Texas Rangers Joc Pederson (3) slides in at home plate scoring a ninth inning run against the Sacramento A’s at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Thu Apr 16, 2026 (AP News photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Jeremiah Salmonson:
#1 Texas Rangers Joc Pederson hit a single in the top of the ninth inning that contributed to four runs scoring as Texas came up with a 9-6 win that gave a 2-2 series split between the Rangers and Sacramento A’s.
#2 The A’s Nick Kurtz hit a blooper that turned into a three run double outfielder Wyatt Lanford couldn’t get to in left field thart help give the A’s a one run two out 6-5 lead in the bottom of the eighth.
#3 The Rangers Jake Burger and Josh Jung got a base hit in the ninth against A’s reliever Justin Sterner. Kyle Higashioka was safe when Sterner picked up a bunt that went over the head of Darrell Hernaiz playing third base for an error that allowed Burger to score tying up the ball game.
#4 The A’s Jacob Wilson got a two run single off Rangers releiver Jack Leiter in the bottom of the fifth. Carlos Cortes next up hit and RBI base hit and it gave the A’s a 3-2 lead that was later short lived.
#5 Next up for the A’s the Chicago White Sox with starter right hand pitcher Davis Martin (2-1 ERA 2.50) for the A’s right hander Aaron Civale (2-0 ERA 1.72) with a first pitch at 6:40pm PDT.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Justin Sterner #60 of the Athletics pitches against the Texas Rangers in the ninth inning at Sutter Health Park on April 16, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
SACRAMENTO — The Athletics and Rangers met to conclude a four-game series at Sutter Health Park on Thursday afternoon at 12:05 p.m. PST.
The Rangers managed to salvage a series split, defeating the Athletics 9-6 in windy conditions.
It was a turbulent afternoon in Sacramento, and that’s exactly how Jacob Lopez’s day went as he got the start for the A’s.
Lopez, who has been solid so far this season for the A’s, continued to battle walks in his start on Thursday. Lopez entered the game having walked 13 batters in his first three games of the season; he added four more to his total against the Rangers, as he has now walked 17 batters in four starts this year. Even with the walks, Lopez managed to go five innings of two-run, three-hit baseball while striking out five hitters on the day. It was a solid start for Lopez as he continues to battle command issues early this season.
Luis Medina came on in relief for Lopez, pitched the sixth inning, and recorded one out in the seventh. Medina finished going one and a third innings, giving up two runs on two hits while walking one and striking out one.
Scott Barlow was next up for the A’s as he pitched two-thirds of an inning to wrap up the seventh. Barlow gave up a run on one hit, a home run, and walked two batters in his appearance.
Jack Perkins pitched the eighth inning for the A’s and was the sharpest pitcher for them all game. Perkins’ only blemish was a hit batter as he threw a scoreless inning, allowing no walks, hits, or runs.
In the ninth inning, with the A’s having just taken the lead in the bottom of the eighth, Mark Kotsay elected to go with Justin Sterner for the ninth inning. Sterner had a disastrous inning as he allowed four runs on four hits while walking one and striking out one in his inning of relief.
On the offensive side of the ball, the A’s gave themselves a lot of chances all game to put up crooked numbers. The Athletics’ offense tallied 13 hits and four walks but was only able to score six runs in the game.
The scoring came in the third and eighth innings for the A’s as they plated three runs in each of those innings.
In the third inning, the A’s scored for the first time on a two-RBI single from Jacob Wilson that tied the game at the time. Later in that same inning, Carlos Cortes singled home Wilson to give the A’s the lead before getting thrown out in no-man’s-land between first and second base.
The A’s wouldn’t score again until the bottom of the eighth inning, down 5-3 and looking for a spark to get the offense going. The A’s loaded the bases with two outs, and it brought Nick Kurtz to the plate. Kurtz, who has struggled early on this season, hit a wind-aided, bases-clearing, three-RBI double to give the A’s a 6-5 lead heading into the ninth inning. The ball was popped up by Kurtz to what ended up being shallow left field, but the left fielder never had a shot as the wind was blowing it in all types of directions.
Sterner failed to hold the lead, as detailed earlier, and the A’s fell to the Rangers 9-6.
With the loss, the Athletics fell to 10-9 on the season.
