MLB owners waiving A’s relocation fee conditional on key factor originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

After MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in December the Athletics wouldn’t be charged a relocation fee if they move to Las Vegas, more details on the offer have come to light.

The A’s made their pitch to Nevada lawmakers last Monday for a $380 million public funding package, Senate Bill 509, to help pay for a new $1.5 billion ballpark along The Strip.

Jeremy Aguero, an A’s consultant on the stadium project, explained to the joint committee of state legislators that in order for the team to avoid paying MLB an estimated $300 million relocation fee for moving from Oakland to Las Vegas, it would need an “acceptable” public-private partnership in place (h/t The Nevada Independent’s Howard Stutz).

“The commissioner of baseball has at least suggested that if the state of Nevada can get a public-private partnership that is acceptable to Major League Baseball, to everyone, that the relocation fee that would be traditionally provided from a team moving to one location to another would potentially be waived,” Aguero said.

In other words, the relocation fee being waived for the A’s “potentially” is conditional upon approval of the $380 million public funding package.

“They have not said that yet — they are talking about meeting next month, and I think that’s certainly something that we all should hope for,” Aguero continued. “… When I get that question from time to time in terms of what the relocation fee would be, the best ballpark numbers that I’ve received is something on the order of $300 million is the relocation fee.”

On the second day of MLB’s annual winter meetings, Manfred told reporters should the A’s talks with the city of Oakland for a new stadium break down — they did — the team wouldn’t be charged the relocation fee for moving to Vegas.

At the time, Manfred said he already had gone to his executive council, which endorsed the stance.

“That’s why I was prepared to say it publicly,” Manfred told reporters in December (h/t Sportico’s Barry M. Bloom). “If they can get it done in Vegas, there will not be a relocation fee for them.”

RELATED: Stanford professor disputes A’s Vegas stadium economic claims

And the A’s don’t have long for Senate Bill 509 to be approved. The Nevada legislature is scheduled to close Monday, meaning a vote needs to happen before then or a special session will be required.

Manfred’s “get it done” can be taken a variety of ways, but according to Aguero, those three words mean the A’s have plenty at stake in the coming hours.

Fisher makes first public Nevada visit to push A’s stadium bill originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

As Nevada lawmakers have had their hands full this week with the Athletics’ push for a new Las Vegas stadium, team owner John Fisher showed face for the first time Wednesday. 

Fisher and team president Dave Kaval spent most of their Wednesday in Carson City to promote Nevada Senate Bill 509, the A’s official pitch for up to $380 million in public funding for the $1.5 billion ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip. 

The A’s top brass noticeably was absent from Monday’s hearing, so they got caught up two days later. 

“We have back-to-back meetings,” Kaval told The Nevada Independent.

Sen. Scott Hammond discussed the legislation with Fisher and Kaval for about 15 minutes but said they didn’t talk much about the basics of the public financing piece.

“We only talked in context about the legislation and what was in the community enrollment piece,” Hammond said (h/t The Nevada Independent), adding that “we discussed what has to happen to get this out on Monday.” 

Monday, June 5 is the final day of the Legislature’s 120-day biennial session.

“To me, it really is about community involvement,” Hammond added. “When a team moves into a community, you want to make sure that they’re invested [in the community].”

So far, though, the community and general public aren’t very supportive of the bill.

Even though public doesn’t actually vote on SB509, citizens still are making sure their voices are heard. 

The bill has received 2,370 public opinion positions of which 78 percent oppose the bill and 20 percent support it. The “neutral” option has received zero selections so far. 

Anyone can submit their position on the bill, not just Nevada residents. So A’s fans from California and beyond also can weigh in, too. 

RELATED: Report: A’s Fisher considers new tweak to attract Vegas goers

Hammond added the A’s have “a tremendous amount of support” from organized labor and the Southern Nevada business community.

“There’s a lot of vocal people who are opposed to giving any amount of public assistance to any private entity, like a sports team,” Hammond said. “But there are a lot of people who understand that when you invest public dollars it has to be the right investment.”

The victory came at the end of a grueling stretch for the NL East-leading Braves. Atlanta played 19 games in 20 days, going 9-10 during that stretch heading into Thursday’s day off.

“These guys deserve this off day,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “This is a rough go here with all the teams we played. Coming out here, I’m not making excuses but that did probably punch us in the gut a little bit.”

Oakland drew just 6,429 to the Coliseum, the 22nd time in 31 home games attendance has been under 10,000.

Jared Shuster (2-2) allowed two runs, three hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings to win consecutive decisions for the first time this season. Jesse Chavez, A.J. Minter, Nick Anderson and Raisel Iglesias combined to retire Oakland’s last 11 batters, with Iglesias getting three outs for his fifth save in six chances.

“I’m just throwing a lot more strikes,” said Shuster, who was called up from the minors on May 16. “Since I’ve been up, just trusting myself more and being more in sync with my deliveries has helped a lot.”

Oakland had three hits, the seventh time the A’s managed three hits or fewer.

“They’re one of the top teams in the league and I thought we competed in all three games,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “We fell short today but the series in general, we did a lot of good things, a lot of good things we can build off of.”

Orlando Arcia had three singles and a walk, Ronald Acuña Jr. had two hits and drove in a run and Atlanta won for the third time in its last nine road games.

James Kaprielian (0-6) has the most consecutive losing decisions for an Oakland pitcher at a season’s start since Mike Mohler began 0-8 in 1997. Kaprielian, who has never lasted more than seven innings in 54 career starts, gave up three runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Albies homered on a slider for a 2-0 lead in the fifth. His 11 home runs are his most since a career-high 30 in 2021, when he was an All-Star.

“It feels great to get a win,’ Albies said. “Happy flight, happy off day.”

Riley, whose fielding error at third a night earlier allowed the A’s to score the game-ending run, was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fifth following a two-out intentional walk to former A’s first baseman Matt Olson.

Oakland closed to 3-2 in the sixth on Ramón Laureano’s RBI single and Carlos Perez’s run-scoring groundout. Acuña hit an RBI single off Ken Waldichuk in the seventh.

TRAINER”S ROOM

Athletics: C Shea Langeliers was given the day off after a night game.

UP NEXT

Braves: RHP Charlie Morton (5-5, 3.59 ERA) faces visiting Arizona in the opener of a three-game series in Atlanta on Friday. Morton hasn’t beat the Diamondbacks since 2018/

Athletics: LHP Hogan Harris (0-0, 10.13) is scheduled to make his first big league start Friday in Miami, although Kotsay didn’t rule out using an opener.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Five telling moments in A’s Las Vegas ballpark bill hearing originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

Nevada Senate Bill 509 — the A’s official pitch for up to $380 million in public funding for a $1.5 billion Las Vegas ballpark — was heard for the one and only time by a joint committee of Senate and Assembly members on Memorial Day.

Here are five big moments from the six-plus-hour hearing, which featured a presentation by the bill’s backers in Carson City, pointed questions from lawmakers in response, and public opinion in the state capital and Las Vegas from Nevada citizens who support, oppose and are neutral on the issue.

Ballpark now projected to open in 2028

The updated timeline for completion, from 2027 to 2028, is notable for two reasons.

First, it means the A’s, if they relocate from Oakland, likely would play three full seasons in a minor league stadium instead of the advertised two, either in Las Vegas, or perhaps in Sacramento, as recently reported. That certainly would be a drawback for the MLB Players Association, with another year of games on artificial turf and in the summer heat in play, and the overall business of baseball, with just 8,196 seats at the current Triple-A ballpark.

Second, it runs counter to one of the A’s stated reasons for evacuating the Howard Terminal project, which was that the approval processes would have taken too long to start construction.

“Obviously, it should go without saying, this [timeline] is all aspirational,” said Jeremy Aguero, founder of Las Vegas-based Applied Analysis and an A’s consultant, who presented the timeline to lawmakers. He pinned the one-year delay on the need to demolish the 66-year-old Tropicana Casino Resort to build the ballpark.

Lawmaker’s blunt take: ‘Almost a hell no’

“So, I’m just going it put it out there: I’m a no. Almost a hell no, so y’all have to get me to a yes, OK?” Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno told A’s representatives.

Monroe-Moreno, who represents District 1 in North Las Vegas, was part of the legislative panel that needed more clarification on the projected figures regarding fan attendance and the ballpark’s economic impact, as The Nevada Independent’s Tabitha Mueller shared.

“The Golden Knights didn’t cost taxpayers a dime,” Monroe-Moreno said. “They came here, and they came at a time when we were hurting as a state, and they became Nevada’s team, Vegas’ team. This is different. It’s kind of apples and oranges in that comparison.”

Is Clark County really in on this project?

Clark County currently operates on functional debt, but it would be responsible for both floating bonds and infrastructure costs in the ballpark bill. Lawmakers questioned the county’s actual level of commitment multiple times, but an absolute explanation was never really provided, past two slides in the presentation.

Sen. Dallas Harris, who represents a district just west of the proposed ballpark site, asked: “Has Clark County committed to the $25 million in infrastructure, and if so, do you know why they feel this is a worthwhile investment given some of their current fiscal issues?”

Responded Aguero: “Yes, they have committed. It’s in the bill. Was part of the conversation. And that has been ongoing, so that is my understanding, as I sit here today.”

Ballpark site is ‘the A’s of The Strip’?

“I want us to go above and beyond what we have for Allegiant Stadium [the Raiders’ home],” Assemblyman Howard Watts III said. “If we’re going to have a state-of-the-art stadium, I want a state-of-the-art Community Benefits Plan.”

Here’s the plan that A’s representatives presented at the hearing, per Mueller:

Watts, who represents a district that borders the proposed ballpark site to the north, also mentioned that someone might be able to better develop the Tropicana plot.

“Any other development idea for this site, if this were not in play, would probably bring in as much or more than the Tropicana does in its current state,” Watts said. “It’s kind of the A’s of The Strip.”

You probably should see the reaction to that comment for yourself.

Staying in Oakland isn’t A’s backup plan

One of the final lawmaker questions had dual purpose, in both Nevada and California.

Responded Steve Hill, CEO/president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority: “I may be able to give a little more objective answer on this. If this agreement does not go through, they will look for other cities to move to. They will not decide to stay, even though this does not go through.”

Should the A’s move to Las Vegas under this plan, they must agree to a 30-year non-relocation agreement.

So, what now?

The bill had its one night of fame, and likely will eventually pass the joint committee to the Senate and Assembly for a vote. Whether that’s before or after the regular session ends June 5 largely depends on Nevada passing its overall state budget. That’s an entirely separate partisan issue, and could throw a wrench into all of this, depending how long it persists.

Bottom line: If Senate Bill 509 ever is approved, it will end up on Gov. Joe Lombardo’s desk and certainly be signed. And when MLB owners come together — potentially in mid-June at their next meetings — they’ll have everything necessary to approve the A’s relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas.

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Alvarez homered off opener Ken Waldichuk in the first, then had another solo blast off Garrett Acton in the ninth, right after Jeremy Peña went deep. It was the second multi-homer game this week by Alvarez and the 15th of his career.

Jose Altuve had three hits, including his first home run of the season after missing Houston’s first 43 games with a fractured right thumb. Jake Meyers had a go-ahead three-run blast in the fourth. Chas McCormick and José Abreu added solo shots as the Astros won for the 14th time in 17 games.

Cristian Javier (6-1) allowed one run and four hits in five innings. The right-hander had three strikeouts and three walks and also picked off a runner.

Four Houston relievers combined for four scoreless innings to complete the win.

athletics May 26

Athletics' Las Vegas Relocation: Making Sense of Renderings, Public Funding

MLB May 26

Looking at the Worst MLB Seasons After A's Historically Bad Start

The victory, the 2,124th of manager Dusty Baker’s career, pulled the Astros within two games of division-leading Texas in the AL West.

Ryan Noda homered for Oakland. The A’s (10-45) have the worst record in baseball and their losing streak is the franchise’s longest since dropping 12 in a row in 1995-96.

A week after taking three from the A’s at Minute Maid Park in Houston, the Astros thumped Oakland again.

Alvarez got his team off to a quick start when he crushed Waldichuk’s first-pitch fastball into the stands in deep right-center. It was the slugger’s seventh home run in May.

Noda tied it with a leadoff blast in the bottom of the inning.

Meyers’ three-run drive off Luis Medina (0-4) put the Astros ahead 4-1. Corey Julks singled leading off the inning and Yainer Diaz reached on an infield single to third before Meyers’ homer.

Winless in four starts since coming up from the minors May 11, Medina allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Before the big inning, the Astros loaded the bases with one out after Medina gave up a walk and a single, then picked up a pitching clock violation with a 3-1 count to Peña. Alvarez, looking for his third grand slam of the season, grounded into a 1-2-3 double play.

McCormick and Altuve had back-to-back shots off Medina in the seventh, one inning after the A’s loaded the bases but failed to score.

Oakland used an opener for the second consecutive game. Medina was scheduled to start before being switched out for Waldichuk.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: Minor league RHP Forrest Whitley (right lat strain), IF Rylan Bannon (fractured right index finger) and IF Will Wagner (right wrist discomfort) will miss time due to their injuries.

Athletics: OF Esteury Ruiz was given the day off to rest.

UP NEXT

Astros: RHP J.P. France (1-1, 3.43 ERA) starts against the Twins in Houston on Monday. France had a career-high eight strikeouts against the Brewers his last time out.

Athletics: RHP Paul Blackburn (0-0, 0.00) is scheduled to be activated off the Injured List and make his season debut Monday against Atlanta.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

–

Making sense of what A’s Vegas renderings, public funding mean originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

Even for those of us who cover the Athletics on a full-time basis, it has been difficult to keep up with all the recent developments regarding the team’s desire to relocate from Oakland to Las Vegas.

A lot happened this week, including the A’s releasing renderings of a potential new Las Vegas ballpark on a nine-acre Tropicana site at the south end of the Strip.

Here’s a quick relocation-related roundup of everything that transpired over the last few days:

Finally, Some Renderings

The A’s released their first design concepts of a Las Vegas stadium Friday — after multiple sites, and weeks of anticipation. Their timeliness was strategic and intentional, as the team also was slated to officially make their $380M public funding request to the State of Nevada just hours later.

Renderings are only initial depictions, but also give the project traction, momentum, and a vision to lawmakers who will make the ultimate critical vote.

There was some controversy, though: The current Tropicana Hotel site is 35 aces. Of which, the new ballpark appears to take up nearly half of the rendered space, instead of the nine acres agreed upon. Images are also absent of the multiple sky-rise towers Bally’s Corporation will surely build on their remaining 26 acres, blocking depicted views of the Las Vegas Strip. These aspects raise more questions, than the answers that renderings typically bring.

Manfred hints June for MLB Vote

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred admitted Thursday that he didn’t “have a crystal ball,” but also suggested it’s possible MLB owners could vote on A’s relocation during scheduled meetings June 13-15. However, in the next breath he revealed the A’s haven’t even begun a league-internal relocation process, yet.

A relocation vote requires 75 percent approval from MLB owners, and that happens only after governmental and public approvals and funding are in place. It’s also the final step for any team to relocate. It’s certainly possible for that to happen in mid-June but would require Nevada Legislature to conclude A’s decisions by the end of this Regular Session on June 5. In other words: possible, but not absolute by any means.

What Currently Favors Relocation?

1. The A’s have aligned with Bally’s Corp, an influential land owner and casino partner, who could leverage influencing legislation.
2. The A’s are persistent and motivated to meet Nevada (June 5) deadlines for public funding and MLB deadlines (Jan. 14, 2023) for revenue-sharing.
3. Nevada governor Joe Lombardo seemingly is on board and entirely supportive to relocate the A’s to Las Vegas.
4. Some Nevada lawmakers could boost their individual profiles by approving relocation with funding vote.

RELATED: Sacramento mayor says city “maybe” could host A’s if Vegas relocation happens

What Currently Hinders Relocation?

1. Public opinion remains very unknown relating to site, traffic, and fiscal impacts. 
2. Clark County’s interest and/or involvement to float $120M in bonds remains largely questionable, but would be mandatory for the project to happen.
3. There are several other public money commitments, including a $200M ask by Sony Pictures to create new movie studios in Nevada.
4. A simple “no” ends the A’s current efforts in Las Vegas, and puts them in rare “no-man’s land” between Oakland and Las Vegas.
5. There’s currently a huge partisan rift between lawmakers over Nevada’s overall state budget. As Senate leader Nicole Cannizzaro recently summarized in a statement: “If the Governor forces us into a special session because he vetoes the state budget, we will not consider any other bills during that session except the state budget.” Translation: The A’s proposal vote would be shelved.

