OAKLAND — Managers Mark Kotsay of the Oakland A's and AJ Hinch of the Detroit Tigers had a likelihood to talk on the Coliseum on Sunday before their two clubs played one another. The two former major league players swapped memories and told stories concerning the 57-year-old stadium that may host its final major league game later this month.

“It's a special place because this is where I first called myself a major leaguer,” said Hinch, who made his MLB debut as an A's catcher in Oakland on April 1, 1998, “and there's only one place I'll ever have that feeling, and that's here.”

The A's ended their penultimate home game in Oakland with a 9-1 loss to the Tigers on Sunday afternoon in front of 11,250 fans on the Coliseum. The loss marked a 3rd consecutive season of being under .500 for the A's (62-82), who’ve won just one in every of their last five games.

Now there are only six games left on the Coliseum after the A's and town of Oakland did not agree earlier this yr to increase the team's leased facility beyond this season. The A's have played in town since 1968.

After the A's upcoming road trip with three games in Houston, followed by six in Chicago – three against the White Sox and three against the Cubs – the A's will likely return to Oakland for the last time.

The A's will host the New York Yankees from September 20-22 and the Texas Rangers from September 24-26.

Then it's likely over for MLB within the East Bay, because the A's will play at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento from 2025 to 2027 while they wait for the completion of their planned $1.5 billion ballpark off the Strip in Las Vegas. Construction could begin in April 2025.

The A's organization's goal is to have the park open by Opening Day in 2028, although questions remain about how owner John Fisher will fully fund the stadium's costs.

At this point, it's clear to Kotsay and A's fans that the team's final games on the Coliseum are upon us.

“The closer it gets, the clearer it will definitely become,” Kotsay said. “As I've always said, you don't know what feelings you're going to have when the last day comes.”

“It's going to be a tough home game. I think the weekend series will obviously be a little easier than the final series. And I still think that with each passing day, there will probably be more emotions.”

To have fun their final yr in Oakland, the A's have brought a handful of former players for every Sunday home game. Before their series finale against the Tigers, the A's welcomed outfielder Eric Byrnes and infielder Adam Rosales, who were escorted to the sector for a ceremonial first pitch by Dallas Braden, the team's television commentator.

Byrnes, a Redwood City native who made his MLB debut with Oakland, played for the A's from 2000-05 and was excited to return to the Coliseum, where he attended quite a few games along with his father as a baby. Sunday was likely his last time seeing a serious league game on the stadium.

“It's definitely cool to come here and maybe get a little closure,” Byrnes said. “But most importantly, I think it's not about the building, it's about the people, right?”

Byrnes and Rosales have established themselves as crowd favorites with their dedication and down-to-earth approach to their craft. The two and Braden signed autographs for tons of of fans before Sunday's game, and a couple of hundred more were in line as they headed out to their pregame duties.

It is protected to say that for a few of these and other fans, this could be the last time they attend a game on the Coliseum.

Tim Petropulos, 64, of Fresno, said he has been coming to A's games on the Coliseum for the reason that team's first season in Oakland. As Petropulos and his son, Daniel, stood in line for autographs, he said it will likely be his last visit to the power.

“The people here are die-hard fans,” said 35-year-old Daniel Petropulos. “Whether they come to the games or not, they love this team and live and breathe it. It's like a stab in the heart.”

“I've been coming here since my mother was pregnant with me,” said Mathew Moorhead, 41, of Antioch, adding that his family owned season tickets from 1968 until the MLB players' strike in 1994.

“It's going to be tough for me,” Moorhead said, “because this will be my last game.”

There is little disagreement amongst anyone related to the A's that the team needs a brand new ballpark. Yet years of negotiations between city officials and the A's over a brand new stadium at Howard Terminal never got here to fruition, and the team announced in April 2023 that it had a binding contract to buy land in Las Vegas.

The A's could have stayed in Oakland while their Strip-adjacent stadium was built, however the team declined a five-year lease extension on the Coliseum in April. The contract included an opt-out clause after three seasons and required the team to pay $97 million as a part of a renewal fee.

