One day after making it official that they are leaving Oakland for Sacramento following this season, the A’s revealed several promotions to “commemorate” their 57 seasons in their Bay Area home, including a replica Coliseum giveaway before the final home game at the facility.
“Join us in celebration of fans, employees, and players past and present throughout the 2024 season as we bid farewell to the Oakland Coliseum,” the team said in an email shared with fans Friday morning.
A’s fans are still reeling from Thursday’s stunning announcement that the A’s are relocating to the home of the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate as they await financing and construction of a new stadium in Las Vegas, which would be 2028 at the earliest. The celebratory tone of the news conference held Thursday did little to help soothe Bay Area fans’ anger and frustration at ownership’s handling of the franchise.
A’s owner John Fisher told reporters at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, “We’re excited to be here for the next three years to watch some of the greatest players in baseball, whether they be Athletics players or Aaron Judge or others launch home runs out of this very intimate — the most intimate ballpark in major league baseball — for the next three years.”
Friday’s announcement appears to be an attempt at offering an olive branch to the A’s fan base as the team packs up for good. It’s already a contentious relationship.
Attendance has dropped to last in the league as the team has been stripped of its stars. Many fans protested Opening Day last week by gathering in the parking lot but refusing to enter the stadium. The game drew an announced crowd of 13,522, the seventh-lowest for a home opener in franchise history. The team averaged 6,438 fans for its season-opening homestand.
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Dave Kaval, the A’s team president, told this news organization on Thursday, “It’s a bittersweet day. Obviously, 56 years in Oakland — it’s been a historic run, so many great memories.”
The A’s announcement on Friday leaned heavily into trying to recapture some of the good times of seasons past.
The team will host Alumni Sundays starting June 9, giving fans a meet-and-greet photo and autograph opportunity with former A’s players pregame. They also are bring back Double Play Wednesdays — $2 tickets and $1 hot dogs. Tickets for those games will be available starting next Wednesday.
The A’s final regular season game at the Coliseum is Thursday, Sept. 26. The first 25,000 fans into the stadium for the 12:37 p.m. game against the Rangers will receive a replica of the Coliseum.
The A’s opened a six-game, two city trip on Friday in Detroit and return home Friday for a weekend series against the Washington Nationals.