Athletics end historic, inaugural season in Sacramento

The Athletics wrapped up their inaugural season in Sacramento on Sunday, hosting the final game of the season versus the Kansas City Royals at Sutter Health Park. 

“I was here for the first game and I’m here for the last game,” said fan Dave Holzknecht.

The season was historic as the A’s made their move for a total of three seasons to the capital city, while their new stadium in Las Vegas is being built. 

“We’re loving it, I’m from Sacramento, I’ve wanted this my whole life,” said Ron Barrett, A’s fan and season ticket holder. 

The A’s are expected to make their permanent move to Vegas starting in the 2028 season. 

Some local A’s fans wish the team would stay in Sacramento for good. 

“It’s better than going to Vegas, I’ll tell you that!” said fan Jason Key. 

Some fans are also holding out hope that this three-year trial run for professional baseball in Sacramento will one day mean an MLB expansion team might be a possibility.

In that conversation, ticket sales do matter. For the entire season, the A’s have put up crowds of just under 10,000 on average. 

On Sunday, in the stands for the final game, just under 9,000 fans attended. The stadium has a capacity of roughly 14,000. 

For the players, pre-season upgrades got the minor league ballpark up to big league standards. 

“You know, you hear you’re playing in a Triple-A ballpark in the big leagues, expectations aren’t that high. I feel like they did a great job with what we have. Hitter-friendly ballpark, we love that too,” said A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz. 

Players credit the grounds crews for keeping the field in great shape, considering about 150 games between the Sacramento River Cats and the A’s were played here this season. 

“We enjoyed it, obviously took a little to adjust to it the first few weeks. Our group and team did a good job of that,” said outfielder and designated hitter Brent Rooker. 

The Athletics announced exciting news on Sunday. For the first time in the 2026 season, A’s players will wear alternate jerseys representing Sacramento with the city’s name written boldly across the chest. 

This season, the team has only worn jerseys with “Athletics” on the chest and both a Sacramento and Las Vegas patch on their sleeves. 

“I think it’s awesome. It’s about time,” said Barrett. 

Fans can buy the Sacramento jersey in stores and online starting next season. 

Players say they are excited to represent Sacramento and that the local fans deserve it. 

“We’re not the Sacramento A’s, we are just the Athletics. So I’m glad we are able to show Sacramento, in some way, we are their team. Whether it’s just for a few years, this is our home,” said Kurtz.

“This is our city, right now. We are excited to get those new uniforms and be able to rep the city of Sacramento, which is something we didn’t have this year,” said shortstop Jacob Wilson. 

Season ticket-holders like Barrett are excited to see the buy-in, considering they bought into the team for multiple seasons in Sacramento. 

For Barrett, there is no season-ticket-holder regret for a true A’s fan. 

“The resale value on our tickets hasn’t been what we thought it would be. Again, I’m an A’s fan I love it,” said Barrett. 

It’s a home run for the region with two more Sacramento seasons to go. 

The home opener for 2026 will be versus Houston, the first weekend of April. 

See the entire 2026 schedule here.

The Royals beat the A’s 9-2 behind two home runs by Mike Yastrzemski.