Now there may be one home game left on the Coliseum, and the farewells are in full swing.

“I walked around the stadium today,” Hinch said. “I went up to Mount Davis. I remember coming here as a super young, pretty naive guy who didn't know what the big leagues were about, and that was my first introduction. So it's bittersweet to come here for the last time.”

After Sunday's game, fans were allowed back on the sector and walking across the basepaths. It was a chance to be on a serious league field that each spectator looked as if it would wish to enjoy, perhaps for the last time in Oakland.

“They can't play here forever. There are too many problems,” said A's fan Daniel Petropulos. “But they had a beautiful field over there at Jack London Square. It would have been fantastic. But what professional sports team will ever come to Oakland? They're all gone, and what they've experienced here shows that this city is done with professional sports.”

Originally published: September 8, 2024 at 16:20

Red Sox

BOSTON (AP) — Enmanuel Valdez hit two home runs and scored three runs in his first profession game to guide the Boston Red Sox past the Detroit Tigers 6-3 on Saturday.

The Red Sox improved their record to 32-9 – and to 17-5 over the past two years – and have worn their City Connect uniforms, featuring shiny yellow jerseys and powder blue lettering, numbers and caps, since their introduction in 2021.

Boston centerfielder Ceddanne Rafaela made a spectacular dive and full catch on Wenceel Pérez's throw within the gap between the center and right-handed hitters within the sixth inning and turned it into an inning-ending double play by throwing his ball to second base, allowing Matt Vierling to make a double play.

“I feel like you can see the reaction of all the guys in the dugout, tipping their caps and stuff,” winning pitcher Cooper Criswell said when asked concerning the players' response to the catch. “That's something special. Not many guys out there make a play like that.”

Gio Urshela hit a two-run homer against the Green Monster for Detroit, which lost to Boston for the twelfth time in its last 14 games.

“It was a big game. I don't know if it was a turning point.” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said of Rafaela's catch. “The ball looked down from every angle but for him. He makes a great play and makes a double-off. … That was a big change.”

Shortstop Javier Báez made an excellent play for the Tigers within the eighth inning when he grabbed a grounder from Reese McGuire after which threw the ball to first base.

Valdez's big game got here a day after Rafaela also hit two home runs in Boston's 7-3 win, making it his first profession multi-home run game.

By scoring a run each within the second, third and fourth innings, the Red Sox took a 3-1 lead after Riley Greene's RBI single gave the Tigers the lead after two batters.

Valdez sent a fastball from Reese Olson (1-6) into Boston's bullpen to tie the sport within the second inning. He hit a two-run shot that snuck into the Pesky Pole to make it 5-1 within the sixth inning.

“It feels great to hit a ball around the Pesky Pole,” Valdez said through a team interpreter. “I think I hit the ball hard, too. It was caught at over 100 miles per hour. Catching one is awesome.”

After his worst start of the season, when he allowed seven runs in 4 innings on Memorial Day in Baltimore, Criswell (3-2) allowed one run in five innings, recorded five strikeouts and walked one.

Olson allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings. In his previous six starts, he had never allowed multiple run and posted an ERA of 0.77.

In the third inning, Dominic Smith scored the deciding point with a grounder that hit the fielder's selection.

McGuire's sacrifice fly — which got here after left fielder Greene caught the ball by jumping right into a low wall in foul territory after which falling to the bottom — made it 3-1.

TRAINING ROOM

Tigers: OF Mark Canha, who was briefly out Friday with left hip soreness, participated in an indoor workout Saturday. “All good so far,” Hinch said about two hours before the primary pitch. “The next step will be to play a little more on the field and see if he's available (Saturday) into (Sunday).”

