OAKLAND — With a sold-out crowd on their feet at the Oakland Coliseum on Thursday afternoon chanting “Let’s Go Oakland” at the top of their lungs and Texas Rangers outfielder Travis Jankowski at the plate facing a 1-2 count, Athletics All-Star closer Mason Miller unloaded a 103 mph fastball. Jankowski made weak contact, rolling over to third baseman Max Schuemann, who fired the ball across the diamond to first baseman Tyler Soderstrom to not only end the game by a 3-2 score, but end the team’s 57-year tenure in “The Town.” Understanding the significance of the moment, Soderstrom slid the ball into his back pocket before celebrating with his teammates in the middle of Rickey Henderson Field.
Thursday marked the final time the historic franchise played at Coliseum, the multi-sport stadium that opened in 1966 to host the National Football League’s Raiders and North American Soccer League’s Clippers before welcoming the A’s after they moved from Kansas City in 1968. When their season concludes on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park, the team won’t be coming back to the East Bay. Instead, they will keep their bags packed and head to West Sacramento, where they’ll play at Sutter Health Park for at least the next three years as they await their proposed new stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.
The A’s honored Oakland and the Coliseum on Thursday with a pregame ceremony that featured a tribute video, a rendition of the National Anthem from Barry Zito and ceremonial first pitches by Dave Stewart and, of course, Henderson himself.
Henderson, who was raised in Oakland and is the greatest player to ever don the green and gold, spent the entire week at the Coliseum to soak in its final moments. During Wednesday night’s 5-1 loss, the Man of Steal made it clear to broadcasters Jenny Cavnar and Dallas Braden that he’d like to take some artifacts from the next night’s final game at the iconic venue, specifically mentioning the third base from the final inning and the final pitch. So when Soderstrom was on the mound tipping his cap to the fans, the Hall of Famer made sure to seek him out. The Turlock native was more than happy to give up the ball.
Throughout the final homestand, which began last Friday against the New York Yankees, Henderson was seen hanging out in the clubhouse and on the field before each game for batting practice. Though they have met on numerous occasions, Soderstrom admitted that their conversations have been brief. It doesn't make them any less special.
"So many greats have been through the Coliseum as everyone knows. I think Rickey's probably been around here the most," Soderstrom said prior to the start of the final series. "I haven't had too many conversations with him, but just being around him is very cool, getting to see how he acts and goes about his business."
The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown confirmed in an email to the Turlock Journal that they are working alongside the Athletics organization to have items from Thursday’s finale sent to them, including home plate, a scorecard from broadcaster Amaury Pi-Gonzalez and a game-used ball, although they did not specify which ball. Typically, if items are not donated to the Hall of Fame, owners of artifacts allow the museum to borrow them to display for a limited time.
Soderstrom, who was selected by the A’s 26th overall in the 2020 MLB Draft out of Turlock High School, praised the over 112,000 fans that attended the final three games.
“It’s very emotional for the fans, obviously,” he said. “We just wanted to go out there and play good baseball and support the fans in the last series at the Coliseum.”
The Coliseum had played host to six World Series’ and tens of dozens of postseason games during the Athletics’ tenure. It’s also been a place where big league dreams have come true, including those of Soderstrom. He and second baseman Zack Gelof made their MLB debuts on Rickey Henderson Field on July 14, 2023.
“You dream of playing in the big leagues since you start playing the game. I made my debut here, so it’ll always hold a special place in my heart, for me and my family. They saw my first major league at-bats and first couple games here at the Coliseum, so it’s a special place for us, for sure.”
The attendance numbers at the Oakland Coliseum this week were more reminiscent of the lively playoff games of the late 2010s rather than some of the mostly empty regular season events that have taken place over the last four years. But how the fans, employees and even some players carried themselves during the Athletics’ three games against Texas Rangers at the Coliseum from Tuesday to Thursday was reminiscent of a celebration of life just hours after the funeral for a loved one. Yes, there were smiles and cheers over the course of each contest, particularly on Tuesday when the A’s rallied to walk off the Rangers 5-4, but in the moments following the final pitches, many blank and sad stares were seen as folks couldn’t quite comprehend what was happening. Like putting a family or friend to rest, A’s fans said their final goodbyes to 57 years' worth of memories of their favorite Major League Baseball team at the iconic venue.
On April 20, 2023, the club announced that they had reached a binding agreement to purchase 49 acres off the Strip to eventually build a new stadium and move the team to Las Vegas, despite still being engaged in negotiations with the City of Oakland. Mayor Sheng Tao immediately ended talks with the A’s as soon as she learned the news. Because the A’s had planned on not having a stadium ready until 2028, the City of Oakland continued working with the team on a lease extension that would keep the team around in the interim years. But on April 4 of this year, the A’s announced that they would instead play the next three years at Sutter Health Park, which is home of the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A affiliate River Cats, thus meaning that this season would be the last of the club in Oakland.
Ahead of the final series, the Athletics organization paid tribute to the teams and players of years past with giveaways and “Alumni Sunday,” where retired legends were honored on Rickey Henderson Field and signed autographs for fans prior to each Sunday game. On the last Alumni Sunday at the Coliseum, Soderstrom joined teammates Gelof and shortstop Jacob Wilson in catching ceremonial first pitches from the trio of Miguel Tejada. Carney Lansford and Terry Steinbach.
“It’s special to be able to be a part of that,” the former Bulldog said. “Hopefully, me, Jacob and Zack are in similar shoes one day. To be a part of that last Alumni Sunday is something that’ll stay with me for a while.”
“Those Sundays are pretty special,” added Wilson, who smacked a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth to score Gelof and walk off Texas 5-4 on Tuesday. “You bring back guys who have just a great presence in this stadium, with this fan base, it's pretty awesome. To meet those guys and just know the significance that they've had in this organization, to be a part of seeing all these guys come back and really just seeing how much they care about this organization by having great conversations with all of us guys that are playing here now, it’s amazing.”
Wilson was Oakland’s first round pick in 2023, and like Soderstrom, made his MLB debut at the Coliseum on July 19 of this year.
“The history that's happened in this city and this ballpark is pretty, pretty amazing, whether it’s the players or the World Series titles that this organization has won… This was the first place I ever stepped foot on a major league diamond, so for me, it's just special in my heart. This is the place where I actually got to achieve my childhood dream.”
Outfielder Lawrence Butler shared similar sentiments. “Oakland took a chance on me in the (2018) draft. They gave us all a chance to become big leaguers in this stadium. And you know, a lot of historic players have come through here, a lot of historic games have happened here, so it’s a little sad to be leaving all the history behind.”
Butler has played a pivotal role in paying homage to the team’s tenure in the East Bay. He explained that the team decided to wear their kelly green alternate jerseys for the duration of the final homestand because of the fact they read “Oakland” across the chest. Gelof honored Oakland through music, changing his walk-up song to “93 'til Infinity” by local rap group Souls of Mischief.
“This place means a lot to all of us,” Gelof said. “And when this place is packed like it is this week, you already know it’s one of the loudest places in baseball. It’s a special atmosphere.”