A’s release first renderings of proposed Las Vegas ballpark originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Should the A’s proposed relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas go through, we now know what their future home could look like.

The A’s on Friday released the first renderings of their proposed new Las Vegas ballpark, which would be built on a nine-acre site where the Tropicana currently sits, on the south end of The Strip.

According to the team, the ballpark would seat 30,000 fans and have a partially retractable roof.

“From the minute we stepped onto the Tropicana site nearly two years ago, it was immediately obvious what a fantastic fit it would be for a new A’s ballpark in Las Vegas,” A’s director of design and owner of Schrock KC Architecture, Brad Schrock, said in a statement released by the team. “The natural orientation of the ballpark creates not only some of the best views and connection to the Las Vegas skyline from the seating bowl but also opens up the ballpark to the corner in a way that creates opportunities for an amazing energetic public space with open and expansive views into the ballpark.”

Added A’s president Dave Kaval in the statement: “We are excited to share our vision for the A’s potential new home. As our first conceptual design, we will continue to refine the look and feel of the ballpark over the next year.

“We hope our project goes beyond a traditional ballpark and serves as a catalyst for community development and engagement. It follows in the footsteps and success of the professional sports teams that come before us, in creating union jobs, stimulating economic growth, and fostering investments in the community. Thanks to the vision of Bally’s and GLPI, we have the opportunity to bring baseball to one of the most energetic locations in Las Vegas. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Nevada Governor, Legislative leaders, Clark County Commissioners, and the Southern Nevada community as we move forward with plans on our new home.”

The A’s proposed move to Southern Nevada isn’t a done deal yet, though, as MLB commissioner Rob Manfred pointed out Thursday. Team and state officials have a tentative agreement for a public financing package that would help fund the team’s Las Vegas ballpark, but it must be approved by the Nevada legislature, which closes its session June 5. Two-thirds of MLB owners then would have to sign off on the franchise’s relocation, potentially at their meeting the following week.

In other words, much needs to happen before renderings become reality.

“It’s possible that a relocation vote could happen as early as June,” Manfred said Thursday at Milwaukee during his tour of major league stadiums to speak with players. “It’s very difficult to have a timeline for Oakland until there’s actually a deal to be considered. There is a relocation process internally they need to go through, and we haven’t even started that process.”

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said Wednesday that legislative leaders and the Athletics had reached a tentative agreement on a $1.5 billion stadium funding plan that would lure the franchise to Las Vegas. A funding bill still must be approved by the Legislature.

Manfred was asked whether he believes the door is completely closed on the possibility of the Athletics remaining in Oakland, where the team has played since 1968.

“I think you’d have to ask the mayor of Oakland that,” Manfred said. “She said she had cut off negotiations after an announcement was made in Las Vegas. I don’t have a crystal ball as to where anything’s going. There’s not a definitive deal done in Las Vegas. We’ll have to see how that plays out.”

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao had issued a statement after the Athletics’ land purchase in Nevada saying she was disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with the city as a “true partner.”

The Athletics have been seeking a new ballpark to replace Oakland Coliseum, which has served as their home park since they arrived from Kansas City and where the team’s lease runs through 2024. The A’s looked at a location near Oakland’s Howard Terminal before shifting their focus out of state.

With their future unsettled, the Athletics are struggling at an historic level on the field and in the stands.

They began Thursday 10-41 after matching matching the 1932 Boston Red Sox and 1897 St. Louis Browns for the fourth-worst 50-game start in major league history. Their average home attendance of 8,695 is nearly 3,600 fewer fans per game than that of any other team.

Manfred was in Milwaukee as Wisconsin legislators debate potential funding plans for American Family Field, the Brewers’ home stadium since 2001. Manfred expressed confidence the state would work something out.

The Brewers’ lease, which runs through 2030, calls for the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District to cover repairs. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the team have said the district does not have enough money to pay for what is needed, and the state surplus provides a chance to fund it without implementing a new tax or borrowing money.

“This is a gem of a ballpark,” Manfred said. “It’s really important that the existing obligation under the lease be funded so that this great ballpark is maintained on a regular basis. It needs to be done in a timely way.”

Evers proposed spending nearly $300 million in taxpayer money to make improvements at the stadium, a plan that Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos declared to be dead on arrival. Republicans who control the Legislature have yet to unveil their own alternative, but talks have been ongoing in private.

Vos has said he wants to work a deal that would look for a commitment from the team to remain in Milwaukee longer and not rely as heavily on money from a one-time budget surplus that’s projected to be around $7 billion.

“The choices that are made between the various ways that public funds can be spent are choices that legislators have to make,” Manfred said. “What I can say is that this ballpark is an asset. The Brewers are interested in a long-term relationship, an extension of the lease that keeps them here.”

Manfred noted that Milwaukee’s situation is “really the antithesis of what happened in Oakland.”

“This is an A-plus facility when it’s built,” Manfred said. “It’s been well maintained. Ownership has made a commitment not only to put a competitive team on the field, but to do its share in terms of keeping this stadium. And most important, the fans here have supported the tam enthusiastically. I think the real decision that needs to be made here is what we can do to maintain that really great dynamic.

“Oakland, unfortunately, it’s a facility that was never as good as this one when it started. They made some unfortunate decisions not to maintain the ballpark in the way that it needed to be maintained. It resulted in a decline in the attendance, which had an impact on the quality of product the team could afford to put on the field.”

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AP News Writer Scott Bauer contributed to this report.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The tentative agreement indicates a funding bill will be introduced in the Nevada Legislature in the coming days with less than two weeks until the legislative session’s end. It still needs approval from both the state Senate and Assembly.

The threat of a special legislative session looms if lawmakers can’t agree on the bill by the end of the regular session on June 5. The financing is not a sure thing either.

The bill comes on the heels of the Oakland Athletics’ purchase of land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits — a pivot from an earlier agreement that would have required a heftier $500 million price tag that many lawmakers signaled was too high. The joint statement did not give a specific number for the amount of public assistance the A’s will ask for.

The project includes the most private investment of any stadium in Major League Baseball, Nevada state treasurer Zach Conine said in the release.

“I am excited that we have finally received the A’s proposal and we are currently reviewing it,” Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in the release. “As I have continuously said throughout this process, no commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members.”

The A’s have been looking for years for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. They had sought to build a stadium in Fremont and San Jose before shifting their attention to the Oakland waterfront.

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises. The team and the city are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit Las Vegas annually to help fill the stadium.

Earlier this month, the A’s reached a deal with the Culinary Union, Nevada’s most politically powerful union that represents more than 60,000 workers in the Las Vegas area, which guarantees that A’s workers have the right to organize and negotiate union contracts.

The move comes after Kuiper was suspended after he appeared to use the N-word during a pregame show earlier this month.

An NBC Sports California spokesperson released the following statement:

“Following an internal review, the decision has been made for NBC Sports California to end its relationship with Glen Kuiper, effective immediately. We thank Glen for his dedication to Bay Area baseball over the years.”

The decision to part ways with Kuiper was based on a variety of factors, including information uncovered in an internal review, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Kuiper during a May 5 pregame show was chatting about his day in Kansas City, where the A’s were playing the Royals. He was referring to his visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum when the incident happened.

More than an hour later, Kuiper apologized during the game.

“Welcome back to Kauffman Stadium. A little bit earlier in the show, I said something that didn’t come out quite the way I wanted it to,” he said. “And I just wanted to apologize if it sounded different than I meant it to be said and I just wanted to apologize for that.”

Oakland Athletics May 5

Oakland A's Announcer Glen Kuiper Apologizes for Apparent Racial Slur During TV Broadcast

athletics May 4

Still Rooting in Oakland: A's Fans Protest Vegas Move, Call for Owner to Sell the Team

Kuiper also apologized in a statement a day after the incident.

“I could not be more sorry and horrified by what I said. I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies,” he said.

Note: A’s games are aired on NBC Sports California, which is NBC Bay Area’s cable sister station.

Report: A’s, Nevada lawmakers far apart on new ballpark price tag originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

The Athletics have run into another speed bump in their pursuit of a new ballpark in Las Vegas.

Tabitha Miller and Howard Stutz of The Nevada Independent reported Thursday, citing sources, that lawmakers haven’t introduced legislation to bring the A’s to Las Vegas because they “are only willing to contribute up to $195 million in transferable tax credits for stadium construction funding,” a far cry from the A’s requested $395 million in public funds.

Miller and Stutz also reported that lawmakers are discussing between $150 million and $195 million in transferable tax credits for the project. The amount Nevada will offer the A’s “depends on how much money Clark County will offer in the form of county-issued bonds paid by taxes generated on the ballpark site.”

The A’s reached a binding agreement with Bally’s Corporation on Monday to build a new 30,000-seat ballpark on a portion of the current Tropicana Hotel and Casino property on the southern end of The Strip in Las Vegas.

It’s the franchise’s second binding agreement with a site in Las Vegas. Initially, the A’s were seeking $500 million in public funding after reaching an agreement with Red Rock Resorts before abandoning that location for the deal with Bally’s Corporation.

Per The Nevada Independent, there are 20 days remaining in the state’s 120-day legislative session. The A’s need to get their public money request approved by June 5 or a special session would need to be called.

RELATED: Speedy rookie Ruiz joins Henderson with elite stolen-base feat

Nevada lawmakers reportedly still have not received a concrete proposal for the A’s $395 million public funds request.

The A’s still have plenty of obstacles to hurdle in their pursuit of a new ballpark in Sin City.

Dominic Fletcher threw out the potential go-ahead run at home in the seventh inning and the Diamondbacks rallied with two runs in the ninth for a 5-3 victory Wednesday.

“We were hung over a little bit from last night, not in the sense of being hung over from alcohol, but hungover from the idea of losing a tough game,” said manager Torey Lovullo, still smarting from a 9-8 loss in 12 innings Tuesday night. “It was still lingering in this clubhouse. We came out and made some really good plays defensively and Dom saved us.”

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. led off the ninth with a double and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Jose Herrera to give the Diamondbacks their fifth win in six games.

Christian Walker and Corbin Carroll homered as Arizona took two of three from Oakland in the series despite the bullpen giving up another late lead.

“A win and a series win is always important,” said starter Ryne Nelson, who pitched scoreless ball into the sixth inning. “This team is really resilient. We don’t back down from much. We tend to always punch back. This was just another example of us bouncing back and coming right back after it.”

Gurriel led off the ninth with a double off Shintaro Fujinami (1-5) for his seventh straight game with an extra-base hit. Two walks loaded the bases before Herrera’s drive to right off Adrian Martinez allowed Gurriel to score easily.

Ketel Marte added an RBI single.

Jose Ruiz (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win. Miguel Castro pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.

The A’s have lost all eight home series this season.

Arizona starter Ryne Nelson allowed a leadoff double to Esteury Ruiz in the first inning and didn’t give up another hit in 5 1-3 scoreless innings. But his winless streak extended to seven straight starts when Luis Frias gave up a 3-0 lead in the seventh.

Frias had escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam when he replaced Nelson in the sixth inning. But he walked the first two batters in the seventh before Ramon Laureano tied the game with his second homer in as many days.

The A’s had the chance to take the lead that inning but Fletcher threw out Tony Kemp at home following a single by Ruiz to keep the game tied.

Kyle Nelson allowed a grand slam to Ryan Noda in the seventh inning Tuesday night that allowed Oakland to rally from four runs down.

“I’m exhausted,” Lovullo said. “I’m emotionally spent right now, and I can’t imagine what these players feel like. I feel like it was a huge win for us. There were some moments where we could have shut down and felt sorry for ourselves that we didn’t.”

Arizona had built a 3-0 lead against Luis Medina on a solo homer by Walker in the second inning and a two-run shot by Carroll in the sixth.

Medina has had quality starts in his last two outings after a rough debut.

“He knows how to pitch,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “It’s a great sign to have a young arm up here who is doing so well in his first couple of starts.”

DEAD BIRD

Arizona pitchers aspire to be like Randy Johnson.

Zac Gallen unintentionally got real close in emulating the Hall of Famer.

While warming up in the outfield before Arizona’s game at Oakland on Wednesday, Gallen threw a curveball that hit a bird in midflight, apparently killing the animal.

Johnson infamously killed a bird during a spring training game in 2001. While throwing a pitch against the San Francisco Giants, a bird crossed in front of home plate and was destroyed by the baseball.

SOUVENIR

Kemp ended a long hitless streak with as single in the seventh inning. Kemp had been 0 for 18 since his last hit on May 8 and was 0 for 41 in day games this season. He jokingly signaled to the dugout to ask for the ball.

The inning didn’t end well for Kemp when he was thrown out at home.

EMPTY SEATS

The A’s drew their biggest crowd of the three-game series but the paid attendance was still only 4,519. The announced crowd of 2,064 for the opener Monday night was their smallest for a home game fans were allowed to attend since drawing 1,037 against Texas on Sept. 19, 1979. The total attendance for the series was 9,484.

TRADING PLACES

After the game, the A’s made a trade to acquire right-hander Lucas Erceg from Milwaukee for cash considerations. The 28-year-old Erceg is a converted infielder who switched to pitching in 2021. He is 5-2 with one save and a 4.28 ERA in 46 career games at Triple-A.

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks: Arizona opens a three-game series at Pittsburgh on Friday night with Gellen (6-1, 2.35 ERA) set to take the mound.

Athletics: Oakland opens a three-game series at Houston on Friday night with Ken Waldichuk (1-2, 7.02) set to start.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A’s torched by Rangers’ eighth-inning eruption in loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

The Athletics opened the eighth inning of Sunday’s four-game series finale against the Texas Rangers all tied at three, but it didn’t take long for all of that to change completely. 

Rangers outfielder Adolis García started and capped off an eight-run eighth-inning explosion, leading off with a double and later blasting a grand slam to hand the A’s an 11-3 loss Sunday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. 

On top of a strong offensive effort by Texas, self-inflicted wounds were costly for the A’s. Errors haunted them in the loss, committing four in the eight-run loss — the most in a game since May 30, 2018 vs. the Tampa Bay Rays (h/t MLB’s Martín Gallegos). Jesus Aguilar (1), Esteury Ruiz (2) and Nick Allen (1) made up Oakland’s errors. 

“We talked before the game, pregame, about things that we need to improve, and I thought our defense was playing better, but today was a rough day,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay told reporters postgame. “Ruiz is a young kid, he’s a center fielder and he hasn’t had a ton of time out there. 

“Today was a day we can learn from. We can talk to him. I’m sure he’s going to beat himself up because that’s the type of kid he is, he strives for perfection, he’s hardworking and I know he’ll get back out there tomorrow and we’ll continue to work on those fundamentals.”  

Kotsay was ejected in the eighth inning for arguing over a previous ball-strike call, and bench coach Darren Bush took over as acting manager. 

“In my opinion, he missed a pitch that was crucial in the at-bat,” Kotsay said. “Probably let my emotions get the best of me today.”

JP Sears allowed three runs — two earned — and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. Rangers leadoff hitter and former A’s star infielder Marcus Semien was hit by a pitch to start the game, and then Robbie Grossman followed with a 371-foot homer for a quick 2-0 lead. 

Sears wasn’t happy with how he started, but said he felt better after. 

“After that I felt good,” he told reporters after the loss. “Felt like I controlled the zone really well. I used my changeup really well today to kind of get those guys off my slider so I felt good out there.” 

RELATED: Report: A’s change course with new Las Vegas stadium site

The A’s dropped the series and fell to an MLB-worst 9-33 record. 

They’ll get a chance to bounce back Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are riding a three-game win streak.

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And though their bid to leave town and move to Las Vegas has dominated Bay Area sports headlines since late April, the A’s have been looking for a new ballpark for much longer than that: more than 20 years, to be exact.

Failed Ballpark Plans: A Timeline

The search started in earnest sometime around 2001, when the A’s began to explore leaving the aging Coliseum for a new ballpark near Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood. Former California Governor Jerry Brown was mayor at the time, and he rejected the plan, because he wanted to see a new housing development built on the land the A’s were eyeing.

It was the first of at least eight different ballpark plans to fail over the next two decades.

In 2005, the A’s looked at land across the street from the Coliseum at a site on 66th Avenue — but the owners of the land decided not to sell. Then, a year later, the team announced plans to build Cisco Field in Fremont, on land owned by the computer networking giant. 

When that fell through amid public resistance, the A’s started looking at land near Jack London Square, and then in 2012, announced they had their eyes on San Jose, near SAP Center.

