OAKLAND, Calif. — Thursday marked the final time the Oakland A’s will play at the Coliseum — their home for over 50 years — before they relocate to Sutter Health Park.
Baseball’s all-time base stealer Rickey Henderson and former pitcher Dave Stewart were among the A’s legends at the coliseum and recalled memories playing in front of Oakland fans.
“We enjoyed every bit and all the people, the fans that come out here,” Henderson told ABC10. “It’s nice to see all of them come out here right now. So it’s a great feeling for us.”
Stewart, an Oakland native who pitched for the A’s in 1986-92, said his favorite moment at the coliseum was watching Henderson break the all-time career stolen base record. Henderson, who played 14 seasons for the A’s across four different tenures, ranks atop the stolen base career mark at 1,406 steals.
“When he became the king of stolen bases was the greatest day for me,” Stewart told ABC10. “When you grow up with your homie and you watch him do great things, you feel like you’re a part of it. That’s my greatest moment here.”
The A’s are temporarily playing in Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for three seasons before their planned move to Las Vegas in 2028. The team plans to play at a stadium on the Las Vegas Strip that costs $380 million in public funding approved by the Nevada government.
Sutter Health Park has been home to the Sacramento River Cats, the San Francisco Giants’ top minor league affiliate, since 2000.
As the A's transition to a new home, Stewart relayed a message to fans.
"They're the greatest fans in baseball and don't ever let anybody tell them anything different," Stewart said. "These are the greatest fans in baseball."
Compared to the 63,000-seat Oakland Coliseum, the Minor League ballpark’s capacity is vastly different at 14,014, according to the River Cats website.
In front of a sold out crowd Thursday, the A’s beat the Texas Rangers 3-2 in Oakland. The A’s will conclude the 2024 regular season with a three-game road series against the Seattle Mariners.
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