The A’s will stay home to take on Munetaka Murakami and the Chicago White Sox in the first of a three-game series on Friday at 6 p.m. PST. Aaron Civale (2-0, 1.72 ERA) is set to start the game for the A’s as the White Sox send Davis Martin (2-1, 2.50 ERA) to the hill.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Shea Langeliers #23 of the Athletics hits a two-run home run against the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the six inning at Sutter Health Park on April 15, 2026 in Sacramento, California. All players are wearing the #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Mandatory photo credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Rangers and A’s squared off in game three of their four-game series at Sutter Health Park on Jackie Robinson Day across MLB.
The Rangers made it interesting late, but the A’s secured the 6-5 win to take sole possession of first place in the AL West.
J.T. Ginn started the game for the A’s and gave Mark Kotsay and the A’s a solid outing. Ginn lasted five and a third innings of two-run, two-hit ball while striking out three and walking four. The walks continue to be an issue for the A’s staff, but Ginn managed to work around them and provide the A’s with a bit of depth on Wednesday.
“…Tonight he [J.T. Ginn] went out and showed why he’s in the rotation right now,” Kotsay said after the game. “I thought he did a great job, made one mistake to Seager, and just found his rhythm. Obviously for him, his pitch count was limited a little bit at 80, and he fell right on the number, so I couldn’t ask for more from J.T.”
J.T. Ginn was confident after the game, which has become a theme for A’s starters this season.
“…I feel great,” Ginn told reporters after the game. “I feel like I’m throwing the ball well. It’s coming out of my hand well and just kind of executing the game plan and executing the work throughout the week and just getting ready to play.”
Hogan Harris was first out of the bullpen for the A’s to finish off the sixth inning after they lifted Ginn. Harris got the two outs he was tasked with getting with ease while giving up nothing and recording a strikeout.
Scott Barlow came on for the A’s to pitch the seventh, allowing no runs on one hit while striking out one.
Mark Leiter Jr., who pitched a perfect inning on Tuesday to get the save, came on for the eighth inning. Leiter Jr. didn’t have his best stuff and was only able to get two outs in the inning after surrendering a three-run shot to the Rangers to get them to within one. Leiter Jr.’s final line was two-thirds of an inning in which he gave up three runs on two hits while walking one and striking out one.
After Mark’s struggles, the A’s called on Joel Kuhnel for the four-out save. Kuhnel got the final out of the eighth in earnest with a lineout before returning in the ninth with a one-run lead, looking for the save. Kuhnel pitched a perfect ninth inning and struck out two to finish the game and earn his third save of the season.
The A’s offense collected seven hits and six walks against the Rangers’ pitching staff while scoring six runs in the game.
The A’s scored early in the game on a first-inning RBI double from Tyler Soderstrom to get them on the board. Shortly after, in the second inning, Denzel Clarke recorded an RBI single to give the A’s a 2-0 advantage early.
The Athletics didn’t score again until the sixth inning when Shea Langeliers broke the tie with a two-run mammoth blast to left field. Langeliers’ home run traveled an impressive 467 feet, which is the farthest home run in MLB this season.
“…For Shea, we all know the power is there,” Kotsay told me after the game. “We talked about him being more of a complete hitter, which we’ve seen. There’s just so much growth from Shea over the last two and a half, three years as a hitter… not surprising on my end. I felt like the accomplishments that he had coming out of AAA, all of his minor league numbers said that he was a professional hitter, and he is continuing to show it as we get into the season.”
Shea knew he hit it hard, but he had no idea it was the farthest-hit ball in MLB this season.
“I knew off the bat it was going over the fence. I didn’t know how far,” Shea said after the game.
The last bit of scoring for the A’s came by way of the long ball again, this time from Jacob Wilson. Wilson sent a towering two-run home run over the wall in left field in the seventh inning to give the A’s some cushion with the newly acquired four-run lead. Turns out, those would be the winning runs as the A’s gave up three in the eighth inning.
With the win, the A’s improve to 10-8 and have sole possession of first place for the first time in a long time, albeit in April.
“I think the belief is here in this clubhouse,” Shea Langeliers said after the game after being asked about finding themselves in first place. “We know that we’re a good baseball team, and the hardest part over 162 is just being consistent night in, night out, and that’s what we’re striving to be this year—to be a consistent team, show up every night, play our best version of baseball.”