That led to a legal fight with the Giants, who claimed exclusive territorial rights to San Jose — rights the A’s originally agreed to let them have in the 1990s, as part of a plan to dissuade the Giants from moving to Florida.

The U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Giants, so the A’s signed a ten-year lease extension back at the Coliseum, thinking maybe they could build a new ballpark in one of the sprawling parking lots next to the hulking concrete stadium they shared with the Raiders.

Years later, Raiders owner Mark Davis blamed the A’s lease extension as part of the reason his NFL team gave up negotiations with Oakland and moved to Las Vegas.

He said the Raiders were ready to talk business with the city on plans for a new football stadium where the Coliseum currently sits, but as long as the A’s were using the Coliseum, the Raiders were stuck — and in 2017, the Raiders announced their move to Las Vegas.

That same year, the Warriors broke ground on the Chase Center as part of their move to San Francisco, leaving the A’s as the last team standing in Oakland’s once-bustling Coliseum sports complex.

Meanwhile, the A’s kept trying more sites in Oakland: First, what was known as the Peralta site near Lake Merritt, on land owned by the Peralta Community Colleges. The community college district ultimately voted not to sell the property, leaving the A’s with one final option: a former shipping facility on Oakland’s waterfront called Howard Terminal.

The plan for a waterfront ballpark, housing and entertainment complex was actually moving along — but then came the COVID-19 pandemic, and progress slowed to a crawl. There were missed deadlines, lawsuits and finger-pointing, and at some point during that time, the A’s quietly began their talks to move to Las Vegas.

A Ballpark With a Strip View

The pandemic did a couple of things to the Howard Terminal negotiations: first, with all the delays, Major League Baseball got impatient, and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred gave the A’s the go-ahead to start looking elsewhere. And second, a piece of land near the Vegas Strip that was previously slated for a future casino suddenly went up for sale.

The land had all the trappings of an ideal Las Vegas ballpark location: just a 15-minute walk from the Strip, right next to the hockey arena where the Golden Knights play, and just a stone’s throw from the Raiders’ new football stadium. And so the A’s signed what they described as a binding agreement to purchase that land, and announced plans to build a $1.5 billion ballpark there with a retractable roof and room for 30,000 to 35,000 fans.

But then, not even a month later, the A’s announced a different land agreement: this time, it was a smaller piece of property directly on the Strip, at the site of the Tropicana hotel. The owners would demolish the 66-year-old hotel, build a ballpark that opens out onto the strip, and then build a new hotel next to the ballpark, roughly the same size as the old one.

In announcing their new focus on the Tropicana site, the A’s said they had backed out of the first land agreement — meaning it wasn’t as binding as they originally made it out to be.

Hundreds of Millions in Tax Dollars

But if the A’s are going to move, buying the land is just the first step. The next step is getting approval from state and county lawmakers in Nevada, which involves getting them to fork over $395 million in public money — something Oakland flat-out refused to do.

In Vegas, though, getting tax money to build sports and entertainment venues is much more plausible, if recent history is any indicator. The state and county already gave $750 million to the Raiders to build Allegiant stadium. The Raiders had to guarantee they’d stay in southern Nevada for 30 years, until the stadium is paid off by means of an extra hotel tax of just under one percent in the area surrounding the stadium.

The A’s could ask for a similar deal, and have indicated they’ll pursue making the ballpark and its on-site stores and restaurants into a special tax district — adding an extra tax onto purchases made there, and using that tax to gradually pay off the ballpark’s construction.

If the A’s can’t get public money, they’ve already explored a backup plan: a piece of land that’s one mile, or a 30-minute walk, from the Strip, on the grounds of the Rio hotel. The hotel’s owners had offered the land to the A’s for just one dollar — no public funding required. Upon announcing the Tropicana site, the A’s said they were laser-focused on a ballpark with Strip views, and were not actively pursuing backup options.

If the A’s can get a deal inked for a piece of land, and secure the funding to build on it, they’ll still need a vote: at least 22 of the other 29 Major League team owners would have to approve of the team’s relocation. It would make the A’s only the second Major League team to relocate across state lines in more than 50 years. (The other team was the Montreal Expos, which crossed the U.S. border with Canada to become the Washington Nationals in 2005.)

Where to Play in the Meantime

So, what if the A’s get the land, get the funding, and get the go-ahead from other MLB owners? Then they’d start construction. They’ve indicated they want to break ground on a new ballpark in 2024, but it wouldn’t be ready to open until 2027. The A’s would need to figure out where they’ll play ball until then.

One obvious choice is to stay put: The A’s could extend their lease at the Coliseum, which expires in 2024, to play an additional three seasons until a new ballpark is ready.

Another option is to play at the minor league ballpark in Las Vegas, currently home to the A’s AAA affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators. That ballpark only has 10,000 seats, but average attendance at A’s games was only around 9,700 in April and May. (The A’s have the dubious honor of having not only the lowest payroll and the worst record, but also the lowest attendance of any MLB team.)

Wherever they choose to play for the next three seasons, the deadline for the A’s to set this all in motion is January 2024. That’s when Manfred said the A’s need to have a signed agreement for a new ballpark, or they’ll lose the revenue sharing they’re getting from other teams.

The commissioner says he doesn’t care where that new ballpark is. So, technically speaking, the door is still open for the A’s to strike a deal in Oakland.

“I feel like I’ve really settled into my mechanics,” Eovaldi said. “I’m really confident, especially with our defense and offense. The offense has been able to throw up runs left and right, and it’s not just one or two. We’re able to squeeze out four or five, six, seven runs.”

Marcus Semien homered against his former team in front of a crowd of 2,949 that was the second-smallest of the season at the Oakland Coliseum.

Eovaldi (5-2) put together his third consecutive masterful performance to keep the AL West-leading Rangers rolling and sending the A’s to their fifth straight loss.

An All-Star with Boston in 2021 before signing with the Rangers last December, Eovaldi pitched three-hit ball with one walk over 8 2/3 innings to become the third pitcher in franchise history to post three consecutive starts of at least eight scoreless innings. Martín Pérez (2014) and Charlie Hough (1983) are the others.

“I just think he found something and he’s sticking to it,” catcher Jonah Heim said. “He’s executing every single pitch he throws. He might make a mistake here or there, but he comes back. That’s what makes him special.”

Eovaldi nearly had his second complete game shutout in three starts after he got Tony Kemp to ground out and struck out Nick Allen to start the ninth, but then allowed a double to Esteury Ruiz and walked Ryan Noda before Bochy went to the bullpen. Will Smith struck out Brent Rooker for his seventh save.

“We knew what we were up against,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “But he’s locked in. And tonight we saw a really good starting pitcher on a roll.”

Against the worst team in baseball, that was more than enough as Bochy – who helped orchestrate three World Series championships across the Bay in San Francisco before stepping away following the 2019 season – looked on from the Texas dugout.

Semien’s home run, a solo shot in the sixth that was his seventh this season, gave the Rangers a jolt after they weren’t able to get much going against Medina. The A’s rookie, who was making his second career start after being called up from the minors earlier in the day, was perfect through three innings and didn’t allow a hit until the fourth.

After Josh Jung’s leadoff single in the fifth, Medina threw a wild pitch and Jung advanced to second. Leody Taveras lined a 1-0 pitch to center for a 1-0 lead.

Robbie Grossman doubled and scored from third on a wild pitch in the sixth.

Pinch-hitter Sam Huff added an RBI groundout in the seventh.

“After the first couple innings, I knew we had our work cut out trying to score a couple runs but this a deep lineup and they kept battling,” Bochy said.

Medina (0-2) allowed three runs and five hits in six innings for the A’s, who fell to 8-31. The rookie had three strikeouts with no walks.

HONORING VIDA

Former A’s pitcher and 1971 AL Cy Young Award winner Vida Blue was honored during ía brief pregame ceremony with a tribute on the video scoreboards and moment of silence. The 73-year-old Blue, a six-time All-Star, died May 6 due to complications from cancer.

KENNEDY DESIGNATED

Right-hander Ian Kennedy was designated for assignment by the Rangers after a tough start to his 17th season in the big leagues. Kennedy, a 21-game winner for Arizona in 2011, made Texas’ opening day roster as a non-roster invitee and went 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA in 11 outings. Texas recalled left-hander John King from Triple-A Round Rock, clearing roster room with Kennedy’s departure.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: Injured SS Corey Seager (left hamstring strain) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco and went 1 for 3 with a two-run double in five innings.

Athletics: RHP Mason Miller was placed on the 15-day injured list with tightness in his right forearm. … RHP Rico Garcia was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas. … RHP Zach Neal was recalled from Las Vegas. … C Manny Pina (sprained left wrist) has been ordered to stop all baseball activities for now. … OF/1B Seth Brown (strained left oblique) will begin a rehab assignment Saturday. … INF Aledmys Díaz (strained left hamstring) has been running without a setback and could come off the IL on Sunday. … RHP Paul Blackburn (right middle finger avulsion) threw on the side and could return off the IL to pitch Sunday.

UP NEXT

Peréz (4-1, 3.66 ERA) pitches Friday night for the Rangers and is unbeaten in his previous five starts. Peréz has five wins in 12 career games at the Coliseum. The A’s will go with LHP Ken Waldichuk (1-2, 7.25), who is 1-0 over his last five starts after allowing 14 runs and losing each of his first two.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Heading into a four-game series against the MLB-best Tampa Bay Rays, the Yankees have won three straight for the first time this season.

“This is just getting us ready for another big series here with the Rays,” Aaron Judge said. “We were kind of back and forth down there at the Trop (Tropicana Field) and we’re looking forward to it.”

Harrison Bader hit a three-run homer in the first inning that was upheld after a review and DJ LeMahieu added a two-run shot in the fifth. The Yankees hit nine homers in the series.

Volpe, who ended a 0-for-17 skid Tuesday, lost potential hits on sliding catches in his first two at-bats. The shortstop gave the Yankees an 11-2 lead by driving a first-pitch fastball off Rico Garcia 419 feet.

“I knew I got it pretty good, but you never know,” Volpe said. “It was nice to see it go over.”

At 22 years, 12 days, Volpe became the youngest Yankee to hit a grand slam at Yankee Stadium.

“It’s definitely in there,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Volpe’s power. “You go out the front door like he did at 107 or something, that’s a pretty good poke. We know he has power and we know he can hit the ball out to all fields.”

With the Yankees leading 1-0 on Gleyber Torres’ sacrifice fly, Bader hit a drive off Oakland left-hander Kyle Muller (1-3) that just cleared the right field video board.

Oakland right fielder JJ Bleday attempted to make a leaping catch. A fan sitting in the front row appeared to reach over and make the catch. Replays appeared to show the fan’s glove was over the padding of the fence and the homer stood after umpires initiated a review.

“There wasn’t interference in terms of the play with our defender, but it did look as if the glove reached over the wall but really hard to tell,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said. “So, I understand why the call stood.”

Bader’s 362-foot drive continued his hot start. He is hitting .429 (12-for-28) in eight games since returning from an oblique injury.

“Out of the box I was thinking double and just really fortunate that it turned out to ultimately be a home run, so that was great for the team,” Bader said.

Anthony Rizzo started New York’s biggest inning this year with an RBI single after Judge opened with a double followed by LeMahieu’s and Volpe’s homers. Judge finished 3 for 4 with two runs scored.

Carlos Pérez and Jace Peterson hit back-to-back homers off New York starter Jhony Brito in the second inning as Oakland dropped to an MLB-worst 8-30. The A’s dropped their eighth straight in the Bronx, their longest skid since also losing eight straight from July 15, 1982 to May 30, 1983.

Bleday homered in the seventh off Deivi García, who pitched the final three innings in his first major league appearance since May 29, 2021, and got his first career save. García was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after the game.

Brito allowed two runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings. He left after Brent Rooker doubled and Jimmy Cordero (2-1) got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth.

Muller, who got Oakland’s first win by a starting pitcher in its 33rd game Friday in Kansas City, allowed six runs and five hits in four innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: OF Ramón Laureano remained in concussion protocol. Laureano left Monday night’s game in the first inning after his neck and shoulder hit the right-field fence hard when he made a leaping catch to take away a home run from Torres . … RHP Adrian Martinez (strained right elbow) threw 1 2/3 innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Yankees: RHP Luis Severino (right lat strain) allowed one run and two hits over 3 1/3 innings while throwing 49 pitches in a rehab start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre. Severino’s next rehab start will likely occur next Tuesday. … OF Aaron Hicks (left hip tightness) was feeling better after leaving Tuesday’s game in the fourth inning.

UP NEXT

Athletics: Start a four-game series at home against the Texas Rangers. Oakland did not announce a starter for Thursday and will face RHP Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 3.22 ERA)

Yankees: Domingo Germán (2-2, 4.35 ERA) opens a four-game series against Tampa Bay on Thursday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Report: A’s change course with new Las Vegas stadium site originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

The Athletics reportedly have pivoted to a new site for their potential Las Vegas ballpark.

Oakland and Bally’s Corp have an agreement in place for the MLB team to construct a $1.5 billion stadium on a portion of the Tropicana Las Vegas site, The Nevada Independent reported Tuesday, which will require about $105 million less in public funding to build.

The Nevada Independent also reported, citing sources with knowledge of the negotiations, that Bally’s will demolish the Tropicana and permit the A’s to build a 35,000-seat ballpark with a retractable roof on nine acres of the Tropicana Avenue site on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, while a new 1,500-room hotel-casino would be placed across from the stadium once it’s completed.

The news comes almost three weeks after the A’s signed a binding purchase agreement with Red Rock Resorts to construct a new stadium on a 49-acre site. They initially sought $500 million in public funding for the project. But amid uncertainty regarding the deal, for which the involved parties had yet to submit a tax package to state lawmakers, The Nevada Independent reported Monday that the A’s were revisiting other possible sites.

The deal would undo Oakland’s previous binding agreement with Red Rock Resorts, and, because real estate investment trust Gaming and Leisure Properties owns the land that is leased to Bally’s, the A’s would no longer have to pay land acquisition costs, per The Nevada Independent.

RELATED: Vogt shares emotions about A’s potential move to Las Vegas

Still, a package would have to be submitted to the Nevada State Legislature before the end of its current session on June 5 in order to secure the needed $395 million in public funding.

The Nevada Independent reported, citing a source, that the original stadium construction timeline is still in place under the new Bally’s agreement, beginning in 2024 with a planned opening date in 2027, which could be pushed to 2028 should the construction timeline change.

Kansas City (9-26) lost two of three to the A’s (8-27) and dropped to 1-10 in series this season.

Perez went 3 for 4 with a 462-foot home run over the left-field fountains and scored three times. Maikel Garcia scored Perez with an RBI single, giving the Royals a 2-1 lead in the fourth.

“I hit the ball pretty good, but it counts as a homer no matter how far you hit it,” Perez said. “…We have to do this more consistently and it was a great win today. We will try to come in tomorrow and do the same thing.”

Nick Pratto hit a two-run double in the eighth to highlight a three-run inning.

athletics May 6

Oakland A's Announcer Glen Kuiper Suspended for Apparent Use of Racial Slur

athletics May 7

Vida Blue, Iconic Athletics, Giants Pitcher, Dies at 73

Ryan Yarbrough (1-4) pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed one run on three hits with two strikeouts and a hit batter. Yarbrough was removed from the game in the sixth after getting hit in the face by a liner that was 106.2 mph off the bat of Ryan Noda. Yarbrough was able to walk off the field with the assistance of trainers.

“Your heart drops in those moments, it is one of the worst things you can see on the field,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Luckily, when we got out there, (Yarbarough) was aware of what was going on. He is going to get more tests. As far as his outing until that point, that was just what we are used to seeing from him.”

Royals relievers Carlos Hernandez, Aroldis Chapman and Scott Barlow each tossed scoreless outings.

Mason Miller (0-2) gave up two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and a hit batter in six innings of work.

(Miller) is building momentum and I think each start he is just getting better and better,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said. “Veteran Salvador (Perez) got him early in the game and seemed to see him pretty well, but was probably the only guy in the lineup really. Overall, good performance.”

Ramón Laureano broke an 0-for-10 stretch with an RBI single in the fourth. Esteury Ruiz extended his hitting streak to nine games in a 1-for-4 afternoon.

REMEMBERING VIDA BLUE

Prior to first-pitch, there was a moment of silence remembering Vida Blue, who died Saturday at the age of 73. Blue was drafted by the then Kansas City Athletics in 1967 and debuted for the A’s in 1969, shortly after the move to Oakland. Blue won an AL MVP, and Cy Young Award and was a three-time World Series champion in Oakland. He also played for the Royals from 1982-83.

