WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Cubs lined up along the first base line for their third Opening Day ceremonies of the year. But while the first iteration included smoke machines and giant Pikachu in the Tokyo Dome, and the second was punctuated by Chase Field’s booming sound system, Monday’s festivities played out at Sutter Health Park – home of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, with a capacity of about 14,000.
The Cubs were the first team to face the A’s in a regular season game in their new temporary home – theoretically a three-year layover on their way to Las Vegas.
“I’d rather be playing in Oakland,” said Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, who grew up there rooting for his hometown team. “Oakland is a special place for me. I’m really grateful I got to play there in 2023 and got to share that with a lot of my favorite people there.”
A years-long stadium battle and growing rift between ownership and the Oakland fanbase served as the backdrop for what the A’s billed as a historic first game in Sacramento.
“There was probably some stuff that could have been done in the last five plus years to figure this out,” said left fielder Ian Happ, who had been heavily involved with the player’s union in recent years. “But I think it’s going to be a great atmosphere. And I’ve been saying this: 15,000 people in a 15,00 -person stadium, is a good atmosphere. I think the city of Sacramento seems very excited. Ticket sales seem good. All of those things are positive for the game.”
The A’s have made improvements to the ballpark, which they will share with the River Cats, a Giants affiliate. The visiting clubhouse – though cramped and located in left field – had clearly been recently renovated.
“You know what, it might be good for team camaraderie, because once you’re in the dugout, you can’t come in,” right-hander Jameson Taillon said. “Of you’re a starting pitcher, you can’t be shuffling in to go grab snacks or get treatment. You’ve got to be out there to cheer on your team. So, it’s definitely different, but honestly, it’s a lot nicer than I thought.”
Taillon also spoke highly of the weight room. And the A’s abandoned the plan to put in artificial turf after pushback from the MLB Players Association and concerns from players about the heat in the middle of the summer.
There were also clearly wrinkles to smooth. The space was too small to accommodate the influx in media for the home opener, so all visiting writers were assigned seats in an outdoor auxiliary press box that was just rows of school-style desk chairs.
In the first inning, just before Dansby Swanson hit his solo home run as part of a four-run rally, the scoreboards went out. But the issue was remedied before the next batter.
“Major-league fields have three decks, so that’s a little bit different,” Happ said. “The lights and all of that stuff, there’s definitely things that don’t feel like a big-league park, But the play on the field’s going to be the same.”
While the A’s have to get comfortable, the Cubs get another interesting anecdote in a whirlwind of a start to the season.