Houston Astros

Astros end an era in Oakland with win over A's

The Athletics, who are in pursuit of a new ballpark, will play their games 80 miles away in Sacramento after 2024.

ByMatt Guillermo

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Brawl breaks out after A's batter charges Astros' dugout

Throwback video: Whoa. No social distancing in this brawl. Hit play to see six must-see images as the Astros and the A's cleared the bench from August 9, 2020.

OAKLAND, California (KTRK) -- Regardless of the outcome of Wednesday's game between the Houston Astros and the Athletics, the 'Stros forever hold a winning record playing in Oakland.

The record books immortalize that stat because the A's plan is to leave the Oakland Coliseum behind after the 2024 season. Wednesday's road series finale was the final time for the Astros playing in the East San Francisco Bay Area.

If you, an Astros fan, have yet to keep up with the Athletics' movements to pursue a ballpark to replace their home since 1968, know that nothing shiny and new is coming anytime soon for the American League West basement dweller.

The video above is from a 2020 story on the Astros and Athletics' bench-clearing brawl in Oakland.

In short, Major League Baseball's owners OK'd the Athletics' move to Las Vegas to follow their former Coliseum co-tenant, the NFL's Raiders. But the team said a new stadium, planned for the Las Vegas Strip, won't be done until 2028.

In the middle of that, the Athletics' lease at the Coliseum expires after this season. The team announced it will play games in California - 80 miles northeast in Sacramento at Sutter Health Park, a 10,000-seat minor league ballpark.

For context, the Coliseum can seat 56,700 baseball fans, but the A's have averaged 8,000 fans a game in 2024.

The plan is to play in Sacramento until 2027, but given the reported tight deadlines from this year, the A's could extend that residency into the following year.

What does this mean for the Astros? First, the team can use a venue without worrying about plumbing issues. The Coliseum famously encountered multiple raw sewage issues in the 2010s.

Second, the 'Stros will play in a reasonably-aged venue. Sacramento's stadium opened in 2000, while the Coliseum opened during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration.

Third, corner fielders will have reasonable foul territory space. Oakland Coliseum has 40,000 square feet of territory to work with, compared to places like Dodger Stadium, which is about 50% of that. You can blame the co-residency with the Raiders for that.

And, as a bonus, baseball stadium enthusiasts have unlocked a new venue to visit as part of a 30-ballpark mission. Astros fans can definitely try out what the California capital city has to offer.