ROSTER MOVES

Royals: RHP Max Castillo was recalled from Triple-A Omaha. RHP Jonathan Heasley was optioned in the corresponding move.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Daniel Lynch (left rotator cuff strain) was expected to make a rehab start in Triple-A on Sunday. Lynch was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 30.

UP NEXT

Athletics: Oakland continues a six-game road trip with a matchup with the Yankees. LHP JP Sears (0-2, 5.06 ERA) is expected to start for the Athletics.

Royals: RHP Zack Greinke (1-4, 5.25 ERA) opens a three-game series with the White Sox in the first meeting between AL Central foes in 2023 and just the second different divisional opposition of the season for Kansas City.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A country boy from a small town in Louisiana with a curious name arrived in Oakland as a 19-year-old blessed with a fastball from high heat heaven, and within six years he owned an MVP award, a Cy Young Award, three World Series rings and three 20-win seasons.

If only that could capture the sudden magnetism of young Vida Blue, who died Saturday at age 73.

For those who grew up in 1970s Oakland, Vida was the first Superman pitcher we could see live and in color, the green-and-gold of the A’s as owned by cranky showman Charles O. Finley. The three-time World Series champions of the early ‘70s had great pitchers, Hall of Famers, but only Vida brought flames.

Crowds were spellbound by a kid left-hander taming the bats of All-Star with a fastball easier heard than seen. One strike, lean forward in the seat. Two strikes, move to the edge. Three strikes, stand and prepare to marvel.

Each two-strike windup by Vida was a moment, not unlike Stephen Curry pulling up behind the 3-point line or Barry Bonds stepping into the batter’s box at the turn of the millennium. Anticipation rumbled through the ballpark, in Oakland and elsewhere.

In my childhood home, with a baseball-fan mother from Louisiana, Vida was spoken of by first name, as if he were a member of the family.

Vida’s “Blue Blazer,” as play-by-play man Monte Moore called his fastball, apparently clocked in the mid-to-upper 90s, with explosive movement. Sometimes it would cut, other times it seemed to rise on approach to the plate. We just knew it was fast.

“He throws harder than Sandy Koufax did,” Baltimore Orioles slugger Boog Powell told Sports Illustrated. “He has an effortless motion, a smooth, compact delivery. He goes out for nine innings and doesn’t seem to weaken.”

So popular was Blue – attendance at the Oakland Coliseum would double or triple for his starts – that Finley requested his manager and staff to shuffle the rotation to maximize exposure at home.

Others brilliant pitchers have captivated the baseball world for a few years. The Tigers had Mark “The Bird” Fidrych. The Dodgers had Fernando “El Toro” Valenzuela. The Mets had Dwight “Doc” Gooden. The Marlins, years later, had Dontrelle “D-Train” Willis.

All wove magic from the mound, but none blasted on the scene with the sheer power of young Vida. Five weeks after his 21st birthday, he threw his first one-hitter. Ten days later, he threw a no-hitter.

The following year, 1971, Vida spun a season that reads like fiction. He won 10 consecutive games, going nine innings in all but one, in a six-week span before Memorial Day. He struck out 10 or more batters 13 times, including a 17 in an 11-inning shutout. He finished with a 24-8 record, with a 1.82 ERA, 0.952 WHIP and 301 strikeouts in 312 innings.

Such was the Vida Blue phenomenon that not only made the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine and The Sporting News but also the cover of Time magazine.

The attention Vida received reached levels he could not have imagined.

“It’s a weird scene,” he once told reporters. “You win a few baseball games and all of a sudden you’re surrounded by reporters and TV men with cameras asking you about Vietnam and race relations.”

He had indeed come a long way from DeSoto High, a segregated school in Mansfield, La., where he once pitched a seven-inning no-hitter, with strikeouts accounting for every out – but lost due to 10 walks.

After a brief run through the minor leagues, Blue was promoted to the A’s at age 19 largely because Finley saw dollar signs. Not many pitchers have electric stuff, particularly at 19, so he ordered the kid to the big leagues.

Vida’s first two seasons were meager, a total of 18 appearances, 10 starts, with mixed results. He clearly was rushed.

“It was a shame to bring up a kid like that when he hasn’t pitched two pro years,” said the legendary Joe DiMaggio, then a coach in Oakland. “He throws as hard as anybody, but he hasn’t learned to pitch yet.”

By his third season, in ’71, Vida was a master. The second half of his career was uneven; he was 110-67 in his first eight seasons in Oakland, 99-94 in his final season with the A’s, followed by stints with the Giants and Kansas City Royals.

In the latter years of his career, Vida battled off-field issues – including a cocaine charge that landed him in jail for three months – that derailed a career bound for the Hall of Fame.

As an adult in sports media, I got to know retired Vida a little bit. I would touch his left arm. “See if you still got it.” He’d chuckle, cuss, chuckle again. 

As a kid chasing batting-practice baseballs in the Coliseum bleachers, time stopped when Vida took the mound. The memories will live forever.

Vida Blue, a legendary starting pitcher for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants and former NBC Sports Bay Area TV analyst, died Saturday night at the age of 73.

The A’s released a statement and posted a tribute video to Blue on Sunday morning:

The Giants also issued a statement, mourning the passing of Blue.

Former A’s pitcher Dave Stewart mourned the loss of his “mentor, hero and friend.”

A Louisiana native, Blue was drafted by the Kansas City A’s in 1967 and made his MLB debut in 1969, a year after the franchise moved to Oakland.

Blue blossomed into a cornerstone for the A’s in 1971, winning the American League MVP Award and his only Cy Young Award after posting a 24-8 record with an MLB-best 1.82 ERA and 301 strikeouts in 312 innings.

In 1972, 1973 and 1974, Blue helped the A’s win three straight World Series championships, as Oakland formed one of the most dominant teams in MLB history.

After spending the first nine seasons of his MLB career with the A’s, Blue was traded to the Giants in 1978 for seven players and $300,000. He spent the next four seasons in San Francisco, making three National League All-Star teams during that span.

The Giants traded Blue to the Kansas City Royals before the 1982 season and he played there through the 1983 season before a drug addiction kept him out of the 1984 season. The next year, Blue returned to the Giants for two final MLB seasons.

In 2019, Blue was part of the second class inducted into the A’s Hall of Fame, along with former owner Walter A. Haas, Jr., Bert Campaneris, Mark McGwire and Tony La Russa.

In 17 MLB seasons, Blue — a six-time All-Star selection — posted a 3.27 ERA and struck out 2,175 batters in 502 career appearances.

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Kuiper was chatting about his day in Kansas City, where the A’s were playing the Royals. He was referring to his visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum when the incident happened.

More than an hour later, Kuiper apologized during the game.

“Welcome back to Kauffman Stadium. A little bit earlier in the show, I said something that didn’t come out quite the way I wanted it to,” he said. “And I just wanted to apologize if it sounded different than I meant it to be said and I just wanted to apologize for that.”

Oakland Athletics May 5

Oakland A's Announcer Glen Kuiper Apologizes for Apparent Racial Slur During TV Broadcast

athletics May 4

Still Rooting in Oakland: A's Fans Protest Vegas Move, Call for Owner to Sell the Team

A spokesperson for NBC Sports California said Saturday that Kuiper will be off-air until a review of the incident is completed.

Kuiper apologized in a new statement Saturday.

“I could not be more sorry and horrified by what I said. I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies,” he said.

The A’s released the following statement Friday night:

“The language used by Glen Kuiper during today’s pregame broadcast is unacceptable. The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language. We are working to address the situation.”

Note: A’s games are aired on NBC Sports California, which is NBC Bay Area’s cable sister station.

A’s announcer Glen Kuiper appeared to use the “N” word on the team’s pregame show Friday night.

Kuiper was chatting about his day in Kansas City, where the A’s were playing the Royals. He was referring to his visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum when the incident happened.

More than an hour later, Kuiper apologized during the game.

“Welcome back to Kauffman Stadium. A little bit earlier in the show, I said something that didn’t come out quite the way I wanted it to,” he said. “And I just wanted to apologize if it sounded different than I meant it to be said and I just wanted to apologize for that.”

The A’s released the following statement Friday night:

“The language used by Glen Kuiper during today’s pregame broadcast is unacceptable. The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language. We are working to address the situation.”

Note: A’s games are aired on NBC Sports California, which is NBC Bay Area’s cable sister station.

athletics May 5

Rooker, Laureano Go Back-To-Back as A's Outslug Royals 12-8

athletics May 4

Still Rooting in Oakland: A's Fans Protest Vegas Move, Call for Owner to Sell the Team

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Kyle Muller became the first A’s starter to earn a win in 33 games this year. The drought was the longest to begin a season in MLB history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Muller said. “We have had some opportunities and fell a little short. I don’t think the performance was worthy of the first win because we’ve had some guys have some good outings. We’re just going to keep rolling from here.”

Rooker, Noda, Esteury Ruiz and Tony Kemp each had three of Oakland’s 17 hits, a season high. Ruiz and Noda both scored three times as the A’s improved to 7-26 with only their second victory by more than one run.

Nick Pratto homered for the Royals (8-25), who dropped to 2-15 at home. They shaved a seven-run deficit to 9-8 before Oakland scored three times in the final two innings.

“This club has shown a lot of fight and resilience to fight back, and we had a tough series against Seattle and lost some of those games we couldn’t tack on runs,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “Tonight in the eighth inning we were able to tack on those (two) extra runs, which was breathing room.”

Rooker launched a two-run homer in the third inning and Laureano followed with a drive to left-center that made it 4-0. It was Rooker’s 10th home run of the season, second-most in the American League.

Rooker hit an RBI double in the fourth and Kemp chased Royals starter Brad Keller with a run-scoring double in the fifth.

Keller (2-3) gave up six earned runs, 11 hits and four walks over 4 1/3 innings.

Noda added a two-run double in the fifth to make it 9-2 — the biggest lead for Oakland this season.

Muller (1-2) gave up a two-run homer to Pratto in the fourth. The left-hander went 5 1/3 innings, allowing five runs and eight hits. He walked three and struck out one.

For the second consecutive game, the Royals fought back from a big deficit but couldn’t complete the comeback. A two-run triple by Hunter Dozier trimmed it to 9-8 in the seventh.

“I mean, disappointing. Or, you know, we don’t expect to do that,” manager Matt Quataro said about falling into a big hole for a second straight game. “That is what is frustrating is that we know our guys can perform better than that and they know that. That is where the frustration comes, the internal part.”

ROSTER MOVES

Kansas City recalled RHP Jonathan Heasley and optioned LHP Austin Cox to Triple-A Omaha.

TRAINER’S ROOM

The Royals placed OF Kyle Isbel (left hamstring strain) on the 10-day injured list and recalled INF Nate Eaton.

UP NEXT

Oakland sends LHP Ken Waldichuk (0-2, 7.26 ERA) to the mound against Royals RHP Brady Singer (2-3, 8.48) on Saturday.

___

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You could blame the Warriors’ NBA playoff game happening that night for the low attendance, but that wouldn’t tell the whole story. The A’s have drawn the smallest crowds of any Major League Baseball team this season, averaging just over 10,000 people in a stadium built to hold more than five times that many.

Still, despite its unremarkable attendance, this game was remarkable in a different way: in the days since the A’s last played at home, news had broken that the team had signed a binding agreement to buy land near the Las Vegas Strip, where owner John Fisher wants to build a brand new, retractable-roof ballpark with help from Nevada taxpayers.

In the Oakland Coliseum’s right field bleachers, where die hard fans wave flags and beat drums throughout home games, it wasn’t business as usual. Instead of showing up with drums, those fans showed up with green T-shirts bearing the word “SELL.”

“We want John Fisher to sell the team to a local businessperson who can afford to get (a new ballpark built) and keep the team in Oakland,” said Jorge Leon, a lifelong fan wearing his “SELL” T-shirt with a green and gold A’s scarf.

Fellow lifelong fan Anson Casanares helped organize the T-shirt campaign.

“They mentioned Vegas, and it was like, okay, we have to do something,” Casanares said. “And this is it, right here.”

Chanting, “Sell the team!” and “Stay in Oakland!” the fans occupying the right field bleachers poured out into the aisles of the near-empty Coliseum, carrying signs, ringing cowbells, and getting the sparse crowd riled up as they marched through the seating sections surrounding the infield.

“The A’s are very important to the Bay Area, to the East Bay,” Casanares said. “I don’t understand how we can let this go.”

But those fans — even the ones too young to remember the days when the A’s played for sold-out crowds — say they’ve had a difference of opinion with Fisher for a long time.

“He sells away all our best players,” complained 14-year-old Nolan Walsh.

“We were a postseason team, and now we might be the worst team in baseball,” lamented 13-year-old Jack DeAngelo.

“It’s like that movie, ‘Major League,’ where they really want the team to fail,” observed a woman holding up a handmade, sequin-studded Oakland A’s blanket.

Oakland Apr 27

Oakland Mayor Talks A's Stadium Land Deal in Las Vegas, City's Relationship With Team

athletics Apr 20

Exclusive Local TV Interview: Oakland A's President Addresses Las Vegas Stadium Land Deal

Still, despite a dismal record and the lowest payroll in Major League Baseball, the A’s mean something to the city where they’ve played ball since 1968.

“When you see an A’s hat walking down the street, you don’t think of who pitched last night — you think of Oakland,” said Alan Wilk, one of the dozens of fans who protested outside the Coliseum before the game.

“Oakland has character — it’s got personality,” said Justin Matoska, a longtime fan who added he won’t go see the A’s play in Las Vegas if they move there.

“The people here — they’re real fans, they’re die hards,” said Andy Belsky, who was visiting from Boston on a tour of all 30 Major League ballparks. If the team were to move to Las Vegas, he asked, “What’s gonna happen to all these fans that are here?”

“Heartbroken,” a lifelong fan named Diego said in answer to that question. “One hundred percent heartbroken. … First it was the Warriors, then the Raiders, then the A’s.”

“We’re losing everything in Oakland, we can’t lose the A’s,” another man chimed in from the next section over.

Fans like Casanares say they’re resolved to make their voices heard, and hope Fisher listens. Leon would like to see the team stay in Oakland too, though he admits the odds don’t look good.

“It’s horrible, but I think there’s resiliency here in the city of Oakland,” Leon said. “And I think we’ll be all right.”

“Not the prettiest win,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “They don’t ask how you got there as long as you get there, and we got there.”

The start was delayed 65 minutes by rain, contributing to a paltry crowd of 2,685 one night after the A’s drew 2,583.

With two outs in the 10th, Suárez drove a fastball from Adam Oller (1-1) over the wall in right-center field to give the Mariners their first lead. Seattle then loaded the bases and J.P. Crawford added a two-run single to make it 7-2.

“For me, (what’s) more important is that I helped the team win a game and now we won the series,” Suárez said. “That’s our game. We never give up. We never quit.”

Pollock homered off Zach Jackson with one out in the ninth to even it at 2, his second straight game with a tying home run in the late innings.

“It feels really good,” Pollock said. “You come up in a big spot and able to do something for the team. … Doing it in a win is great.”

Oakland’s bullpen was charged with a blown save for the fourth consecutive game. The A’s fell to 0-4 when leading after seven innings and have lost their first 10 series for the first time in franchise history.

The Mariners’ rally took a win away from Oakland starter JP Sears, who pitched six shutout innings with seven strikeouts. A’s starting pitchers have yet to earn a victory through 31 games, the longest streak to start a season in MLB history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“Outstanding job by Sears,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said. “Unfortunately, the back end and the bullpen just haven’t been able to close it down.”

Seattle starter Logan Gilbert allowed two runs on three hits in six innings, striking out six and walking two. Matt Brash (3-2) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts to pick up the win.

Esteury Ruiz broke a scoreless tie in the sixth with a run-scoring double off Gilbert. Tony Kemp followed with an RBI double to make it 2-0.

José Caballero responded in the seventh with an RBI single to bring Seattle within a run. Caballero went 3 for 5 after starting his career 4 for 23.

KELENIC TOSSED

Mariners center fielder Jarred Kelenic was ejected by plate umpire Nestor Ceja after striking out swinging in the sixth. Kelenic was upset about the first called strike and was thrown out as he walked back toward the dugout. He turned around to briefly argue with Ceja before walking off the field. Kelenic was replaced by Taylor Trammell.

