The A’s time in Oakland ends with hugs, triumph and tears. ‘It won’t be the same’

By most accounts, the final season for the Oakland A’s has been one of misery with fans dreading the inevitable departure. But for one final day, positivity — mostly — triumphed in the Coliseum.

The A’s pulled off a 3-2 win against the Texas Rangers on Thursday afternoon to close out their 56-year stay in the Oakland Coliseum. The crowd of 46,889, huge by the standards of a season in which they ranked dead-last in attendance among MLB’s 30 teams, reveled in the moment all day long — cheering from the opening pitch to the final out.

At times, the day’s skies and moods were gloomy. Fans shared hugs and tears, expressing their frustration with their team picking up and leaving for a temporary stint in West Sacramento after this season. They chanted “sell the team” and had less gracious chants for A’s owner John Fisher during the pregame tailgate.

“Today is like the funeral of a terminal illness that we knew was coming,” said 39-year-old and lifelong A’s fan Bobby Tselentis. “It’s like a bad dream you can’t wake up from.”

Still, many fans and people associated with the team didn’t want this final home game to feel like a funeral. They wanted to celebrate their A’s one last time and reminisce about better times in the Coliseum.

When the public address announcer introduced Athletics legends Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart during the ceremonial first pitch, it was like the 1980s again. The field at the Coliseum since 2017 has been dedicated in the name of Henderson, a Hall of Famer widely considered the greatest leadoff hitter of all time, with his name etched behind home plate.

Fans stood and delivered a loud roar after former pitcher Barry Zito, the 2002 American League Cy Young award winner, sang the national anthem. They did the same when center fielder JJ Bleday made a diving catch in the bottom of the seventh inning.

“These are the best fans in baseball,” said Stewart, a starting pitcher who grew up an A’s fan and played for the team from 1986 to 1992. “Everyone says it, but until you actually live... I lived it.”

Pitcher J.T. Ginn, making his sixth career start, got the final win in Coliseum history. Closer Mason Miller got the save, his 28th of the year, striking out the first two batters he faced before inducing a groundout.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay then took the field, spoke briefly and led a “Let’s go Oakland” chant.

The wave of emotions had started hours before any pitches were thrown. Fans arrived at the stadium as early as 6:30 a.m., waiting patiently until the parking lots opened. Within the hour, dozens of groups had begun their final A’s tailgate party at the Coliseum.

Erin Griffin and her father Dave Gallagher held back tears as they talked about their last home game in Oakland. Griffin recalled her father making the nearly two-hour drive from their Modesto home.

Today, Griffin lives in Napa and Gallagher in Reno. Still, the father and daughter remained season ticket holders and would regularly attend games.

“It’s just a very big part of our family and our lives,” Griffin said. “It won’t be the same.”

The A’s will play from 2025 through at least 2027 at West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park . A’s owner Fisher and Vivek Ranadivé, owner of the Kings and the minor-league River Cats, made the announcement in April of the temporary arrangement, while the Athletics’ permanent home in Las Vegas is being built. The A’s will split the home field with the River Cats, meaning artificial turf will need to be installed to handle added wear and tear.

Tselentis, who played catch in the Coliseum parking lot Thursday with his son, struggled to pick a favorite memory with the team.

His first recollection rooting for the A’s was at 5 during the 1990 World Series. By 12, Tselentis was taking the Bay Area Rapid Transit train to attend games alone. At 17, he became a ticket-holder and met several other die-hard fans who he now considers “fanily.”

He later named his youngest Braden after former Athletics player Dallas Braden, who threw a perfect game in 2010 that Tselentis attended.

“It’s another reason why this is such a hard thing,” Tselentis said. “This has been a reunion place throughout the years and I don’t really know how to digest that.”

Fans were not the only ones struggling to deal with the final home game of the year.

Early in the morning, a group of security guards gathered behind home plate for a pregame meeting. Be prepared for the craziness, field supervisor Pat Huckaby told his crew.

He warned the men about the potential of fans storming the field after the game ended (none ended up doing so after the final out). He explained which areas to look out for and that attendees should be discouraged from taking dirt.

Then, he ended his speech by telling his crew to enjoy the day.

“Today ain’t about John Fisher,” Huckaby told them. “It’s about the Coliseum, the players, us and the fans.”

Cut into the outfield grass for the A’s final home game were three words:

“Thank you, Oakland.”