The A’s will try to take the four-game series from the Rangers on Thursday at 12:05 p.m. PST. The A’s will send Jacob Lopez (1-1, 7.43 ERA) to the hill, while the Rangers will counter with Jack Leiter (1-1, 4.91 ERA) in the matinee affair.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Jeffrey Springs #59 of the Athletics pitches against the Texas Rangers in the top of the second inning at Sutter Health Park on April 14, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory photo credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jeffrey Springs has had a great start to the 2026 campaign and is helping propel the Sacramento Athletics’ resurgence of late.
Springs, who carried a 2-0 record into his third start of the season on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers, has been impressing with his stuff so far this year. On Tuesday, it was another impressive outing from the left-hander out of Appalachian State University as the A’s defeated the Rangers 2-1.
Springs went six and a third innings of one-run, three-hit baseball while striking out five and walking two. Springs needed just 90 pitches in his outing, where he was pulled after striking out the first batter of the seventh and left to a nice ovation from the Sutter Health Park faithful.
Juston Sterner took over for Springs with one out in the seventh. Sterner immediately gave up a double but was able to settle down and not allow a run to score. He finished tossing two-thirds of an inning, allowing one hit but no runs while striking out one and walking none.
In the eighth inning, Mark Kotsay gave the ball to Hogan Harris, who had an eventful inning and only lasted two outs. After getting a flyout and a popout, he promptly walked the next two hitters he faced and was lifted from the game. Elvis Alvarado came in to finish the inning on one pitch, getting Jake Burger to line out to left field. All in, Hogan pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up no runs while walking two.
In the ninth inning, Mark Leiter Jr. came on to close the game for the A’s and was welcomed by a closer intro from the fans at Sutter Health Park. Leiter Jr. dominated the ninth in a one-two-three inning where he struck out two.
The A’s pitching was also aided by two terrific plays in the field, both victimizing Andrew McCutchen. Jacob Wilson made a great sliding play and spinning throw up the middle to rob McCutchen of a base hit in the sixth inning.
“When you are on defense with your pitchers on the mound, you wanna do whatever you can to make the plays to make their innings easier,” Jacob Wilson said after the game. “… being able to make the plays and see your guys fired up in the dugout… I’m excited to be able to do it again tomorrow.”
Denzel Clarke couldn’t let Wilson steal the show on defense, so he naturally had to add to his home run robbery lore. Denzel climbed the wall and took away what appeared to be a home run from Andrew McCutchen in the top of the fourth inning.
The A’s bats did just enough on Tuesday to earn the win in what could be described as a full team win. The Athletics only mustered four hits, but the timely hitting proved to win out in the end. The A’s rally came in the third inning with two outs after the A’s quickly made two outs in the inning. Denzel Clarke doubled, while Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz followed with two walks to set the table for Jacob Wilson. Wilson managed to rip a ball through the hole past third to score two runs that proved to be the difference in the game.
With the win, the A’s vaulted back over .500 with a 9-8 record to tie the Rangers for first place in the AL West. On Wednesday, the A’s and Rangers will go back at it in game three of the four-game series. The A’s will send J.T. Ginn (0-0, 3.27 ERA) to the hill, while the Rangers counter with Kumar Rocker (0-1, 4.50 ERA). First pitch is slated for 6:40 on what will be another chilly night in West Sacramento.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Luis Severino #40 of the Athletics pitches against the Texas Rangers in the first inning at Sutter Health Park on April 13, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory photo credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Athletics made their triumphant return to Sacramento on Monday night after completing a six-game New York road trip. The A’s made stops in Queens and in the Bronx to face the Yankees and the Mets three games apiece in the frigid New York temperatures. The A’s took two out of three from the Yankees prior to sweeping the Mets to go 5-1 on the trip and improve their record to 8-7 on the season.
The A’s welcomed the Texas Rangers to Sutter Health Park for the beginning of a four-game series on Monday night.
Poor pitching and a lack of offense early doomed the A’s as they fell to the Rangers 8-1 in nine innings.
Luis Severino got the start for the A’s and pitched poorly early on, putting the A’s in an early hole. Severino allowed five of the first six hitters of the game to reach base, including a three-run homer from Jake Burger to put the Rangers up three to nothing in the first inning.
