Texas Rangers fall to Athletics in final MLB game in Oakland

A year after winning the first World Series in franchise history, the Texas Rangers’ 2024 season hasn’t been much of a memorable one.

On Thursday, however, they participated in a historic game.

Headed toward a losing record an a third-place finish in the American League West standings, the Rangers played in a piece of major league history on Thursday when they lost, 3-2, the final home game in the Oakland A’s 57-year history.

A crowd of 46,889 attended the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the largest crowd ever to watch a baseball game in a ballpark’s final game.

“I feel for the fans,” said Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, who was a neighbor of the A’s as the skipper of the San Francisco Giants for 13 years. “There’s a lot of die-hard Oakland fans. Believe me, I had to hear it from them over the years. They’re passionate. They’ve had a lot of success here.

“It’s a fun place to play — the atmosphere, the fans. I always enjoyed my time here. It’s hard to believe this is going to be the last series. I’m glad that I’m here for it.”

A sellout crowd, that entered the parking lots more than five hours before the first pitch, celebrated the franchise which will move temporarily to Sacramento while their future home ballpark is built in Las Vegas.

The game was interrupted briefly in the seventh inning when a fans threw a smoke bomb and a beverage can on the field and again in the ninth inning when a fan ran onto the field and another smoke bomb was thrown on the field. Security officers were placed on the field for the final two outs.

The A’s play their final three games this season in Seattle.

Team ownership decided to move the franchise after contentious years of not being able to strike a deal with local officials to build a stadium to replace the aged Coliseum.

Oakland manager Mark Kotsay, while disappointed with his team’s lackluster effort in a 5-1 loss to the Rangers (75-83) on Wednesday, said Thursday’s finale will leave a lasting impression. He played with the A’s for four seasons of his 17-year career, including on the 2006 Oakland team that reached the American League Championship Series.

“The ‘Let’s go Oakland’ is ingrained in my brain,” Kotsay said. “That’ll never go away, no matter if we’re playing here or if I’m sitting on a porch somewhere retired. I’m always going to be forever grateful for the fans, the memories and the passion they bring in night in and night out.”

This year’s Oakland fans not only have suffered through a lame-duck six months but also the possibility of the club’s third consecutive season with less than 70 wins. The A’s who won four championships in Oakland after moving from Kansas City in 1968, failed to reach the 70-win mark three straight years twice previously — from 1977-79 and 1993-95.

The final game pitted top pitching prospects seeking to start their own historic journeys.

Kumar Rocker (0-2) allowed three runs and seven hits in 4.2 innings. He was relieved by former Vanderbilt teammate Jack Leiter.

Oakland starter J.T. Ginn (1-1) picked up his first major league win, allowing two runs in 5.1 innings. Mason Miller, the fourth A’s reliever, recorded the save. He retired the Rangers in order in the ninth inning as he struck out Nathaniel Lowe and Leody Taveras and Travis Jankowski grounded out.

Rocker and Ginn were first-round draft picks. The New York Mets selected Rocker, then the ace at Vanderbilt, with the No. 10 overall pick in 2021 but didn’t sign him by the deadline. The Rangers took him No. 3 overall the following year. The Los Angeles Dodgers tabbed Ginn with the No. 30 overall selection in 2018, but he chose to attend Mississippi State and re-entered the draft in 2020.

The Ranger conclude their season with a three-game road trip to Anaheim, Calif., against the Angels.

Field Level Media contributed to this story.