Now in the second year of their three-year Sacramento sabbatical, Athletics owners have stumbled upon an entirely new source of embarrassment in the crowd.
Whereas fans back in Oakland often held signs demanding the unpopular John Fisher sell the franchise, spectators at their temporary home in California’s capital city are now cheering on another team in an entirely different sport.
As seen during the Athletics’ 9-3 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, one Team Mexico soccer fan seated behind home plate began jumping for joy after ‘El Tri’ scored in their 2-0 World Cup win over Ecuador.
‘Goal!’ the man could be heard yelling, easily drowning out the other 12,386 fans in attendance at Sutter Health Park.
Dressed in a classic green Mexican soccer jersey, the individual repeatedly yelled ‘goal’ until his fellow spectators began cheering on his enthusiasm.
Throughout it all, the NBC Sports California broadcast remained in the moment, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the man’s antics in any way.
As seen during the Athletics’ 9-3 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, one Team Mexico soccer fan behind home plate began jumping for joy after ‘El Tri’ scored
Mexico’s forward #09 Raul Jimenez celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with forward #16 Julian Quinones on Tuesday night at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City
Although the A’s have played six games in Las Vegas this year at a minor-league ballpark, the team won’t open its new home in Sin City until 2028.
The team, which previously played in Philadelphia and Kansas City, made enemies on its way out of Oakland, where fans became furious with Fisher’s refusal to spend on free agents.
After several lean years, he was able to convince MLB as well as voters and officials in Las Vegas to approve the team’s move to Nevada.
‘What John Fisher did to baseball in Oakland is unfathomable,’ baseball writer Sam Fosberg wrote on X last year. ‘Cut off spending to move out.’
John Fisher, owner of the Athletics, announced in 2024 that his team would leave Oakland
Oakland Athletics fans hang signs at RingCentral Coliseum to protest the team’s potential move to Las Vegas and to call for team owner John Fisher to sell the team in 2024
Fisher became a regular target for fans in Oakland, who were furious to lose the Athletics
For now, the A’s are stuck in Sacramento, where they’ve gone a respectable 40-46 on the season despite a payroll that ranks just 25th out of 30 MLB teams. Second-year slugger Nick Kurtz has been particularly good, hitting 19 home runs, while leading the American League with 64 RBIs and 75 walks.
Meanwhile, rookie pitcher Gage Jump has made a strong impression, posting a 2.93 ERA over his first seven big-league starts. He was pitching for the A’s Triple-A team in Las Vegas earlier this month and was at Louisiana State as recently as 2024.
As for Team Mexico, Tuesday’s win over Ecuador in Mexico City sets up another knockout matchup at Estadio Azteca, this one against Team England on Sunday.
