Sacramento native Dusty Baker would ‘hate to see’ A’s leave Oakland
Jul 24, 2023, 12:34 PM
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - JULY 21: Kyle Tucker #30 of the Houston Astros celebrates with manager Dusty Baker after his home run against the Oakland Athletics in the fifth inning at RingCentral Coliseum on July 21, 2023 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brandon Vallance/Getty Images)
(Photo by Brandon Vallance/Getty Images)
The Oakland A’s just wrapped up a four-game series with the Houston. And two members of the Astros organization — Gary Pettis and Dusty Baker — with ties to Northern California shared their thoughts on the team’s possible relocation.
Earlier this summer, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo signed SB-1, formerly SB-509, granting the Oakland Athletics $380 in public funding for an eventual $1.5 billion stadium along the Las Vegas Strip. If the move is approved, that stadium may not be available to the team until 2028.
The Nevada state Senate and Assembly passed the bill after a seven-day special session to fine-tune the financing. The next move for relocation to become official is approval from 75% of MLB owners. A timeline for when that vote may take place is currently unknown.
Matt Kawahara, who covers the Astros for the Houston Chronicle, spoke to both Pettis and Baker during their series in Oakland. Baker, a native of Sacramento, played his final two seasons in Oakland with the A’s. He also spent 10 years across the Bay, managing the San Francisco Giants from 1993-2002.
Baker told Kawahara he’d hate to see them go after The Town saw the Raiders and Warriors leave within the past five years.
“I mean, I understand it financially. I understand it in some ways. But the Oakland A’s are kind of like the Oakland Raiders to me. I grew up watching them. I hate that the city of Oakland doesn’t have anything now. They won’t have the A’s. They don’t have the Raiders. They don’t have the Warriors… It’s sort of killing the area.”
Pettis shared similar thoughts. The Oakland native told Kawahara he grew up near the Coliseum and saw Reggie Jackson, Vide Blue and those championship teams in the 1970s.
“I came to quite a few games here. I was here in those years when they won the championships. This place, it holds a special place in my heart. And to not see baseball being played in Oakland? Yeah, it’d be a sad day. But what are you going to do?”
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