ROSTER MOVES

Oakland recalled OF JJ Bleday and optioned OF Conner Capel to Triple-A Las Vegas. Bleday went 0 for 4 in his A’s debut, but threw out Teoscar Hernández trying to stretch a single in the sixth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: OF Julio Rodríguez returned to the lineup after missing two games with lower back soreness. He led off and went 0 for 4 with a walk. … LHP Robbie Ray underwent Tommy John surgery and a flexor tendon repair on his left elbow and will miss the rest of the season. Dr. Keith Meister performed the procedure in Arlington, Texas. Ray will begin his rehabilitation in two to three weeks in Arizona.

Athletics: RHP Trevor May, on the injured list due to anxiety-related issues, threw 17 pitches in a scoreless inning during a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday. Kotsay said May will likely need another rehab outing of 25 or 30 pitches. … RHP Paul Blackburn (right middle fingernail avulsion) threw all his pitches in a bullpen session Wednesday morning. He will either throw one more bullpen or pitch in a game for Las Vegas.

UP NEXT

RHP George Kirby (2-2, 2.93 ERA) starts Thursday afternoon’s series finale for Seattle. He has allowed two runs or fewer in four consecutive starts.

Oakland counters with RHP Drew Rucinski (0-1, 4.76), who gave up five runs (three earned) in 5 2/3 innings against Cincinnati last Friday in his A’s debut.

___

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A’s Vegas ballpark plan running ‘out of time’ for approval originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

The Athletics’ pursuit of a ballpark in Las Vegas might be experiencing more turbulence than originally anticipated.

Steve Yeager, the speaker of the Nevada Assembly, told The Nevada Independent that legislature could “run out of time” approving a plan to send public money to help construct a stadium in Las Vegas.

“If something was going to happen, it really should have been in place last week,” Yeager said Wednesday to The Nevada Independent.

Yeager also said the A’s haven’t presented “concrete” language requesting $500 million in public money for the ballpark, which hasn’t helped them stick to tight deadlines. Per The Nevada Independent, there are 34 days remaining in Nevada’s 120-day legislative session.

The A’s signed a binding purchase agreement for a potential ballpark site in Las Vegas on April 19. A’s president Dave Kaval said the team could break ground on its ballpark in 2024 and debut at the new stadium in 2027.

However, if the A’s package is not approved, the team could withdraw from its binding purchase agreement. That would open up other options, including the Howard Terminal site in Oakland.

The city of Oakland ceased negotiations with the A’s once the team signed the agreement with Las Vegas, but Mayor Sheng Thao didn’t rule out working out a deal in the future.

RELATED: Oakland mayor hopes A’s have ‘change of heart’ on Vegas plans

“What it looks like from the outside is that they’ve always wanted to leave the city of Oakland,” Mayor Sheng Thao said on April 20. “Again, the ball is in their court.

“They’re the ones who called me and said they have a land deal in Las Vegas. If they’d like to call me back and say they would like to negotiate, I’m more than happy to take that phone call.”

Thao also said Oakland would negotiate with new ownership if John Fisher sold the team.

As the process continues, it’s becoming clearer that the A’s heading to Las Vegas is not quite a guarantee.

Neither Mason nor Bryce Miller — who are not related — was around at the end.

AJ Pollock homered to break up a combined no-hit bid with one out in the eighth inning and Jarred Kelenic added an RBI double as the Seattle Mariners rallied past the Oakland Athletics 2-1.

On a night both teams were held hitless through five innings and just 2,583 fans were on hand at the Coliseum. Oakland’s Mason Miller pitched seven no-hit innings in his third major league start. He was removed after 100 pitches.

Mason Miller, born Aug. 24, 1998, made his big league debut on April 19. He struck out six and walked four.

“It’s definitely disappointing to not be able to finish it, but I know that’s kind of on me for having those four walks and not being in the zone as much as I should’ve been early in the game,” Mason Miller said. “So I totally understand it and I’d rather throw many more games this season than lay it all on the line for a game in the beginning of May.”

Richard Lovelady (0-1) took over in the eighth with a 1-0 lead but took his his first loss with the A’s.

Seattle’s Bryce Miller, born Aug. 23, 1998, retired his first 16 batters in his major league debut before Tony Kemp singled on a shoulder-high pitch in the sixth. After a wild pitch and a flyout, Esteury Ruiz hit an RBI double to put Oakland ahead.

Bryce Miller thought about his perfect-game bid at Double-A.

“My last game of the year last year, I think I went into the sixth, as well, but it’s a little different here,” he said. “This is probably a little cooler.”

Bryce Miller struck out 10 in six innings, allowing one run and two hits. His 10 strikeouts were the most in a Mariners debut.

“Pretty good way to start off your major league career,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “Unbelievable performance tonight by Bryce Miller. Calm, cool as any young player I’ve ever seen really getting the opportunity to start his first major league game.”

Gabe Speier (1-0) struck out the only batter he faced for his first big league win. Paul Sewald struck out two in a perfect ninth to remain perfect in eight save chances.

Athletics starting pitchers have not gotten a win through 30 games, the longest streak to start a season in big league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

ATTENDANCE WOES

The A’s drew their smallest home crowd in exactly one year, since 2,488 for a game against Tampa Bay on May 2, 2022. On-and-off rain in the early innings likely contributed to the low number, along with the Golden State Warriors hosting a playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers in San Francisco.

I BELIEVE IN STEPHEN VOGT

Former Athletics All-Star catcher Stephen Vogt returned to Oakland for the first time as a member of the Mariners coaching staff and received an ovation from the small Coliseum crowd.

“It’s always fun to come back to the Coliseum,” he said. “It’s always fun to come back to Oakland and see familiar faces and people you’ve worked with over the last 10-plus years.”

Vogt retired after last season and became Seattle’s bullpen and quality control coach.

“I think just to stay in the game and stay on the field with the guys,” he said of his decision to go into coaching. “The biggest impact you can make in this game is being around everybody every day.”

LA STELLA CUT

Before the game, the Mariners designated former All-Star infielder Tommy La Stella for assignment.

La Stella, 34, was released by San Francisco on Jan. 5 with one season left in an $18.75 million, three-year contract. Seattle signed him two weeks later for the $720,000 major league minimum, which was offset against the $11.5 million he was owed by the Giants.

La Stella appeared in 12 games with the Mariners, hitting .190 (4 for 21) with two RBIs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: OF Julio Rodríguez (back soreness) was a late scratch after initially being listed in the starting lineup. Rodríguez took some swings in the batting cage but missed his second straight game.

Athletics: INF Aledmys Díaz was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring. INF Nick Allen was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas and started at shortstop. … RHP Trevor May, on the IL due to anxiety-related issues, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas, pitching a scoreless inning at Sacramento. … RHP Adrián Martínez (strained right elbow) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session and is scheduled to throw a 35-pitch bullpen Friday.

UP NEXT

RHP Logan Gilbert (1-1, 4.23 ERA) starts Wednesday for Seattle opposite Oakland LHP JP Sears (0-2, 6.23).

—-

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A’s starter Kyle Muller tossed five innings and was in line to finally break the notorious streak. But Familia (0-1) walked Henry Ramos, surrendered Kevin Newman’s single, then walked Nick Senzel. Fraley delivered one out later.

Cincinnati’s Casey Legumina (1-0) pitched the eighth for the win and Alexis Díaz got his fourth save.

Luke Maile homered leading off the third for the Reds, who have won five straight on the heels of a season-worst six-game losing streak.

MLB Apr 28

A's Met by Fans in Oakland With Chants of `Sell the Team!'

Oakland Apr 27

Oakland Mayor Talks A's Stadium Land Deal in Las Vegas, City's Relationship With Team

The A’s starters have gone 0-15 while surpassing the 2022 Pirates for the longest streak to start a season without a win by the starter — it’s also a franchise record, too. Washington holds the longest streak ever at 43 consecutive games without a win by the starting pitcher, which was set last year, but not to begin the year.

Ramón Laureano returned from an 11-game absence with a strained left groin and immediately showed off his speed and sensational throwing arm, leading one of Oakland’s best defensive days in a so-far dismal season but it was for naught.

With runners on first and second after a pair of singles to start the Reds’ second, Laureano chased down a high fly in foul territory by Newman and fired to third for a spectacular double play.

In another defensive move, A’s third baseman Jace Peterson turned an unassisted double play on Stuart Fairchild’s liner to end the third.

Reliever Richard Lovelady induced José Barrero’s inning-ending double play in the seventh with runners on first and second.

Aledmys Díaz and Jordan Díaz hit consecutive RBI singles in the second for the A’s against Reds right-hander and opening day starter Hunter Greene. Facing Oakland for the first time in his career, Greene matched his season high with 10 strikeouts while walking three and allowing two unearned runs on five hits over five innings.

CALLING ALL FANS

Oakland drew an announced crowd of 7,052. That means half of their 14 home games have had attendance under 10,000. It came a day after just 6,423 fans showed up for the Athletics’ first home game since announcing a deal for land to build a ballpark in Las Vegas.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: Díaz singled in the second, stole second and went to third on a single then was lifted for a pinch runner because of a left hamstring injury. Díaz dove for a hard grounder by Tyler Stephenson to start the second and had grabbed at his leg.

LOSING SERIES

Oakland has dropped its initial nine series of the season. The A’s fell to to 4-23 in April, already having a franchise record for losses in the month.

UP NEXT

LHP Nick Lodolo (2-1, 6.31 ERA) pitches for Cincinnati in Sunday’s series finale. He’ll face the A’s for the first time in his career opposite fellow southpaw Ken Waldichuk (0-2, 7.82), who is coming off three straight no-decisions after losing his initial two outings of 2023.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Unable to make progress on a new ballpark in the Bay Area and wanting to make plans as the expiration of their Oakland Coliseum lease approaches at the end of the 2024 season, the team announced April 19 that it had signed a binding agreement to purchase land for a new retractable roof ballpark in Las Vegas.

The A’s, led by owner John Fisher, intend to work with Nevada and Clark County on a public-private partnership to fund the stadium. They hope to break ground by next year and move to their new home by 2027.

Fans in the right-field stands brought multiple banners of “Sell” and “Fisher Out.” Those same fans also wore Kelly green shirts with “Sell” written on them and began to walk around the stadium chanting “Sell the team!” throughout.

Oakland Apr 27

Oakland Mayor Talks A's Stadium Land Deal in Las Vegas, City's Relationship With Team

athletics Apr 20

Exclusive Local TV Interview: Oakland A's President Addresses Las Vegas Stadium Land Deal

The crowd was the A’s sixth under 10,000 in 13 home games. Oakland entered the homestand averaging a major league-low 11,027.

Nick Senzel had three RBIs and Jake Fraley hit a two-run homer for the Reds, who have won four in a row for the first time since last July 30 to Aug. 2.

Luis Cessa (1-3) gave up three runs and eight hits in five-plus innings, winning for the first time in five starts this year.

Drew Rucinski (0-1) was activated from the injured list and made his Oakland debut. He gave up five runs — three earned — and 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings.

The 34-year-old left-hander made his first big league appearance since 2018 after spending four seasons with South Korea’s NC Dinos. Rucinski signed with Oakland for a $3 million, one-year contract, then strained his left hamstring late in spring training

Shea Langeliers had three RBIs for Oakland, including a run-scoring single in the first.

Senzel’s RBI single and Jose Barrero’s two-run double built a 3-1 lead in the third, and Fraley hit a two-run homer in the fourth, a 419-foot drive.

Oakland’s Brent Rooker had three hits, and Ryan Noda hit his third home run.

MOVES

Reds: Selected the contract of INF Matt Reynolds from Triple-A Louisville and transferred RHP Tony Santillan (right knee strain) to the 60-day IL.

Athletics: RHP Chad Smith was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move for Rucinski.

UP NEXT

RHP Hunter Greene (0-1) starts Saturday for the Reds and LHP Kyle Muller (0-2) for the A’s.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

While it’s not a done deal yet, the A’s are focusing on a move to Las Vegas. But is the door really closed in Oakland?

athletics Apr 20

Exclusive Local TV Interview: Oakland A's President Addresses Las Vegas Stadium Land Deal

athletics Apr 20

Oakland A's Purchase Land for New Stadium in Las Vegas

Friday is the A’s first home game since the news broke about the land deal in Las Vegas. A group of fans said they plan to protest outside Oakland Coliseum before the A’s game against the Cincinnati Reds.

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and reclusive A’s owner John Fisher had been quietly negotiating for months until the mayor said that she got blindsided.

Watch Raj Mathai’s conversation with Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao in the video player above.

Drury homered, doubled and drove in three runs in his third straight monster game, and Shohei Ohtani hit a late two-run homer in Los Angeles’ 11-3 victory Wednesday night.

Drury had an RBI double in the second, and he hit a two-run homer in the fifth to put Los Angeles up 8-3. The well-traveled utility infielder started slowly with his new team, batting .179 in his first 20 games, but he is 7 for 13 with three homers and nine RBIs in the Halos’ first three games against Oakland this week.

“Ball is a crazy game,” Drury said. “You start thinking a little bit too much and trying a little bit too hard. It’s one of those games where you’ve just got to keep going, because you never know. You take that one swing or see that one pitch, and you remember, ‘That’s it. That’s what it was.’”

Drury said he took that one swing on a homer against Oakland’s Ken Waldichuk on Monday, and it helped him to reset his mind and his body.

“It’s all feel for me,” Drury said. “When I’m in there thinking about what I’m supposed to be doing, I’m really bad, as you saw the first three weeks. It’s as bad as it gets. And when I’m just in there trusting myself, being the dangerous hitter that I am, it’s a lot better. … For me, I’m good when I’m not thinking.”

Hunter Renfroe also homered and Ohtani drove in three runs for Los Angeles, which has won four of six. Oakland became the fifth team in major league history to lose 20 games in April.

Drury, Matt Thaiss and Zach Neto all had run-scoring doubles in the Angels’ five-run second inning against Oakland’s Luis Medina (0-1), who gave up seven earned runs and eight hits over five innings in his major league debut.

Patrick Sandoval (2-1) became the only Angels starter other than Ohtani to last seven innings in a game this season, yielding six hits and two earned runs with a wealth of run support.

“We raked one through nine,” Sandoval said. “It’s awesome. It’s going to be fun this year.”

Kevin Smith hit his second homer of the series for the A’s, who have lost 11 of 13. The April record is 22 losses by the 1988 Baltimore Orioles, and Oakland still has four games to play before May.

Esteury Ruiz had two hits and drove in a run while stealing four bases for Oakland, becoming only the third A’s player to swipe that many bags in the past 30 years. He stole second base three times, and he stole third in the third inning as well.

Medina is a former Yankees prospect acquired by Oakland last year, and the 23-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic got the call to the majors Tuesday after only three Triple-A starts.

His fastball touched 99.9 mph in a clean first inning at the Big A, but the Angels batted around in the second. Thaiss had a two-run double among Los Angeles’ five hits.

Renfroe then led off the third with his seventh homer in April, the most in a single month in his career.

Ohtani tacked on his sixth homer in the eighth inning.

Shintaro Fujinami pitched two innings of two-hit relief for Oakland in his first appearance since being moved to the bullpen Monday.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: OF Ramón Laureano went to Las Vegas to begin rehab for a strained left groin. Oakland hopes to have him back next week.

Angels: A day after C Logan O’Hoppe had surgery on the torn labrum in his left shoulder, the rookie said he will have to wear a sling for three weeks. O’Hoppe still hopes to return late this season from an injury with an estimated recovery time of four to six months.

UP NEXT

Ohtani (3-0, 0.64 ERA) has the sixth outing of his spectacular pitching season while carrying a streak of 12 straight starts allowing two or fewer runs. Oakland finishes the series with JP Sears (0-1, 4.98) on the mound.

___

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Mike Trout went 2-for-4 with a double, Shohei Ohtani had two stolen bases, and the Angels have alternated wins and losses over their past five games.

Griffin Canning (1-0) allowed three runs in five innings while striking out seven.

“Today, first and foremost, a really good team win. Some timely hitting, some good defense, and the bullpen did a great job,” Canning said.

Shea Langeliers hit a home run, Mason Miller (0-1) gave up four runs in four innings, and the A’s lost for the 10th time in their past 12 games.

“I mean, we didn’t hit enough tonight, and they were able to hold the lead,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said.

After Jace Peterson’s scoring triple gave the A’s an early lead, the Angels responded with four runs in the bottom of the first.

Drury tripled to center, scoring Trout and Anthony Rendon to put the Angels up 2-1 and giving him six RBIs through the first 11 innings of the four-game series.

Drury was driven in on Luis Rengifo’s single, and Gio Urshela wrapped up the productive beginning with his own RBI single.

“I went out there and gave up the one right off the bat, so for them to kind of come back out, put up four, it was good,” Canning said.