Severino continued to struggle with command and gave up another home run to Burger in the third inning to put the Rangers up 4-0. Severino needed 60 pitches to get through the first three innings, but he calmed down after that and settled in well for the rest of his outing. Severino ended up tossing six innings of four-run, six-hit baseball while walking three and striking out seven.
“I just need to stop walking people,” Severino told the media after his start. “I feel like the first inning, everything happened in the first inning and after that I’m good. I need to be able to handle the first inning. I don’t know why I’m walking people just in the first inning and then after that I’m getting better. I need to figure it out.”
A’s manager Mark Kotsay thought Severino settled in nicely, but the damage done early proved costly.
“He got into the zone with Burger, made a mistake with a fastball over the heart of the plate after walking two guys, which always hurts,” Kotsay said postgame. “We talk about a solo homer, the impact isn’t as big. So for him to settle back in after that first inning and really pitch well, that’s the Sevvy we expect, and I think that’s the one we’re going to see going forward.”
Severino seems more comfortable this season even if the conditions are similar to last season. He has frequently mentioned the lack of a nearby clubhouse as a factor in some of his issues in Sacramento, after which the A’s added a small room this season in between the dugout and the restroom for him to find some mid-start reprieve.
Asked if the room has made it any better for him:
“Yeah, of course. A hundred percent,” Severino said after the game. “You have a little AC machine out there. You get to be there by yourself, you aren’t looking at anybody. So I think that’s helping, being by yourself. [You can] think about what adjustment you can do to go out there and compete.”
Jack Perkins was first out of the bullpen for the A’s in the seventh inning, coming in for Severino. Perkins pitched well in the seventh inning, facing only three batters and striking out two, but trouble found him when he went back out for the eighth inning.
Corey Seager hit a ground-rule double that was close to being caught by Lawrence Butler in right field, and then Perkins struck out Jake Burger. Yet, it was the next at-bat that turned the tide for Perkins. Joc Pederson hit a relatively routine ground ball up the middle to shortstop Jacob Wilson, but Edwin Jimenez did a poor job vacating his spot, and the ball hit him, allowing Pederson to reach and Seager to advance to third base. It proved costly, as Perkins allowed four runs after that and surrendered a total of five hits while walking a batter. He finished with one and two-thirds innings while adding four strikeouts.
After the game, Mark Kotsay voiced his displeasure over that play and a no-call on a check swing that Kyle Higashioka appeared to have offered at.
“Great point [my question about the play] for Perk, he went one, two, three in the first,” Kotsay told me postgame. “One out [when the play happened], we were trying to obviously keep the game at four. He goes out and not only was there bad luck with the ground ball, there was a check swing that Higashioka went on that obviously wasn’t called. Easily, the inning could have gone differently.”
In what was a mostly tough outing for A’s pitchers, Luis Medina shined, allowing nothing but a walk while striking out one in his one and a third innings of work to finish out the game.
“We’re continuing to build him [Medina] up,” Kotsay told me. “This is a kid that we talk about a lot that hasn’t pitched in two years and needs to get out there and touch the mound. I thought for his inning and a third, he did a nice job.”
The A’s bats did little to nothing in the first game home after their East Coast road trip. The A’s tallied only five total hits and one run—a Lawrence Butler solo home run to right field in the eighth inning—and nothing else. Shea Langeliers added two hits in the game to raise his season average to .306 in what has been a hot start for the catcher.
Along with his home run, Lawrence Butler was responsible for some home run robbery in the fifth inning. Corey Seager was Butler’s victim on Monday as he tracked a ball to the short wall in right-center field and brought it back to save Luis Severino from giving up his fifth run of the game.
After the game, Severino was appreciative of Butler’s efforts, albeit in a loss.
“Law made a great play there,” Severino told me after the game. “Now I need to get something nice for him… I need to buy some shoes or something good. But yeah, he did a great play.”
The A’s fell back to .500 on the season at 8-8 with the loss as they prepare to take on the Rangers in game two of the four-game series on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. PST. Jeffrey Springs (2-0, 1.47 ERA) is slated to go for the A’s, while the Rangers will counter with MacKenzie Gore (2-0, 2.76 ERA).
