Tag: Oakland Athletics

A’s play final game at Oakland Coliseum, watch John Facenda narrate Raiders early days there

As the A’s end their final game at Oakland Coliseum, watch John Facenda narrate Raiders early days there

It’s an end of an era in Oakland…again. Nearly five years after the Raiders played their final game at Oakland Coliseum, the A’s have now done the same.

With the A’s planning to also pull up stakes and head for Vegas, they wrapped up their time in Oakland Coliseum Thursday with a win over the Texas Rangers.

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And with this final game in this iconic stadium, let’s take a little trip back to the early days in the A’s first season in Oakland and the Raiders entering their third season at the Coliseum, just after taking the team to Super Bowl II.

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The plan is for the A’s to play in Sacramento for the next few years until a new stadium is built for them. Plan being the operative word.

Fans in Oakland have been urging owner John Fisher to sell the team in the hopes of a new ownership engaging in actual negotiations to build a new stadium in Oakland.

But Fisher’s intentions were always to take the team away so he could cash in the same way the Raiders did — by landing billions in public money with a move to Las Vegas.

A’s closer Mason Miller amazingly threw the fastest pitch in Oakland Coliseum history in the stadium’s final at-bat

How can you not be romantic about baseball?

For one final time, the Athletics had an opportunity to play in front of their fans in Oakland. And for closer Mason Miller, he was ready to give them his absolute best.

The All-Star righty entered Thursday’s game in the eighth inning against the Rangers to go for a four-out save. And if there’s one thing fans can expect from Miller, it’s absolute gas on the radar gun. But even for Miller, Thursday’s outing was the kind of farewell performance that Oakland Coliseum has never seen — nor will it ever see again.

In front of a crowd of 46,889 and battling through two delays (a fan on the field and a smoke bomb), Miller threw a 103.8 mph fastball that was fouled off. He ended the game on a 103.5 mph fastball the next pitch.

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That 103.8 mph fastball, though, was the fastest pitch an A’s pitcher has thrown at Oakland Coliseum in the Statcast era. And that just happened to be during the final at-bat in the stadium’s history.

How can you not be romantic about baseball?

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A’s staffer shoveled actual dirt from the Oakland Coliseum as a heartwarming souvenir for fans

It was a beautiful moment for those lucky fans who will now always have a physical piece of the Oakland Coliseum.

Before the Oakland Athletics move from the Bay Area, some fans are leaving with unique souvenirs to remember their beloved team.

During the final home series that the team will play at the Oakland Coliseum in California, some fans literally removed seats from the ballpark. While that decision was likely not sanctioned by those who worked for the team, others are getting help from Oakland employees.

One of the groundskeepers for the organization took a shovel and dug up dirt from the field to give to fans. It was a beautiful moment for those lucky fans who will now always have a physical piece of the Oakland Coliseum.

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Although many fans are upset with team ownership for how everything about the move to Las Vegas was handled, others will keep fond memories of their time in Oakland.

Those who got the dirt from this kind groundskeeper can transfer it from the water bottles they received it to a more permanent and fitting home.

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Some A’s fans literally removed seats from the ballpark after Game 1 of the final series at Oakland Coliseum

It wasn’t even the last game there!

On Tuesday, the Athletics opened their series against the Rangers to mark the final three games that will be played at Oakland Coliseum. It’s truly the end of an era for A’s fans, and a couple of them may have picked up quite the souvenir in the process.

In fitting fashion, the A’s walked off in the ninth inning to beat the Rangers. And as the team was celebrating on the field, video hit social media that showed a couple of fans lifting up actual stadium seats. Who cares that the A’s still have two more games left to play at the Coliseum? The seats were there for the taking.

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In all likelihood, the fans didn’t make it out of the stadium with seats. But what if they did? That’s a piece of history.

It also goes to show just how dilapidated Oakland Coliseum truly is as a ballpark. In just a matter of seconds, fans were able to remove seats that should have been drilled into concrete.

Oakland just won’t be the same without the A’s.

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A’s fans were furious after John Fisher released a tone-deaf letter ahead of the final series in Oakland

Some letters don’t need to be written.

Few fan bases in baseball have needed to endure a tumultuous ownership situation quite like A’s fans after what John Fisher has put Oakland through. Between the lack of investment in the on-field product, a stadium in disrepair and the constant threat of relocation, Fisher is almost certainly the last person any A’s fan would want to hear from.

But, of course, Fisher can’t help himself.

Tuesday’s series between the A’s and Rangers will mark the end of an era for Major League Baseball and its fans in Oakland. At the conclusion of Thursday’s game, the A’s will officially be done at Oakland Coliseum before relocating temporarily to Sacramento. Fisher hopes to move into a new Las Vegas stadium in 2028, but even that construction has yet to start.

On the eve of the team’s final series in Oakland, Fisher released a lengthy letter.

He thanked the fans and employees. He tried to explain away the move. But really, the entire letter was unnecessary from a figure A’s fans wanted nothing to do with.

The letter did not go over well at all.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

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Here’s what Aggies shortstop Ali Camarillo brings back to California for Oakland Athletics

As Biggie Smalls once said, Camarillo is “going going, back back, to Cali Cali.” He grew up in Chula Vista, 500 miles south of the East Bay.

After being selected by the Oakland Athletics with the 346th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Texas A&M junior shortstop Ali Camarillo is returning home to the Golden State.

As iconic rapper Biggie Smalls once said, Camarillo is “going going, back back, to Cali Cali.” Camarillo grew up in Chula Vista, about 500 miles south of the East Bay. However, he’ll likely never play a professional game in Oakland as the franchise will be relocated to Sacramento from 2025 til at least 2027 before the franchise moves to Las Vegas.

