The Athletics aren’t just going to be taking their bats and gloves when they leave Oakland. They’re leaving behind a city and a dedicated fan base as well.
The A’s played their last game in Oakland on Sept 26. against the Texas Rangers. I was lucky enough to attend the game and take in the experience of what it was like at their last game in Oakland.
And what an experience it was.
During the last game, everyone got there early and were ready for one final experience at the Coliseum. Around 10 a.m., fans were tailgating for one last time, grilling food and trying to soak in their final pregame moments.
The lines to get in were packed. Once fans filed into the stadium, everyone received a voucher ticket that read, “Oakland Coliseum, Home of the Oakland Athletics, 1968-2024”.
I could feel the emotion in the stadium two hours before the game.
Within 20 minutes before the game started, the sold out crowd was in their seats not wanting to miss a moment. When the national anthem was played, a jet flew over the stadium and the crowd cheered. Every inning Oakland fans were on their feet. All the A’s players changed their walk-up songs to represent Oakland, and fans were loving it.
During the bottom of the seventh inning, the traditional song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was played one last time. That was one of the loudest roars that I have ever heard.
During the last couple innings, I could see Oakland fans trying to soak it in. After the game, a 3-2 A’s win, the fans stayed and cheered, refusing to believe it was over. Oakland fans were emotional and wanted to stay at the stadium as long as possible.
After the game officially ended, every player and coach came out and cheered the fans one last time. A’s manager Mark Kotsay grabbed a microphone and thanked everyone and the city of Oakland.
Kotsay wrapped up his remarks by starting the “Let’s Go Oakland” chant for one last time and everyone in the stands chanted and roared.
More than 46,000 people showed up for the last game, showing ownership that people do care about this iconic city and franchise.
Although the A’s haven’t won a World Series title since 1989, the franchise has quite a history in Oakland and its previous two cities.
The Athletics were founded in 1901 and based in Philadelphia. They were one of the original Major League Baseball teams and played more than 50 seasons in Philadelphia, winning nine league pennants and five world championships.
Arguably, the A’s time in Oakland over the past 56 years was the franchise’s best site to play in. During their time in Oakland, fans experienced two perfect games, eight no hitters, seven MVP’s, and four World Series titles. The A’s won three World Series titles in a row (1972-1974) and the fourth one in 1989, creating real history in Oakland.
During the three seasons from 1988-1990, the A’s won the American League pennant three consecutive years behind the Bash brothers, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. Unfortunately, they only won one World Series of the three, beating the San Francisco Giants in 1989.
The 2000s era of A’s baseball didn’t have as much playoff success as previous decades but still had some successful seasons and records.
In 2002 during the ¨Moneyball era¨, the A’s General Manager Billy Beane traded most of the team’s star players before the season started because he wanted to cut their payroll and try something new while trying to stay competitive.
This experiment changed the game and produced a MLB record 20-game winning streak.
In the 2010s, A’s ownership kept on renewing the stadium and pushed for a brand new stadium at Oakland’s Howard Terminal. Unfortunately, plans took an unexpected turn and owner John Fisher couldn’t reach an agreement with Oakland city officials to build a new stadium, so they announced this would be the team’s final season in Oakland.
The team reached an agreement to build a new stadium in Las Vegas that would be completed by 2028. In the meantime, the A’s are going to be playing in Sacramento while their new stadium is being built.
Sadly, the A’s season is over, but not just the regular season. Baseball is forever gone for the city of Oakland and all of their East Bay fans.
A’s players will be packing their bags and heading east to Sacramento to play in the San Francisco Giants AAA team’s stadium for the next three years.
But one thing we A’s fans all know before our beloved team leaves to Sacramento is that this team will always be “rooted in Oakland.”