Canning, who picked up his first win since June 9, 2021 after missing most of that season because of an elbow injury and the 2022 campaign with a stress fracture in his back, built off that lead with a solid performance.

He gave up a solo homer to Langeliers on a full count in the fifth, and Canning started the sixth by giving up a ground-rule double to Brent Rooker. That was when manager Phil Nevin decided to pull Canning after a successful outing.

“If you take almost two years off, really, it’s hard to get back,” Nevin said. “It takes some time. But he’s been really good for us. … We needed a lot of outs from him today, as many as we could, so he did a really nice job.”

Rooker scored on Jordan Diaz’s double to cut it to 4-3, but Taylor Ward singled in Urshela to put the Angels back up by two in the bottom half of the inning.

Unlike Monday’s wild 11-10 extra-innings loss, Los Angeles got enough from their relievers to hold on, including a five-out save from Carlos Estevez.

“Knowing the way these past few games have been, I know the team needed me. My guys in the bullpen needed me too, and it feels great to go out there and show everyone that, ‘Hey, I got your back,’” said Estevez, who got his fourth save.

NICE RESPONSE

It seemed like Miller wasn’t going to make it through more than the first inning, based on the early activity in Oakland’s bullpen, but he recovered enough to get through the fourth in his second career game.

“The positive there is that he settled in and went three scoreless,” Kotsay said. “We talked about his process and what to take from this game, but overall it’s not a terrible outing.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: RHP Austin Miller wasn’t available after feeling discomfort in his throwing arm before the game and will be shut down for the next three days. RHP Chase Silseth will be called up from Triple-A Salt Lake to take his spot in the bullpen. … C Logan O’Hoppe underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder Tuesday. Expected to miss four to six months, he had been an unexpected contributor as a rookie with a .283 batting average, four homers and 13 RBIs in 16 games.

UP NEXT

A’s RHP Luis Medina will make his Major League debut Wednesday. Acquired from the New York Yankees in a trade in August 2022, the 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic is known for generating top-tier velocity.

The Angels will go with LHP Patrick Sandoval (1-1), who is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his past five starts against the Athletics. ___

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All three of García’s homers were two-run shots, and his first double also scored two to give him a career high for RBIs to go with the 30-year-old Cuban slugger’s first three-homer game.

García’s final at-bat came against infielder Jace Peterson in the eighth. Because of position switches, Texas reliever Josh Sborz batted ahead of García and took three of four pitches for a strikeout.

The line-drive double down the line in left field from García could have scored Travis Jankowski, but he jogged to third, preserving Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez’s club record of nine RBIs in a game set in 1999.

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García had the second three-homer game in the major leagues this season. Trayce Thompson did it for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 10-1 win over Arizona on April 1.

Some in the crowd of 32,388 stood in anticipation in the seventh, when García had his first of two chances to tie the big league record of four homers in a game. He lined a two-run double to right-center for the first eight-RBI game by a Rangers player in 11 years.

Each of his homers went at least 400 feet, starting with a 432-foot drive into the second deck in left field off Japanese right-hander Shintaro Fujinami in the first inning.

García cleared the center-field wall on a 419-foot drive off reliever Adrián Martinez in the third. Texas’ cleanup hitter went deep off Martinez again in the fifth, 401 feet into the Oakland bullpen in left-center.

García has seven home runs and 28 RBIs this season.

After the first homer, García was hit on the left arm by the first pitch from Fujinami in the second inning, a 97 mph fastball. Plate umpire Jordan Baker quickly stepped in front of García, who appeared upset but walked to first base without any words exchanged with the pitcher.

With the bases loaded, Josh Jung grounded a two-run single to left and Jonah Heim followed immediately with a two-run double to right-center.

Andrew Heaney’s streak of 10 scoreless innings over two starts ended with Oakland’s two-run first, but the Texas left-hander limited the damage with Aledmys Díaz’s inning-ending double play.

Heaney (2-1) answered with five scoreless innings, allowing five hits, two walks and a hit batter with four strikeouts in six innings.

Fujinami (0-4) had improved in his two previous starts but matched the ugly numbers from his major league debut: eight runs in 2 1/3 innings.

The 29-year-old rookie gave up seven hits, walked three, hit a batter and threw two wild pitches as his ERA rose to 14.40. Fujinami has lost all four starts.

The A’s, who lost for the eighth time in nine games, extended a franchise record with a 21st consecutive game to start the season without a victory for a starter. Oakland starters are 0-10 while allowing 95 runs — all earned — in 95 1/3 innings.

UP NEXT

Texas ace Jacob deGrom (1-0, 3.48 ERA) is “full go,” according to manager Bruce Bochy, in the series finale. The right-hander was pulled as a precaution because of right wrist soreness after four hitless innings in the Rangers’ 4-0 win at Kansas City on Monday. A’s LHP Kyle Muller (0-1, 7.23) allowed 13 hits and six runs over four innings in his previous start, a 10-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

___

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Diaz, called up Wednesday from Triple-A Las Vegas and appearing in his 17th major league game, homered on a 1-2 pitch from Will Smith (0-1) with one out, sending the ball sailing over the left-field wall and helping the A’s rally from a four-run, first-inning deficit.

“I’m just happy to hit my first home run in the big leagues, especially a game-winner,” Diaz, who made 14 starts last September and October, said through an interpreter. “I was just trying to put on a good at-bat.”

Zach Jackson (1-1) pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the win. Jeurys Familia worked a scoreless ninth for his first save this season.

Jonah Heim hit a three-run homer for the second consecutive game for Texas, which had its four-game winning streak stopped despite taking an early 4-0 lead.

Rangers starter Jon Gray allowed only one hit through the first three innings before running into trouble. He gave up four runs — three earned — in 5 1/3 innings on five hits with five walks, one hit batter and two wild pitches.

Heim, acquired from Oakland in February 2021, pulled a high fastball from JP Sears into the lower deck in left field. He has four homers in his last eight games after hitting none in his first six games. Heim also picked Ryan Noda off first base in the fourth inning and threw out Conner Capel trying to steal second in the second inning.

The A’s battled back with one run in the fourth inning, two in the fifth and one in the sixth. The first of their fifth-inning runs came on Tony Kemp’s first homer of the season to end an 0-for-23 slump.

Sears allowed four runs just six batters into his start, but then gave up only two more singles through six innings. He set career highs in strikeouts (11) and pitches (101).

“I was pretty upset with myself, not the way I wanted to start it,” said Sears, acquired at last year’s trade deadline from the New York Yankees. “I (then) just tried to stay in the zone and do my thing.”

“He started hitting his spots,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said of Sears. “He was probably a batter away from leaving that ballgame.”

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW

On the 51st anniversary of the Rangers’ first home game ever in Arlington in 1972, they wore their new City Connect uniforms for the first time. It was also on that date in 1836 that Texas gained independence and in 1868 that the first championship baseball game in Texas was played.

The uniforms pay homage to those events, along with the area’s two professional teams of the 1950s – the Dallas Eagles and Fort Worth Panthers/Cats – plus the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs that played in Arlington before the American League’s Washington Senators moved there.

SHORT HOPS

Rangers rookie 3B Josh Jung extended his hitting streak to nine games. … A’s manager Mark Kotsay played for Bochy 2001-03 with San Diego. During Thursday’s off day, the two had lunch and later attended a Kenny Chesney concert together at Globe Life Field.

TRAINER’S ROOM

A’s: OF Ramon Laureano (groin strain) is playing catch and hitting back in California.

Rangers: RHP Jacob deGrom threw a bullpen Friday and is on schedule to start Sunday after leaving last Monday’s game at Kansas City after four hitless innings with wrist soreness.

UP NEXT

A’s rookie RHP Shintaro Fujinami (0-3, 11.37 ERA) has improved after allowing eight runs in 2 1/3 innings in his big league debut. He’ll face LHP Andrew Heaney (1-1, 4.97), who gave up no earned runs over 10 innings in his last two starts.

__

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The Giants and Athletics have shared the Bay Area since 1968, but that could change soon.

The A’s announced Wednesday that they have a binding agreement for a plot of land in Las Vegas that they hope to use to build a new ballpark.

While the A’s attempt to move to Las Vegas is far from a done deal, Oakland mayor Sheng Thao announced late Wednesday night that the city has ceased negotiations with the team in regards to the proposed Howard Terminal waterfront ballpark.

With all of that in mind, the Giants issued a brief statement to NBC Bay Area on Friday related to the possibility of the A’s leaving Oakland in the near future.

The Giants moved from New York to San Francisco in 1958 and the A’s followed from Kansas City, Mo. to Oakland in 1968.

The two storied franchises have battled for Bay Area bragging rights ever since, and they met in the 1989 World Series, with the A’s emerging victorious by sweeping their cross-bay rivals.

Things haven’t always been rosy between the two franchises, with the Giants invoking their territorial rights on Santa Clara County to block the A’s from building a new ballpark in San Jose more an a decade ago.

With the A’s believing they are running out of options in the Bay Area, they have turned their attention to a singular path in Las Vegas. Though they have an agreement for the plot of land, the team still has hurdles to clear with local politicians and residents.

RELATED: Kaval admits A’s binding agreement in Las Vegas is ‘bittersweet’

If everything goes according to the A’s plan, they would break ground in 2024 with the goal of opening their new Las Vegas ballpark in time for the 2027 MLB season.

If that happens, the Giants would be the only MLB team in Northern California for the first time since 1967.

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Kapler, Giants express support for A’s fans amid Las Vegas deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

In the 12th inning of Game 1 of the 2003 American League Division Series between the Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox, Gabe Kapler walked to the plate at the Coliseum with two outs and the go-ahead run on second. He crushed a grounder down the third base line, but Eric Chavez gloved it and stepped on third to end the inning.

Two decades later, Kapler remembers one thing vividly.

“What I remember is the energy in the ballpark and how much Oakland fans cared about that moment,” the now-Giants manager said Thursday afternoon.

Those crowds haven’t been there in Oakland in recent years, and they likely never will be again. The A’s hope to break ground on a new ballpark in Las Vegas next year and to play in their new home in 2027, which would leave fans in the East Bay in a familiar spot. 

Once home to the A’s, Raiders and Warriors, Oakland residents have watched all three move elsewhere or signal that they soon will. The A’s decision will leave the Bay Area as a one-team region as far as baseball goes and will give the Giants a greater stranglehold on local fans, but on Thursday there mostly was sadness that it all worked out this way. 

“I do feel bad for the fans over there,” Giants ace Logan Webb said. “It’s tough. I think there have been a ton of efforts for all three teams to stay in the Bay Area and in Oakland. I do feel for them. I grew up going to Raiders games, I grew up going to A’s games, I’ve been to Warriors games over there. It’s hard, it’s definitely hard for all the fans over there.”

Webb’s A’s fandom ended when he was drafted by the Giants, but he still is a huge supporter of the Raiders, who soon will be neighbors with the team they once shared the Coliseum with. As Kapler digested the major MLB news, he thought back to his playing days with the Texas Rangers, who visited often and would always stay at the Westin St. Francis in downtown San Francisco. Kapler would take BART to games. 

“I’ll never forget how gritty and tough and raw and just, like, really working class I saw that stadium as being and how important it was to, not just the Bay Area, but baseball in general,” Kapler said. “I’m sad for Oakland-based fans that want to see their club stay in Oakland. I also know that it’s an exciting time for the franchise and for Major League Baseball. I can certainly see it from all angles but my perspective is really about what I saw as both a player and a manager managing against the A’s and our mini-rivalry that we had with them.”

Other Giants notes

— Alex Wood had an MRI on his injured left hamstring and Kapler said he will miss “several weeks” at least. The Giants plan to slide Ross Stripling into that rotation spot, which will come up Sunday. 

RELATED: Source: Diamondbacks DFA MadBum amid prolonged struggles

— Austin Slater (hamstring) played center field for the River Cats, checking another box off his rehab list, and Mitch Haniger (oblique) has joined him in the lineup for two games. Both players are trending in the right direction but Kapler said it’s not likely that either is back Friday when the Giants face lefty Joey Lucchesi.

The Giants will face two left-handed starters in this series, which has been a problem. They currently rank 29th in the big leagues in OPS against left-handed pitchers. 

— Joc Pederson (wrist) hit in the cage on Thursday and Bryce Johnson (concussion) continued to ramp up his activity, but there’s no firm timetable for either to return. Johnson was eligible on Thursday and Pederson can return as soon as Friday. 

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Oakland A’s President Dave Kaval spoke Thursday with NBC Bay Area’s Raj Mathai about the team’s stadium site deal in Las Vegas.

“We’ve been working almost 20 years as an organization to find a permanent home for the A’s,” Kaval said. “It’s been a very long saga. We have a deadline for Major League Baseball of January of next year. We really are at the point where we needed to find a path that we could achieve success on that timeline. That’s why we moved forward with the land purchase in Las Vegas this week and are moving forward with the relocation process with them at that time.”

“We put so much into our waterfront vision and to not have success based on all the investment is disappointing,” Kaval continued. “But at the same time, we have a new path and we’re charting a course in Las Vegas and that’s why we’re turning our attention to getting the final pieces in place there and getting an approval before the league deadline of January of 24.”

Kaval said the team finalized a deal last week to buy a 49-acre site where the A’s plan to build the stadium close to the Las Vegas Strip with a seating capacity of 30,000 to 35,000.

The A’s will work with Nevada and Clark County on a public-private partnership to fund the stadium. Kaval said the A’s hope to break ground by next year and would hope to move to their new home by 2027.

“I think it’s a bittersweet day,” Kaval said. “We feel for our Oakland fans. We’ve had so many incredible memories here: world championships, World Series, Hall of Fame players – Rickey Henderson, Rollie Fingers – but by the same token, I think a lot of people, especially in the organization, feel a sense of relief that we have a direction because that’s something that we haven’t had for some time.”

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said news of the land deal is “extremely disappointing.”

“I want to be very clear, this announcement happened mid-negotiations, and it shows that they had no interest in reaching a deal with Oakland at all,” she said. “Oakland is not interested in being used as leverage in the A’s negotiations with Las Vegas. It is disrespectful to our residents and our fans to string the city along this way.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MLB Apr 19

Oakland Ends Athletics Talks Amid News of Las Vegas Ballpark Site Deal

athletics Apr 20

Oakland Mayor Calls Athletics' Las Vegas Stadium Site Deal ‘Extremely Disappointing'

Team president Dave Kaval said Wednesday night the team finalized a deal last week to buy the 49-acre site where the A’s plan to build the stadium close to the Las Vegas Strip with a seating capacity of 30,000 to 35,000.

The A’s will work with Nevada and Clark County on a public-private partnership to fund the stadium. Kaval said the A’s hope to break ground by next year and would hope to be move to their new home by 2027.

“It’s obviously a very big milestone for us,” Kaval said. “We spent almost two years working in Las Vegas to try to determine a location that works for a long-term home. To identify a site and have a purchase agreement is a big step.”

The A’s had been looking for a new home for years to replace the outdated and run-down Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. They had sought to build a stadium in Fremont and San Jose before shifting their attention to the Oakland waterfront.

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54.

“We’re turning our full attention to Las Vegas,” Kaval said. “We were on parallel paths before. But we’re focused really on Las Vegas as our path to find a future home for the A’s.”

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Oakland Mayor Calls Athletics' Las Vegas Stadium Site Deal ‘Extremely Disappointing'

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Exclusive Local TV Interview: Oakland A's President Addresses Las Vegas Stadium Land Deal

Commissioner Rob Manfred said in December the A’s would not have to pay a relocation fee if the team moved to Las Vegas.

“We’re past any reasonable timeline for the situation in Oakland to be resolved,” Manfred said then.

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said in a statement that she was disappointed the A’s didn’t negotiate with the city as a “true partner.”

“The city has gone above and beyond in our attempts to arrive at mutually beneficial terms to keep the A’s in Oakland,” she said. “In the last three months, we’ve made significant strides to close the deal. Yet, it is clear to me that the A’s have no intention of staying in Oakland and have simply been using this process to try to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas. I am not interested in continuing to play that game — the fans and our residents deserve better.

“I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished as a City, including securing a fully entitled site and over $375 million in new infrastructure investment that will benefit Oakland and its Port for generations to come. In a time of budget deficits, I refuse to compromise the safety and well-being of our residents. Given these realities, we are ceasing negotiations and moving forward on alternatives for the redevelopment of Howard Terminal.”

The A’s would be only the second MLB team to change cities in more than a half-century. Since the Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers for 1972, the only team to relocate was the Montreal Expos, who became the Washington Nationals in 2005.

