coliseum one final time.

Before the game, A’s legends made appearances to honor the franchise’s history. Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson and A’s icon Dave Stewart threw out the ceremonial first pitch, while former ace Barry Zito took the field to sing the National Anthem, setting the stage for the emotional farewell.

After scoring the first three runs of the game, the Athletics held off the Rangers offense. All-Star closer Mason Miller came out in the ninth inning and got Ranger’s outfielder Travis Jankowski to ground out for the final out of the game and in the stadium’s history.

For as many signs of sadness, there were some of anger. Chants of “sell the team” broke out during the game, as fans have called from ownership since the franchise’s ownership announced the impending move to Las Vegas last April. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the game was stopped momentarily on several occasions to clean up what appeared to be a green smoke bomb thrown onto the right field track and later a bottle thrown onto the outfield.

Following the victory, A’s players and staff walked out to the infield and tipped their caps at the those in attendance, while A’s manager Mark Kotsay addressed the fans.

“I want to keep this short, because I don’t really know if I’m gonna be able to make it through this,” an emotional Kotsay said.

“To the staff who dedicated their lives to the Oakland A’s, especially those who aren’t coming with us, I am forever grateful. I will never forget you. And to all of you, on behalf of my staff, myself, this team, all the past players and coaches, everyone who’s worn the green and gold – there are no better fans than you guys. Thank you all for loving the game of baseball.”

Kotsay closed out his speech by leading the fans to a chant he called the “greatest cheer in baseball,” which is “Let’s go Oakland.”

This chapter has officially closed in Oakland as the team prepares to write a new one. Starting in 2025, the A’s will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park, home of Minor League Baseball’s Sacramento River Cats, until their new stadium in Las Vegas is completed.

In November, Major League Baseball owners approved the A’s relocation to Las Vegas, following in the footsteps of the NFL’s Raiders, who left Oakland for Sin City in 2020.

The Oakland Coliseum, which was a hybrid football-baseball stadium, has hosted countless moments, from six World Series championships to four AFC title games, with the A’s and Raiders etching their legacies into the venue. The stadium is set to become the home for USL Championship League soccer team Oakland Roots starting in 2025.

In a letter addressed to the fans ahead of the final home series, A’s owner John Fisher reflected on the team’s legacy in Oakland. Fisher expressed his regret that the franchise was unable to secure a new stadium in the Bay Area after years of effort.

“The A’s are part of the fabric of Oakland, the East Bay, and the entire Bay Area,” Fisher wrote. “When Lew Wolff and I bought the team in 2005, our dream was to win world championships and build a new ballpark in Oakland. Over the next 18 years, we did our very best to make that happen. We proposed and pursued five different locations in the Bay Area. And despite mutual and ongoing efforts to get a deal done for the Howard Terminal project, we came up short.

“Only in 2021, after 16 years of working exclusively on developing a home in the Bay Area and faced with a binding MLB agreement to find a new home by 2024, did we begin to explore taking the team to Las Vegas.

“There are millions of dedicated and passionate A’s fans, in Oakland and around the world. Countless dedicated staff members and Oakland Coliseum employees have poured their hearts into this team, and their efforts have meant so much to our community. I know there is great disappointment, even bitterness. Though I wish I could speak to each one of you individually, I can tell you this from the heart: we tried. Staying in Oakland was our goal, it was our mission, and we failed to achieve it. And for that I am genuinely sorry.”

The Athletics won three straight World Series championships from 1972-74 before adding another in 1989, while the Raiders won two Super Bowls in 1976 and 1980.

The Oakland Coliseum sits in third place for the most no-hitters thrown (12), with the last being a perfect game by the New York Yankees’ Domingo German in 2023.

The most memorable of the no-hitters came in 2010, when left-hander Dallas Braden pitched a perfect game on Mother’s Day, with his grandmother Peggy Lindsey in attendance.

The A’s head to Seattle to face the Mariners for a three-game series starting Friday to close out their season.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.