While the future remains uncertain, Camarillo brings versatility to the A’s. His defense is smooth and efficient. If Camarillo can produce consistently at the plate, he is comparable to Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Smith.

Camarillo also provides a clutch ability. Beginning with his Little League World Series experience in 2016, to playing in the College World Series for the Aggies this year, Camarillo is built for big moments.

Whether he makes his big league debut in California’s Capitol, Sin City or elsewhere, the Athletics made a great pick in the 12th round.

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LSU pitcher Gage Jump signs for over slot value with Athletics

Gage Jump will officially join Tommy White in Oakland’s organization after signing an overslot deal.

I have mentioned a lot about how the MLB draft differs from the NFL draft and NBA draft. Each draft slot in the MLB has an amount of money tied to that specific draft position.

For [autotag]Gage Jump[/autotag], he was drafted with the 73rd pick of the [autotag]2024 MLB draft[/autotag] in the supplemental round. The slot money for his specific pick was $1,076,900. Jump wound up signing for $2 million. Usually, teams overpay for high school prospects to entice them to sign with them instead of going to college.

In Jump’s case, he still had college eligibility left, so the Oakland Athletics wanted to ensure he would not return to Baton Rouge. They sweetened the pot for him to join their organization and begin in their minor leagues sooner rather than later.

Congratulations to Gage as he gets ready to start the next journey of his baseball career back on the West Coast.

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Mason Miller broke his pinky at the worst possible time for his escape from Oakland

Mason Miller was so close to pitching for a contender

Oakland Athletics closer Mason Miller has been one of the best pitchers in baseball on a team that has no use for players who are the best at anything.

The 25-year-old righty has 15 saves in 17 opportunities this year, twirling 40.2 innings for a sterling 0.836 WHIP and 2.21 ERA with 70 strikeouts on 14 walks (three of which were intentional).  He also just threw the fastest recorded pitch in All-Star Game history.

On a tanking Oakland team with the fourth-worst record in baseball (41-63), Miller is also the embodiment of the Bugatti parked in at a mobile home meme.

But fear not because MLB’s July 30 trade deadline is nearly here and certainly a high-profile closer under long-term club control will be among the hottest names discussed by contenders. All Miller has to do between now and then is just stay healthy and he’ll get to pitch the prime of his career on a World Series contender and OH, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, COME ON!

Initial reports from Oakland claimed the closer was hurt “pounding” a padded table, per MLB.com’s MartĂ­n Gallegos in a since-deleted tweet. But before you imagine this as Miller injuring himself with his own punch (which only last happened two weeks ago), you should know the reality is actually a lot dumber.

Gallegos clarified Miller simply placed his hand down awkwardly while preparing to do an exercise and fractured his left (non-throwing) pinky. Which, yeah, that actually sounds a lot more like something that would happen to an A’s player.

This whole scene is turning into a pretty apt metaphor for the current state of the franchise.

The price for Miller on the trade market was reportedly astronomical to begin with, but buyers have a way of convincing themselves to pay big price tags every year. It’s hard to imagine Oakland getting everything it wants for a player on the injured list — especially when he’s just as likely to be available next year at a lesser cost, too.

Here’s hoping Miller heals quickly and some team looks past this incident because his arm is just way too good to be hanging out in a stadium where even the padded tables are out to get you.

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Former LSU baseball star Tommy White officially inks deal with Athletics

Tommy White made his choice to turn pro official by signing with the Oakland Athletics.

[autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] made the start of his professional career official by signing with the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday.

The A’s selected White out of LSU with the No. 40 overall pick earlier this month. White had the option to return, but that was always unlikely given his talent level.

The slot value for White’s pick is $2.3 million. According to reports, White signed above slot value with the deal sitting around $3 million.

White spent three years in college. One at NC State and two at LSU. In that time, he hit 75 homers and drove in 249 runs. He helped lead LSU to a College World Series title in 2023, which included hitting a walk-off home run in the CWS semi-final against Wake Forest.

White was the first LSU player off the board in this year’s MLB draft. The A’s are in the midst of a long rebuild and hope White can be a central part of that. With the upcoming move to Vegas, it’s unclear if White will ever play in Oakland.

LSU’s had a good run of players entering pro ball. [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] is already in the big leagues and looks like an ace. [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] is in Triple-A and should be approaching his call-up. Tre Morgan’s career is off to a good start too, hitting at multiple levels in the Rays system.

It will be tough for LSU to replace White’s power next year.

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Texas A&M SS Ali Camarillo signs with the Oakland Athletics

Texas A&M SS Ali Camarillo officially joins the Athletics organization by signing his contract

In his single season at Texas A&M, shortstop Ali Camarillo made an impression early and locked up the starting spot. He was a wizard while playing in the infield and was solid in the batters’ box. However, toward the end of the season, he struggled and that probably contributed to him dropping a round or so in the draft.

He was taken by the Oakland Athletics in the 12th round with the 346th pick. The unique aspect of the MLB draft is that players do not have to sign and can remain in college even if picked. In the name, image and likeness licensing era, it makes a lot of sense to weigh the option of staying in college longer or hitting the minor league circuit.

Camarillo made his choice, and his time in Aggieland has come to an end. He decided to sign a contract and start his pro journey. He signed for $250,000 with $100,000 coming out of the bonus pool. Making it to the majors is a childhood dream for most kids who pick up a bat, and we would like to congratulate Ali Camarillo for his selection.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.