The A’s lease at the Coliseum expires after the 2024 season. The A’s has struggled to draw fans to the Coliseum in recent years as owner John Fisher has slashed payroll and many of the team’s most recognizable stars have been traded away.

Oakland had the lowest opening day payroll in baseball at at $58 million — less than the combined salaries of Mets pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, who tied for the major league high of $43.3 million.

The team is 3-16 this season and has been outscored by 86 runs — the worst mark through 19 games since 1899. The average attendance through 12 home games this season is 11,027 for the lowest mark in the majors and less than half of the league average of about 27,800. The A’s haven’t drawn 2 million fans at home since 2014 — their only year reaching the mark since 2005.

If the A’s leave Oakland, the city with a rich sports tradition would have no major pro sports teams with the NFL’s Raiders having moved to Las Vegas in 2020 and the NBA’s Warriors moving across the bay to San Francisco in 2019.

“We know it’s a difficult message for our folks in Oakland,” Kaval said. “Obviously we’re grateful for all the hard work that went into the waterfront. But we have been unable to achieve success or make enough progress.”

Las Vegas is quickly become a sports mecca after years of being considered a pariah because of ties to the gambling industry. With gambling legalized in much of the country, the city now could have a baseball team to join the NHL’s Golden Knights, who began as an expansion team in 2017 and the Raiders.

“The city of Oakland has for years worked to come to an agreement to keep the A’s rooted here in the city of Oakland,” Thao said. “On many occasions, we were able to overcome seemingly insurmountable barriers and we showed our commitment to the team and its fans over and over again.”

“I want to be very clear, this announcement happened mid-negotiations, and it shows that they had no interest in reaching a deal with Oakland at all,” Thao continued. “Oakland is not interested in being used as leverage in the A’s negotiations with Las Vegas. It is disrespectful to our residents and our fans to string the city along this way. We will not continue discussions under these circumstances and will instead work for a development deal that actually creates opportunities for Oaklanders and includes partners that are committed to the success of our city, our communities, our residents and our businesses.”

A’s president Dave Kaval said Wednesday night the team finalized a deal last week to buy the 49-acre site where the A’s plan to build the stadium close to the Las Vegas Strip with a seating capacity of 30,000 to 35,000.

The A’s will work with Nevada and Clark County on a public-private partnership to fund the stadium. Kaval said the A’s hope to break ground by next year and would hope to move to their new home by 2027.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MLB Apr 19

Oakland Ends Athletics Talks Amid News of Las Vegas Ballpark Site Deal

athletics Apr 19

Athletics' Las Vegas Ballpark Site Deal Sends MLB Twitter Into Frenzy

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A’s fans, MLB Twitter react to team’s Las Vegas ballpark site deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

Athletics fans were dealt a crushing blow late Wednesday night when the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the team signed a binding purchase agreement for a potential ballpark site in Las Vegas. 

Oakland mayor Sheng Thao then released a statement to The San Francisco Chronicle’s Sarah Ravani saying the city was “ceasing negotiations” with the team after the agreement for the site in Las Vegas.  

The news does not mean the A’s officially are moving to Vegas … yet, but the writing certainly is on the wall.

A’s fans and baseball fans in general took to Twitter to express their frustrations with the news. 

The A’s have called Oakland home since 1968 and fans understandably are very frustrated, as they have been for many years while the team attempted and failed numerous times to build a new ballpark in Oakland. 

RELATED: Miller has ‘unbelievable’ MLB debut in A’s loss to Cubs

While a move to Las Vegas is not official just yet, it does appear that Oakland, and the San Francisco Bay Area, might be losing yet another professional sports franchise.

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“We’re just playing good team baseball up and down the lineup with different guys getting hits,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “A really nice road trip. Guys took care of business here. Up and down the lineup, guys are locked in.”

The A’s have lost seven straight and at 3-16 are mired in their poorest 19-game start since the 1951 Philadelphia A’s.

Eric Hosmer hit his first home run since last July 29 for San Diego, Patrick Wisdom had a two-run triple and Nico Hoerner added three hits for the Cubs. Luis Torrens drove in two runs with a bases-loaded double in the ninth.

Justin Steele (3-0) struck out five in six innings, allowing two runs — one earned — and four hits. The left-hander, who won four games in 24 starts last season, has given up two earned runs or fewer in 11 consecutive starts dating to last year.

“I’ve had better starts, but it’s always good to go out there and put the guys in a good position to win a ballgame,” Steele said. “It’s always fun to watch us score runs. I like guys going up there and just swinging it. That’s what we’ve been doing lately, finding a lot of barrels.”

Mason Miller, a 24-year-old right-hander who is Oakland’s top pitching prospect, made his major league debut and allowed two runs, four hits and one walk with five strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. The 6-foot-5 right-hander, a third-round pick in the 2021 draft, reached 100 mph with 15 of 81 pitches and averaged 99.3 mph with 53 fastballs.

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He retired nine of his first 10 Chicago hitters before the Cubs scored single runs in the fourth and fifth.

“I think he’s got a really good chance to be pretty dang good,” Chicago catcher Tucker Barnhart said. “I’m anxious to watch him grow as a player. As a player, you want guys in the league like that.”

Miller, who had friends and family in the stands, admitted to some early jitters.

“All morning, I couldn’t wait for it to get started,” Miller said. “My control was a little sporadic, but I chalk that up to nerves and I think I settled in as the game went on. I’m happy with how my outing went today. There’s some things I’d like to change, but I try not to be super critical of it today and just enjoy the moment.”

A’s manager Mark Kotsay was ejected for arguing in the fourth inning by plate umpire Adam Hamari after Aledmys Díaz struck out looking on a pitch clock violation.

With the score 2-2, Swanson and Ian Happ drew back-to-back walks off Chad Smith (1-1) to begin the sixth. After both runners moved up on a wild pitch, Cody Bellinger hit a sharp grounder to first baseman Jesús Aguilar off Sam Moll. Aguilar attempted to get the out at home, but Swanson beat the throw standing up.

After Torrens struck out swinging, Wisdom tripled for a 6-2 lead.

Hosmer homered off Adam Oller in the eighth.

Keegan Thompson and Julian Mayweather combined to get the final nine outs for the Cubs.

Carlos Pérez and Jordan Diaz had RBI doubles for Oakland.

TRADE

The A’s sent minor league OF Cal Stevenson to the San Francisco Giants for cash.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks emerged from a two-inning simulated game in Arizona on Monday feeling good, although he isn’t yet ready to begin a rehab assignment, Ross said.

Athletics: OF OF Ramón Laureano (strained left groin) was placed on the 10-day IL retroactive to Monday and RHP Trevor May (anxiety) was put on the 15-day IL. … Closer Dany Jiménez, who was placed on the IL on Tuesday with a right shoulder strain, was transferred to the 60-day IL and won’t throw for at least a month.

UP NEXT

Cubs: RHP Jameson Taillon (0-2, 7.00 ERA) starts Friday in Los Angeles seeking his first career win in five outings against the Dodgers.

Athletics: Kotsay has not named a starter for Friday’s series opener in Texas.

Alonso tied the score in the ninth inning with his major league-leading eighth homer, and New York beat the struggling Oakland Athletics 4-3 in 10 innings Sunday for a three-game sweep.

“To sweep somebody on the road, that’s extremely hard to do,” Alonso said. “It was a great team win. Pitched well, played great defense and we had some pretty big hits. We executed when we needed to.”

Eduardo Escobar scored the go-ahead run in the 10th on a wild pitch by Sam Moll (0-2). Francisco Lindor and Tommy Pham also homered for the Mets, who won their fourth straight and finished off their first sweep of the season.

Brandon Nimmo made two diving catches in center field, one that saved the game in the ninth. David Robertson pitched out of trouble in the 10th for his fourth save.

“There’s been three kind of different games but you always like when you end up on the good side of it,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said.

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Lindor’s third homer of the series came two days after he set a franchise record for shortstops with seven RBIs.

Alonso’s solo shot tied it 3-all and matched Kingman for fifth place in Mets history with 154 home runs. Alonso, who has hit safely in nine of the last 10 games, went deep for the second consecutive day when he crushed a 2-1 pitch from Dany Jiménez to center field — one inning after the A’s had gone ahead 3-2 on Shea Langelier’s two-run double off John Curtiss.

Alonso’s milestone home run was the 88th of his career on the road, matching Carlos Beltran for fifth-most by a Mets player.

“Not just on the road, but no matter where I am I want to be able to have a high-quality at-bat, be able to capitalize on pitches in my area, and I was able to do that in the ninth,” Alonso said.

Alonso’s eight home runs through 16 games also matched Jeff Kent (1994) for most in franchise history.

“He’s just a consistent human being — home, away, spring training,” Showalter said. “Pete’s the same guy who walks through the door every day and (has) a real consistent mentality. He can take the emotion out of an at-bat and that’s important on the road.”

Jimmy Yacabonis (1-0) worked a scoreless inning to win his Mets debut.

Oakland (3-13) matched the 1951 and ’56 teams for the worst 16-game start in franchise history.

Afterward, manager Mark Kotsay went through the clubhouse encouraging players with a quick check in or fist on their arm.

“We’re 1-10 in our last 11, so obviously not where we want to be,” starting pitcher JP Sears said. “We’ve got to get better, got to pitch better, and get deeper in the games with the starting staff to pick up the offense. They’ve been doing a good job the past week or so with their approach at the plate.”

Making his second major league start, José Butto allowed one run in five-plus innings for New York in his season debut. Butto was called up from the minors and inserted into the rotation when Max Scherzer was pushed back a few days due to a sore back.

Sears set down 13 straight before Lindor drove a 1-2 fastball into the left-field stands for his fourth home run. Sears permitted four hits and two runs in six innings.

GLOVE WORK

Nimmo’s defensive gems were as big a part of the victory as anything, Showalter noted.

“I wasn’t even sure he’d be able to get leather on the first one,” the manager said. “The second one I didn’t think he had any chance. Those are two good plays.”

Oakland left fielder Tony Kemp also came up big defensively and made a diving catch of Escobar’s sinking liner in the fifth.

50 YEARS LATER

The A’s held a pregame ceremony honoring their 1973 championship team that beat the Mets in the World Series. Among those in attendance were Reggie Jackson, Joe Rudi, Vida Blue and Rollie Fingers.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mets: Scherzer did some long tossing before the game and remains in line to start Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Athletics: Langeliers returned to the lineup after being limited to pinch-running duties Saturday.

UP NEXT

Mets: LHP David Peterson (0-2, 4.91 ERA) faces the Dodgers for the first time in his career Monday in Los Angeles.

Athletics: LHP Kyle Muller (0-0 5.52) makes his fourth start of the season against the Chicago Cubs on Monday. Muller has seven walks in 14 2/3 innings this season.

___

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Pete Alonso hit his seventh home run for the Mets. The solo drive off A’s starter Shintaro Fujinami in the fourth was the 153rd of Alonso’s career and his 87th in a road game.

Outside of Alonso’s homer, the Mets were kept in check for much of the game before getting to Fujinami (0-3) for a pair of runs in the seventh.

Canha, the former A’s slugger, began the comeback with a leadoff home run that tied the game at 2. After Daniel Vogelbach walked and was replaced at first base by Locastro, Trevor May came in for Fujinami and retired the next two batters before Nimmo lined a 95.1 mph fastball from May down the right field line, scoring Locastro.

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Before that, Fujinami was crisp and in line for his first win in the majors. The Japanese right-hander allowed three runs and four hits with five strikeouts over six innings. lowering his ERA from 17.55 to 11.37.

Drew Smith (1-1) retired four batters and had two strikeouts to earn the win. Brooks Raley set down two, Adam Ottavino pitched a scoreless eighth and David Robertson worked the ninth for his third save, despite a pitcher’s clock violation.

Both of the A’s runs came off Mets starter Carlos Carrasco.

Ramón Laureano singled leading off the second and scored on Conner Capel’s groundout. Esteury Ruiz later delivered a two-out single that scored Aledmys Diaz.

Oakland had two runners on with two outs in the eighth, but Ottavino struck out pinch-hitter Ryan Noda swinging.

Carrasco allowed four hits and hit three batters. He walked one and had three strikeouts.

LOST TRACK OF COUNT

Mets No. 3 hitter Francisco Lindor thought he drew a walk off Fujinami in the sixth and trotted to first base, only to be called back by home plate umpire Scott Barry after A’s manager Mark Kotsay came out to protest. Barry briefly conferred with two other umpires, corrected the count to 3-2 and had Lindor return to finish the at-bat. He ended up grounding out to second.

ROSTER MOVES

Mets: RHP Dennis Santana was designated for assignment. RHP Jose Butto and RHP Jimmy Yacabonis were called up from Triple-A Syracuse. Butto is likely to join New York’s rotation after a 1.86 ERA in two starts with Syracuse. Yacabonis is likely to pitch out of the bullpen.

Athletics: LHP Richard Lovelady was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas and will pitch out of the bullpen. To make room, Oakland optioned LHP Hogan Harris to Las Vegas.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mets: RHP Stephen Nogosek was placed on the injured list with a right elbow injury. Nogosek was hurt after fielding a comebacker in Friday night’s game.

Athletics: Catcher Shea Langeliers was held out a day after working behind the plate for all nine innings of Friday’s 17-6 loss that took nearly 3½ hours. Langeliers entered Saturday’s game as a pinch-runner in the ninth.

UP NEXT

Mets RHP Max Scherzer (2-1, 4.41 ERA) pitches the series finale Sunday looking for his third win in six career starts at Oakland. Scherzer ranks third all-time with 110 double-digit strikeout games in his career. Athletics’ LHP JP Sears (0-1, 5.59) faces the Mets for the second time in his brief career. Sears lasted only 3 2/3 innings and allowed six runs against New York last September.

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Opossum takes over Mets broadcast vs. A’s originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

The Oakland A’s bizarre Friday showing against the New York Mets continued beyond the diamond. 

Returning to Oakland Coliseum for the first time in over a week, the A’s outhit the Mets 13-11. That proved futile at the end of the day when New York routed the home team 17-6, thanks to a franchise-record 17 walks from the Oakland bullpen.

But the Athletics’ losses started well before the first run.

Early in the second inning with the score tied 0-0, commentators for the New York-based network SNY explained that they were displaced from the regular visitor’s booth by a opossum. According to Gary Cohen, they first learned about the intruder last September, but were reminded of its presence earlier this season when the opossum emerged from the walls while the broadcast team for the Los Angeles Dodgers was visiting. 

The A’s reportedly tried to catch the animal — unsuccessfully — throughout the first month of the season. The invasion reached a fever pitch week this week when they returned from a seven-game stretch on the road to be greeted by a stench so bad that the SNY crew was forced to relocate. 

“I went to the booth and people grabbed me, almost tackled me and pushed me into this booth,” Ron Darling said.

The booth wasn’t completely abandoned, however. The SNY cameraman had to hold down the fort in the opossum’s home.

The A’s later allowed 17 runs and picked up their 11th loss of the year. 

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The Tampa Bay Rays are putting together one of the best starts ever.

The Rays routed the Oakland Athletics 11-0 Sunday to improve to 9-0 as Drew Rasmussen combined on a one-hitter and Brandon Lowe hit a grand slam. Tampa Bay is the first team to win its first nine games since the 2003 Kansas City Royals.

“Essentially, everything is going exactly the way that we want to,” Lowe said. “This is incredible baseball that we’re playing.”

Tampa Bay has outscored opponents 75-18, scoring the most runs in the big leagues and allowing the fewest.

“It just opens things up,” Rasmussen said of the Rays’ offense. “The way they’re going right now, it’s unbelievable.”

The Rays have won every game by four or more runs, trailing only a 13-game run by the 1884 St. Louis Maroons of the Union Association as the longest at a season’s start. The streak is the longest at any point of a season since 10 by the 1939 New York Yankees.

The longest winning streak at a season’s start is 13 by the 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1987 Milwaukee Brewers.

Oakland has lost seven of nine. The Athletics were outscored 22-0 in the final two games of the series and limited to four hits, dropping their batting average to .192. The team ERA jumped from 7.00 to 7.54.

The Athletics run differential of minus-45 through nine games is the third worse since 1900, only behind the 1955 Kansas City Athletics (minus-55) and the 1988 Baltimore Orioles (minus-48).

“I think we’ve got to put this series behind us,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said. “We’ll talk about it, how we get better going forward.”

Wander Franco and Harold Ramírez also homered for the Rays, who have hit a big league-leading 24 long balls.

Rasmussen (2-0) allowed his only runner on Ramon Laureano’s two-out double in the second and has given up three hits over 13 scoreless innings in two starts. He struck out eight and walked none.

