When the team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics announced it would play the 2025 season and beyond in Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park, a Triple-A stadium, there were a number of issues flagged.
Beyond the sharp criticism of the Las Vegas-bound team’s decision in the first place, there were concerns about the park’s facilities, most notably the players’ clubhouses. While the A’s spent millions of dollars renovating them to make them more MLB-worthy, there was no changing the fact the clubhouses were located beyond the center-field wall, rather than behind the first- and third- base lines like every MLB stadium.
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That became an issue Saturday.
New York Mets outfielder Jose Siri started the chain of events when he fouled a pitch from A’s starter J.T. Ginn off his left knee in the second inning. Siri immediately fell to the ground and eventually limped to the Mets dugout under the guidance of a trainer. Tyrone Taylor took over the at-bat and struck out to end the frame.
Siri’s knee apparently continued to feel worse over the next few minutes, as the Mets called for a cart to pick him up and take him to the clubhouse facilities. Which, again, are in center field.
The Mets ended up needing two carts, as one broke down on the way out. Several A’s employees had to manually push the cart through a gate in center field, and it did not look easy. The situation delayed the bottom of the second inning as the amused crowd looked on.
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Fortunately, the SNY booth was on the case with its usual level of analysis, such as “This is something out of Keystone Cops.”
The A’s are going to be playing at Sutter Health Park for at least three seasons. (Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images)
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters)
Remember, the A’s are signed up for at least three years of this ballpark, which has a capacity of 14,014. Aside from the Tampa Bay Rays’ interim home of Steinbrenner Field, the next-closest MLB stadium by capacity is the Cleveland Guardians’ Progressive Field at 34,830. Unlike the Rays, the A’s are at their current stadium by choice, with the MLB league office’s full support.
Fortunately, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters after the game that Siri’s X-rays were negative for any damage and there are no plans for him to undergo further testing. Mendoza described the injury as a contusion and said the team will monitor the knee over the next few days before making an injured-list decision.