Red Sox: Manager Alex Cora said OF Tyler O'Neill, who has been on the injured list since May 26 due to right knee soreness, ought to be back when he can come back from the injured list next Wednesday. O'Neill got a cortisone shot Thursday. … Cora also said starter and Friday's winner Tanner Houck was OK after being hit within the throwing arm a day earlier. … DH/OF Masataka Yoshida, who has been on the injured list since late April due to a left thumb sprain, made a BP Saturday. “I think he's over the hump and we're just going to hit it,” Cora said, adding that he's expected to make a BP “any day.” … 2B Vaughn Grissom left the sphere with a right hamstring strain after hitting a groundout within the second inning. … 3B Rafael Devers fouled a ball on the within his right leg within the third inning, went down, but stayed in.

NEXT

Tigers RHP Casey Mize (1-3, 4.71 ERA) is scheduled to start out the series finale against RHP Brayan Bello (6-2, 4.18) on Sunday.

Red Sox

BOSTON (AP) — Ceddanne Rafaela hit two home runs and scored five runs in his first multi-home run game, Tanner Houck got off to a solid start and the Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 7-3 on Friday night.

Houck (5-5) pitched seven innings, allowing one run on three hits and two walks and recording six strikeouts. The right-hander was hit within the throwing arm by Zach McKinstry's comebacker with only one out within the fifth inning. Houck held on and threw McKinstry out at first base.

“He's one of the best pitchers in the major leagues,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Every game he gives us a chance to win. I hope people start paying attention to what's happening. He's been fun to watch, and it feels like every game it's 'let's see what goes well tonight.'”

Rafaela missed his profession high in RBIs, set on April 27 against the Chicago Cubs, by two points.

“It's a tough game and it's even tougher at such a young age,” Houck said of Rafaela, who leads his team and all major league rookies with 33 RBIs. “He's 23 years old and he's playing in the major leagues. You see the talent and you know it's there. All you can do is keep pushing him in the right direction and just trust that his talent will pay off. For him to have a game like tonight is great. I'm sure it gives him a huge confidence boost. He's a good player and I'm excited to see where he can be one day.”

Right-hander Kenta Maeda (2-2) pitched 4 2/3 innings for Detroit, allowing five runs on a season-high eight hits, two walks and a season-high six strikeouts.

“It was encouraging that we got out of it early, but if you give them too many chances to get a big hit, it's going to come back to haunt them,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “It was tough for him because the home runs and the extra-base hits did so much damage.”

Boston scored 4 runs within the fourth inning. Rafael Devers led off with a double and scored on Dominic Smith's double with one out. After Vaughn Grissom hit a single, No. 9 batter Rafaela hit a house run with two outs over the Green Monster in left field, scoring Smith and Grissom.

“It's definitely frustrating to allow that many runs, especially in that inning,” Maeda said through a team interpreter. “The first run was tough, but to keep scoring runs after that is less than ideal.”

The Red Sox scored one other run in the subsequent inning on doubles from Connor Wong and Rob Refsnyder, ending Maeda's appearance by bringing in left-hander Joey Wentz.

After David Hamilton hit a single with one out within the sixth inning, Rafaela hit his seventh home run of the season to provide Boston a 7-1 lead.

Detroit opened the scoring when Riley Greene hit a single with one out in the primary inning, stole second base and scored on Gio Urshela's two-out single.

Detroit's Colt Keith hit a two-out home run against Greg Weissert within the eighth inning.

TRAINING ROOM

Tigers: The injury to OF Kerry Carpenter, who was placed on the injured list Wednesday, was reclassified from lumbar spine inflammation to a lumbar spine stress fracture.

Red Sox: OF Tyler O'Neill, who has been on the injured list since May 26 due to right knee inflammation, received a cortisone shot Thursday and will return to the lineup on Wednesday, his first day of play. … LF/DH Masataka Yoshida, who has been on the injured list since April 29 due to a strained left thumb, began hitting off the tee Thursday and will take part in live batting practice Saturday. … RHP Isaiah Campbell, who has been on the injured list since April 12 due to right shoulder impingement, should pitch two innings on Saturday in a rehab task.

NEXT

Tigers RHP Reese Olson (1-5, 1.92 ERA) was scheduled to begin on Saturday against RHP Cooper Criswell (2-2, 3.96).