Ryan Thompson got three straight outs, and Jason Adam worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth.

James Kaprielian (0-1) allowed seven runs, seven hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings. Oakland pitchers walked seven and hit two batters.

“It’s fundamentals that we’re failing at right now,” Kotsay said. “Again, today we walk seven, hit two, so the storyline here is we need to be better on the mound as well.”

Lowe’s drive was the only hit in the fourth to leave the infield as Tampa Bay took a 5-0 lead.

Isaac Paredes was hit by pitch starting the fourth, and Ramírez was credited with a single when third baseman Jace Peterson looked at second after fielding a ball and threw late to first.

Christian Bethancourt reached on a two-out fielder’s choice when Ramírez beat Aledmys Díaz’s throw to second base from deep in the shortstop hole. Lowe then connected for his his third career slam.

Ramirez said he was told by first base coach Chris Prieto the pitch before you’ve got to get second on a groundball.

“I don’t get that at-bat without Harold,” Lowe said. “I think owe him a steak later in this year.”

Paredes drew a two-out walk in the fifth and came on Ramírez’s homer.

Randy Arozarena had a RBI single in a two-run sixth that was set up when second baseman Tony Kemp caught a pop up by Franco but threw to an undercovered first base trying to double up Lowe.

Franco had a solo shot in the first.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: OF Seth Brown didn’t play after feeling side discomfort on a check-swing on Saturday.

Rays: INF Taylor Walls (left elbow) will undergo tests Monday. … RHP Tyler Glasbow (left oblique) could throw off a mound next week.

UP NEXT

Athletics: LHP JP Sears (0-0) will face Baltimore RHP Kyle Gibson (2-0) on Monday night.

Rays: LHP Josh Fleming (0-0) will follow opener Jalen Beeks (0-0) against Boston RHP Nick Pivetta (0-1) Monday night.

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The second baseman hit a game-ending single in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday night to give the Oakland Athletics a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians.

“Today’s a new day,” Kemp said. “You just continue to grind it out with your teammates. We’ve got a great group here. The season is young.”

Ryan Noda led off the ninth with a walk against James Karinchak (0-2). Noda advanced to second on a groundout by Esteury Ruiz before Kemp singled him home.

“I faced (Karinchak) a couple of times in the past,” Kemp noted. “He’s a guy that you definitely don’t want to get behind in the count, so I was just trying to get a fastball in the zone early and put a good swing on it, and it worked out for us.”

Ruiz and Jace Peterson also drove in runs to help Oakland snap a six-game home losing streak to Cleveland.

Trevor May (2-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.

“The ‘pen kept the game close, gave our offense a chance to win the game,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said.

Gabriel Arias homered for the Guardians, who lost for the first time since opening day, snapping a four-game win streak. José Ramírez had an RBI double.

Ruiz doubled in Noda to put the A’s ahead 1-0 in the third. Peterson added a sacrifice fly two batters later.

Cleveland tied it in the fourth on an RBI groundout by Josh Naylor and Arias’ solo homer off Oakland starter JP Sears, who allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings with five strikeouts.

Ramírez gave the Guardians their first lead in the fifth on a pop-fly double to shallow center. The ball bounced off Kemp’s glove as he nearly collided with Ruiz charging in from center field.

The A’s pulled even in the sixth when Seth Brown reached on a dropped third strike, allowing Kemp to score from third.

“They’ve shown in the last two games that they can bounce back and fight through some adversity and some mistakes,” Kotsay said about his team.

Cleveland ace Shane Bieber gave up three runs in six innings with seven strikeouts.

“It was a good game,” Bieber said. “Unfortunately, we just ended up on the wrong side of things tonight, so I’m excited to see how we bounce back tomorrow.”

KEEPING THE BEAT

The Guardians will wear a ‘JA’ patch on their uniforms in Friday’s home opener in memory of longtime super fan and ballpark drummer John Adams, who died in January.

“He was there every day for how many years?” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “I think it’s an extremely respectful, nice tribute to a fan, which is not a bad thing.”

The patch will feature Adams’ base drum mallets.

MOMMY AND ME

Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, who is from Cleveland, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch with his mom, Donna, at the Guardians’ home opener. Donna Kelce became a big hit during Super Bowl week with two sons playing against each other in the game, the other being Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Jason Kelce.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: RHP Paul Blackburn (torn fingernail) will begin a rehab assignment Friday at Class A Stockton. He is expected to throw approximately 35 pitches.

UP NEXT

RHP Hunter Gaddis (0-0, 9.82 ERA) pitches Wednesday afternoon for Cleveland in the series finale. Oakland counters with LHP Kyle Muller (0-0, 1.80).

___

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José Ramírez hit a go-ahead single in the 10th inning after his RBI triple in the eighth gave Cleveland the lead, and the Guardians rallied to beat the Oakland Athletics 12-11 on Monday night.

Cleveland added an insurance run on a wild pitch by Trevor May (1-1), which the Guardians needed when Oakland got one back in the bottom of the 10th on Esteury Ruiz’s double.

“That was a hard game to win for a lot of reasons,” manager Terry Francona said. “We got down, we got up, we got down, they fought back. I give them a lot of credit, and you’re on the road so you’re always a swing away. But we did enough to win, and that’s what we set out to do so it makes for a good day.”

Seth Brown hit a tying, two-run homer with two outs in the ninth off Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase (1-0).

Brown struck out on an automatic strike in Oakland’s five-run second for a pitch-clock violation charged to the batter for taking too much time on a windy, unseasonably chilly April night in the Bay Area. He also was thrown out at the plate by right fielder Will Brennan to end the seventh.

“We have that energy where we know we’re not going to lose the game,” Brennan said. “You can feel that in the stadium, you can feel that in the lineup, and every play dictates that. We know that we’re not going to lose the game, and we’re not out of every game.”

Josh Naylor homered leading off the fourth and hit an RBI single for the Guardians, who won their fourth straight after losing at Seattle on opening day.

The reigning AL Central champions established a methodical way of winning last year on the way to 92 victories, even when they might have seemed out of a game.

“Playing our game of baseball. We’re going to see pitches, we’re going to put up good at-bats, we’re not going to swing when it’s not the right moment,” Cleveland starter Zach Plesac said. “Little things like that, playing the game the right way. Tito does such a good job of just instilling those things into our guys and we just live and die by it. It definitely worked today, it worked last year and we’re going to continue to push.”

Jace Peterson hit a three-run homer in the second and Ramón Laureano added a two-run drive in the fifth, but the A’s squandered an early 6-2 lead for James Kaprielian. Oakland rookie Ryan Noda doubled and singled while making his first career start playing first base.

Xzavion Curry pitched five innings in relief of Plesac, who was knocked out after allowing six runs on seven hits in one inning. James Karinchak pitched the eighth, then Clase blew the save. He wound up with the win, and Morgan finished a game that took 3 hours, 19 minutes.

It was a tough season debut for Plesac, who endured a 12-start winless stretch over more than two months last year in which he went 0-7. He finished 3-12 after a 10-6 record in 2021.

The A’s have lost three in a row since beating the Angels on opening day. Oakland has lost six straight at home to the Guardians to match its longest skid ever at the Coliseum against Cleveland, which lasted from 1994 to 1995.

“The frustration level’s at a 10. It’s a ballgame we should win,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “We gave them five unearned runs. We talked about it all spring training that this ballclub needs to play good defense and we weren’t able to do that tonight.”

The A’s dropped the season series with Cleveland last year for the first time since 2016, going 1-6 for their worst mark since losing all seven matchups in 1995.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: RHP Paul Blackburn, recovering from a right middle fingernail that tore off, threw a two-inning side session of 40 pitches and is likely headed to Class A Stockton to begin a rehab program.

UP NEXT

RHP Shane Bieber pitches Tuesday night for the Guardians opposite Oakland LHP JP Sears.

___

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MLB suspends Rendon four games for Angels-A’s fan altercation originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon has been suspended for four games after an altercation he had with a fan at the Angels-Athletics season opener last Thursday at the Oakland Coliseum, MLB announced Monday. 

Rendon will begin serving the suspension Monday night and miss the entire series against the Seattle Mariners, as well as the Angels’ home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. He also will be fined an undisclosed amount. 

Rendon originally was suspended for five games, but he appealed his suspension and MLB reduced it by one game.

With MLB’s investigation complete, Rendon was able to address the incident with reporters Monday, admitting fault for what happened and noting that he spoke to the fan.

MLB previously said it was investigating the incident that was captured on video and quickly circulated on social media. 

(Warning Video contains NSFW language)

In the video, Rendon appears to grab the fan by the shirt and a hearted back-and-forth exchange ensued. 

“What’d you say?” Rendon appears to ask the fan. “You can me a b—h, huh?” 

The fan denied Rendon’s accusation but the Angels player continued to aggressively reiterate his claims. 

On top of MLB’s investigation, the Oakland Police Department said it, too, was investigating the incident. 

“The Oakland Police Department (OPD) is investigating a battery that occurred on March 30, 2023, following an event in the 7000 block of Joe Morgan Way,” the statement said. “At this time, no victim has contacted OPD, however, surveillance video of the incident has surfaced. As a result, OPD created an incident, made a report, and is actively investigating.”

RELATED: Waldichuk’s small mistakes smashed by Ohtani, Trout in A’s loss

It’s unclear what led up to the altercation, and on Saturday, Rendon, Angels manager Phil Nevin and general manager Perry Minasian said they couldn’t comment on the situation because it was under investigation.

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He put on a straw hat with the Golden State Warriors logo and got swarmed with love, handshakes and hugs from his teammates.

“I think putting that hat on and running through the dugout definitely kind of gave me that moment to have and get excited about it,” he said. “When I took it off, it was back to it. I did have a couple seconds to take it in.”

O’Hoppe’s three-run drive in the fourth broke up a scoreless game, Mike Trout had a two-run shot the next inning and Shohei Ohtani connected one pitch later as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Oakland Athletics 6-0 on Sunday.

With two outs and in his 22nd at-bat, O’Hoppe crushed a 1-1 fastball from Ken Waldichuk (0-1) over the wall in left-center, a 391-foot-shot with a 101.5 mph exit velocity. The catcher could be seen smiling and sporting that straw hat courtesy of staffer Tim Buss while celebrating in the dugout afterward with Ohtani.

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“Obviously all the emotions that come with it, it was a pretty surreal moment, and happy it got us on the board,” he said. “… I knew he wasn’t going to catch it but I wasn’t sure if it was going to get out. I actually didn’t even see the ball clear. I just saw when he stopped, I heard the dugout behind me so I’m like, ‘All right, I guess it’s gone.’”

He has been working on slowing things down in order to not let the moment become too much at the start of his first full big league season.

“I’m getting used to the environment, getting used to the third deck, all that stuff,” he said. “I’m really excited because I feel like my heart rate’s a little slower than it was opening day and last year, too.”

O’Hoppe’s six RBIs so far are the most for an Angels catcher in the first three games of the season and also tied for the most by any catcher in the initial three games of a campaign over the last 20 years.

“Holy MOLY,” mother Angela said via text message from back in Sayville, New York, after flying a red-eye home from the Bay Area overnight in order to teach school Monday morning.

“O’Hoppe Day,” tweeted the Angels with video of his homer, stealing a line from the catcher’s close-knit family in a play off the “Oh Happy Day” church hymn they love. The O’Hoppes even had “O’Hoppe Day” T-shirts made in celebration of O’Hoppe’s father Michael achieving remission after he fought for his life and survived non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma from July 2021 through a stem-cell transplant early last year.

They found “HOPE” on Aug. 2, 2021 — Angela’s 50th birthday, the mom shared, from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center oncology team in New York “that it wasn’t a death sentence” after the original doctor gave Michael seven to 19 months to live.

“Words can’t describe it. Not too long ago I wasn’t sure if I’d be here,” Michael O’Hoppe said by text message Sunday. “I am here and enjoying every minute of it. Beyond grateful.”

Logan O’Hoppe later singled. He is scheduled to catch again in Monday’s series opener at Seattle, then get his first day off Tuesday with Matt Thaiss taking a turn behind the plate, manager Phil Nevin said before Sunday’s series finale. O’Hoppe, a 23rd-round draft pick by the Phillies in 2018 acquired in a trade last Aug. 2, became the youngest catcher in Angels history to start opening day Thursday at 23 years and 49 days.

“I feel like a lot of the fan base knows my family like I do now, so there are going to be a lot of tears going on,” he said. “It’ll be fun.”

Left-hander Tyler Anderson (1-0) allowed four hits, struck out four and walked two over six scoreless innings making his Angels debut after signing a three-year contract in November. He is 3-0 with a 0.48 ERA and 17 strikeouts in four career starts against the A’s.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: 3B Anthony Rendon had a day off as a precaution. He was removed in the bottom of the sixth Saturday after running into a rolled-up tarp in foul territory earlier in the game. … INF Jared Walsh, in Utah receiving treatment for headaches and insomnia, took some swings Saturday and was to do so again Sunday.

UP NEXT

Angels: LHP Reid Detmers pitches Monday in the series opener at Seattle.

Athletics: RHP James Kaprielian takes the mound Monday against the Cleveland Guardians.

___

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Taylor Ward homered and drove in four runs, and Los Angeles scored 11 times in the third inning to beat Oakland 13-1 on Saturday, spoiling Fujinami’s major league debut.

Ohtani added two hits and two RBIs for Los Angeles. Gio Urshela, Jake Lamb and rookie catcher Logan O’Hoppe drove in two runs apiece to help the Angels avoid an 0-2 start for the second consecutive season.

“I’m not worried about the offense,” Los Angeles manager Phil Nevin said. “You go back and look at the tape (from Thursday), we hit some balls hard and things could have gone different ways. Happy with the way they swung it today, and we pitched well and played really good defense.”

Angels starter Patrick Sandoval (1-0) gave up a home run to Ramón Laureano, but that was it.

Fujinami, who signed a one-year, free-agent deal with Oakland after spending the past 10 seasons with the Hanshin Tigers, was part of the same draft class in Japan as Ohtani in 2012. The right-hander breezed through the first two innings, then fell apart.

After getting Ward to strike out swinging at a 93 mph slider to begin the game, Fujinami (0-1) whiffed slugger Mike Trout swinging on a 95 mph slider and got Ohtani to ground out weakly to first base.

Following a 1-2-3 second, the Angels broke through in the third. O’Hoppe’s RBI double got it going. Ward had a run-scoring single before Ohtani banged an 0-1 pitch off the left-field wall for a long RBI single.

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Anthony Rendon added a sacrifice fly before Lamb’s two-run single made it 6-0 and ended Fujinami’s afternoon after 55 pitches.

Ward’s homer was a three-run drive off reliever Adam Oller.

“Definitely the start we needed,” Ward said. “Just bringing the fire like that, we need to do that every game. For me, I was just trying to really stay on (Fujinami’s) heater. In the situation I was in, with runners on, I figured he may go to an off-speed pitch early on, so I was ready for it.”

Fujinami lasted 2 1/3 innings, allowing eight earned runs with three walks and four strikeouts.

“The first inning the fastball was working very well. I thought the third inning I threw too many off-speed pitches. I should have thrown more fastballs,” he said through interpreter Issei Kamada.

Fujinami was quick to point out he’s not satisfied.

“Just getting on a big league mound is not enough,” he said. “I’ll probably think about it when I get back home, but today’s today. Tomorrow’s a brand new day.”

Sandoval allowed two hits in five innings. He struck out two and walked two. In nine career starts against Oakland, the left-hander is 3-3 with a 1.84 ERA.

“I’m just trying to keep my foot on the gas and make pitches,” Sandoval said. “Made some pitches but also didn’t make some pitches.”

Tucker Davidson pitched four scoreless innings for his first major league save.

SHORT HOPS

It was the fourth time in the last 50 years the A’s allowed 11 or more runs in one inning. … Oakland shortstop Carlos Perez singled in the ninth in his first big league at-bat since 2018. “Congrats to Carlos for getting that hit after not being here for five years,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: Brandon Drury was given a planned day off. Lamb started in Drury’s place at first base and batted sixth. … Rendon, the subject of an ongoing MLB investigation after an altercation Thursday with an Oakland fan, was removed in the bottom of the sixth after running into a rolled-up tarp in foul territory earlier in the game.

UP NEXT

Tyler Anderson makes his Angels debut Sunday against Ken Waldichuk in a matchup of left-handers. Anderson had a 1.35 ERA over 13 1/3 innings this spring. Waldichuk went 0-4 in five starts last season for Oakland.

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