September 22nd 2024.
The 2024 baseball season has been a bittersweet one for the Oakland Coliseum. As teams from all over the league come to visit, they pay their respects to the historic venue that will soon be left without a home team. The A's are set to move to Sacramento in 2025, making this the last season for baseball in the East Bay.
Among the many visitors, the New York Yankees made quite the entrance on a chilly Saturday night. With the sound of loud cracks and baseballs soaring through the cold Bay Area breeze, it was clear that the Bronx Bombers had arrived. And it was only fitting that the Yankees, known for their big-time hitters and even bigger contracts, would treat the A's fans to a vintage display of power.
Led by their highest-paid stars, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees put on a show for the 33,198 fans in attendance. Judge, a former draft pick of the A's, granted owner John Fisher's infamous wish early on by hitting his 54th home run of the season, well over the center field wall. Meanwhile, Stanton added a three-run homer and Juan Soto scattered two hits, leading the Yankees to a dominant 10-0 victory.
On the other side, the A's struggled to find their usual power, with only five hits and Shea Langeliers being the only player with multiple hits. Their record against the Yankees dropped to 135-147 in Alameda County. But in this fifth-to-last game ever at the Coliseum, it was a former Yankee prospect who faced the wrath of his former team.
JP Sears, once the crown jewel of Oakland's prospect haul from the Yankees, was on the mound for the A's. But the 28-year-old left-hander struggled, giving up six earned runs and allowing the Yankees to maintain their hold on him with a record of 0-4 against New York. Sears' pitching style, based on contact rather than strikeouts, did not serve him well against the Yankees' future Hall of Famers.
"It was a big game, and obviously I get a little emotional at times," Sears said. "You've got to do a better job of controlling that, for sure."
After winning the series opener, the Yankees entered Saturday's game with the best record in the American League. And they wasted no time showing their dominance, with Gleyber Torres, Soto, and Judge all getting on base in the first inning and scoring runs soon after. Anthony Volpe hit a home run in the second inning, followed by a three-run homer from Stanton in the third, giving the Yankees a commanding lead.
On the pitching side, former Giants pitcher Carlos Rodón had a solid performance for the Yankees, striking out five in six innings and only allowing four hits. Judge added to the Yankees' lead with another home run in the seventh, and the A's couldn't catch up. The series finale on Sunday will see Joey Estes for the A's and Luis Gil for the Yankees.
As the game went on, the Yankees fans in attendance were in high spirits, cheering on their team and even helping to put up a "SELL" banner in right field. Meanwhile, the A's fans sang the seventh-inning stretch and tried to stay positive despite their team's struggles. The two teams will face off again in the coming days, but for now, it's clear that the Yankees have the upper hand.
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