On September 26, the Oakland A’s played the final game at Oakland Coliseum. The next season, they will play in Sacramento until the stadium in Vegas is ready. While reading the news about the situation in Oakland, the A’s fans are certainly not satisfied. But the decision is made and very soon, there will not be any major pro sports teams in Oakland.
For me, I have mixed feelings about this stadium. Firstly, I read the book Moneyball, which is based on a story of the Oakland A’s. The book and the movie have truly changed my perspectives about baseball and even changed the whole baseball world. Additionally, I did watch a baseball game at the Oakland Coliseum and I enjoyed watching the game at this ballpark. However, it’s unlikely to watch an A’s game at the Coliseum again.
The stadium has a rich history since the A’s called it home. I’m not going to review all those moments of this ballpark. Nonetheless, I would like to take a look at the first game and the final game.
The first game at the Coliseum was played on April 17, 1968. Back in 1968, the designated hitter rule wasn’t adopted in the American League, so a pitcher had to hit. Looking at the Oakland A’s lineup, the leadoff hitter Bert Campaneris was selected to the All-Star game 6 times. Reggie Jackson was batting second. Baseball fans certainly know him, who’s an MVP award winner and a Hall of Famer. Sal Bando, who’s a 3-time All-Star, was batting 3rd. Moreover, 2-time All-Star Rick Monday batted 8th. Interestingly, Tony La Russa, who later won the manager of the year award 4 times, came off the bench to pinch hit in that game. And it’s worth mentioning that in 1968, Bert Campaneris, Ricky Monday and Blue Moon Odom were selected to the All-Star game.
Looking at players at the A’s starting lineup in the final game of the Coliseum, none of them was selected to the All-Star game in 2024. Brent Rooker was selected to the 2023 All-Star game and he’s the only All-Star in the A’s lineup in the final game of this ballpark. However, Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday and Shea Langeliers each blasted 20+ home runs in 2024. So, we can’t really say the starting lineup wasn’t great. Mason Miller is the only A’s player that was selected to the 2024 All-Star game. He had been pitching well as a closer in 2024 and got the final out at this ballpark.
The final game at Oakland Coliseum was over and the A’s will not play in Oakland anymore. The A’s fans have a lot of memories at this ballpark, but unfortunately, they won’t be able to create a new chapter here. Looking at the starting lineups between the first game and the final game, the A’s have become a very different team. Indeed, the professional world of baseball has changed a lot. Well, a lot of things happened. Nevertheless, it might happen in Oakland again.
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