WEST SACRAMENTO -- Asked to encapsulate his club¡¯s first home series of 2025, Athletics manager Mark Kotsay paused and took a big sigh before formulating the words to articulate what took place.
¡°Ooh,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°Tough series all around. We came in here from that series in Seattle feeling good. ¡ We¡¯ll learn a lot from this series. I think the guys feel that. They don¡¯t feel great about the performance here, especially for our first homestand.¡±
For good and bad, it was a historic opening homestand for the A¡¯s. The three-game series against the Cubs marked the inauguration of their new temporary residence at Sutter Health Park. Monday¡¯s home opener saw a sold-out crowd of 12,119 fans at the intimate ballpark, and a total of 31,556 fans turned out over the first three days of this new chapter of A¡¯s baseball in West Sacramento.
The history of the unwanted kind for the A¡¯s took place on the field. After splitting a four-game series against the Mariners, the A¡¯s were swept over three games against the Cubs, with the final blow being a 10-2 loss to Chicago on Wednesday afternoon.
Outscored, 35-9, across three games, the A¡¯s set a franchise record (since 1901) for most runs allowed through their first three home games of a season, surpassing the previous record of 31 by the 1922 Philadelphia A¡¯s.
The last Major League team to allow 35 runs across their first three home games of a season was the 2009 Yankees, who allowed 37 but still ended up winning the World Series that year.
¡°We¡¯re not going to look for excuses in terms of our performance,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°We wanted to come here and make a good impression. That didn¡¯t take place.¡±
As the A¡¯s take a much-needed off-day before heading to Colorado to begin a three-game set with the Rockies on Friday, here are three takeaways from the A¡¯s first homestand:
The ball is flying
Based on Minor League park factors, Sutter Health Park played close to league average in 2024. This led the A¡¯s to believe their new home would play somewhat neutral for pitchers and hitters, at least until the traditionally warm Sacramento summer rolls around.
It¡¯s a small sample size, but 12 home runs -- eight by the Cubs, four by the A¡¯s -- were hit over the first three games. The first two games were at night with heavy winds blowing out.
¡°First time playing here, a lot of home runs,¡± said A¡¯s starter Jeffrey Springs, who allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits and four walks with three strikeouts on Wednesday. ¡°Last two nights were pretty windy. If you can get the ball up in the air, it seems like it¡¯s going to go. It is what it is. You¡¯ve got to pitch no matter what the conditions are or where we¡¯re at.¡±
Where did the pitching go?
With about a week of games in the books, it¡¯s hard to get a gauge for what type of pitching staff the A¡¯s have. The rotation was particularly dominant in Seattle, combining to limit the Mariners to four runs (three earned) with 26 strikeouts across 23 2/3 innings. This Cubs series was a stark contrast, with control issues evident as A¡¯s pitchers walked 20 batters in three games.
¡°Command wasn¡¯t as good,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°In Seattle, we located the ball really well. These last three games, a lot of mistakes to a team that has some good hitters in the lineup, and we paid for it.¡±
Sutter Health Park energy
Fans showed up and were engaged throughout the first taste of Major League Baseball in West Sacramento. They were some moments to cheer for, mostly provided on offense by players like Jacob Wilson, whose seven-game hitting streak is now the longest hitting streak to open the A's season since Marcus Semien's seven-gamer in 2019 after collecting three hits on Wednesday, and Brent Rooker, who homered for a second straight day in the series finale.
What the A¡¯s couldn¡¯t provide was a first home win, which will have to wait until at least Monday, when they return for a six-game homestand with the Padres and Mets.
¡°We definitely felt the energy,¡± Kotsay said. ¡°It¡¯s tough for them to love us after we performed the way we did. I do think the city is excited. There¡¯s a lot of excitement to bring Major League Baseball to this part of California. ¡ To have people want to be a part of it, that¡¯s a great sign for us.¡±