By RONALD BLUM
NEW YORK (AP) — The nomadic Athletics will play home games on grass as they move from Oakland to Sacramento next season rather than the artificial turf initially planned at Sutter Health Park.
The team announced in April 2023 it will move from Oakland to a new ballpark to be built in Las Vegas and said this April it intended to play its home games in Sacramento from 2025-27 until the new stadium in Nevada is constructed. The Sacramento ballpark also is home to the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A River Cats.
Major League Baseball said last summer an artificial turf field would be installed that could withstand a schedule of up to 153 regular-season games over 186 days. Daily high summer temperatures in Sacramento have reached 115 degrees (46 Celsius), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Major League Baseball Players Association expressed concern.
“In light of the players’ clear preference for natural grass, and after weighing with the MLBPA the potential risks and benefits of maintaining natural grass versus replacing the playing surface with synthetic turf, all the parties are aligned in moving forward with a natural grass field for opening day 2025,” MLB said in a statement Monday.
MLB said the decision was made jointly by the commissioner’s office, the team and Sutter Health Park.
The A’s open the home portion of their schedule against the Chicago Cubs on March 31. Sutter Health Park has a capacity of about 10,500 fixed seats.
“We play on turf so I can’t say I had any concern for player safety,” Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said in a text message. “I will say I’m not a fan of turf on an outdoor ballpark so I’m glad to hear the news.”
Las Vegas will be the fourth long-term home of the franchise, which was based in Philadelphia from 1901-54 and Kansas City from 1955-67 before moving to Oakland.
Murray Cook, the field surface consultant to MLB and the union, assessed the options and determined a grass surface was viable. Sutter Health Park, which opened in 2000, has had a grass surface.
A new home clubhouse is being constructed for the A’s that includes a locker room, weight room and training room. Dugouts will be renovated to create more space, bullpens will be revamped and a new batter’s eye installed after the union raised visibility concerns.
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AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report.
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