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Sacramento A’s starter Aaron Civale delivers to the New York Mets line up at Citi Field New York on Sun Apr 12, 2026 (AP News photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast with Barbara Mason Mon Apr 13, 2026
#1 Barbara, a rather impressive road trip for the Sacramento A’s taking five out six games in three game series against the New York Yankees and New York Mets.
#2 In the first series against the Yankees the A’s narrowly lost that first and only game as they lost a 3-1 lead and the Yankees ralled for four runs to win it 5-3 but the A’s mastered five straight wins the rest of the way.
#3 In game three on Thursday at Yankee Stadium A’s starter Jefferey Springs took a no hitter into the seventh inning but lost it when the Yanks Ben Rice socked a single to break up the bid. But it shows you the depth of the A’s pitching and hitting to win against both New York teams five out of six games.
#4 Against the Mets once again the A’s got great pitching on Friday and Sunday with shutout wins on Saturday the A’s won in a slugfest 11-6 sweeping the three game series.
#5 The A’s open up a three game series against the Texas Rangers. The Rangers are tied with the A’s in the standings this will be a real test going up against their Western Division rival back in West Sacramento at Sutter Health Field on Monday night. Starting pitchers for the Rangers RHP Nathan Eovaldi (1-2 ERA 7.98) for the A’s RHP Luis Severino (0-1 ERA 5.40) first pitch 6:40pm PDT.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Sacramento A’s Nick Kurtz looks upward and gives thanks to the Almighty after slugging his first home run of the season against the New York Mets in the top of the third inning at Citi Field in New York on Sun Apr 12, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Jessica Kwong
NEW YORK. — The Sacramento Athletics beat the New York Mets 1-0 at Citi Field on Sunday afternoon and swept them for the first time in franchise history.
With their fifth straight victory, the Athletics are in first place in the American League West a half game ahead of the second place Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels. The A’s came away 5-1 on their road trip against both New York teams, after giving up only the first game against the New York Yankees.
Nick Kurtz hit his first homer of the season, a fly ball to right field, in the third inning to put the A’s up 1-0. Kurtz laughed the shot off Freddy Peralta (1-1) after notching 36 home runs last season and the AL Rookie of the Year title.
In the sixth, Francisco Lindor singled on a sharp line drive to center fielder Denzel Clarke but the Mets failed to score a run.
A’s starting pitcher Aaron Civale set the tone early and never let up, working 5.2 scoreless innings while allowing just four hits. After surrendering a leadoff single in the first, Civale settled in and retired 13 consecutive batters at one point, keeping the Mets off balance all afternoon.
The bullpen continued the effort seamlessly. Hogan Harris, Scott Barlow, and Joel Kuhnel combined to finish the shutout, with Kuhnel locking down the ninth for his second save. It was a clinical performance from a staff that has quietly become a strength during this road trip.
After a slow start to the season, this road trip marks a turning point for the A’s.
The Athletics return home to West Sacramento and welcome the Texas Rangers (7-7) for a four-game series starting on Monday. A’s right-handed pitcher Luis Severino (0-1, 4.50 ERA) will face Rangers right-handed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (1-2, 7.98 ERA ) in the opener. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. PT.
Sacramento A’s Tyler Soderstrom is thrilled after hitting a three run home run against the New York Mets in the top of the eighth inning at Citi Field in New York on Sat Apr 11, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Jessica Kwong
NEW YORK. — The Sacramento Athletics beat the New York Mets, 11-6, to clinch the series victory at Citi Field on Saturday evening and notch their fourth straight win of the season.
Tyler Soderstrom hit two home runs and drove in five runs, and the A’s tagged Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga for a career-high seven runs over a career-low 2.1 innings. In the final stretch of their six-game road trip in the New York City area, the A’s have emerged a different team.
“Obviously we’re playing really good baseball against really good teams. We knew the first two weeks of our season were going to be a challenge with the teams that we were facing,” said A’s manager Mark Kotsay. “Right now we’ve got a chance to obviously sweep a series in New York, which, you know, it says a lot about the team and the confidence that they have.”
Bo Bichette singled on a line drive to center fielder Denzel Clarke and Luis Robert Jr. scored, putting the Mets up 1-0 in the first inning.
In the second, Clarke walked and Jacob Wilson scored, tying the game. Lawrence Butler grounded into a force out, fielded by second baseman Marcus Semien, and Jeff McNeil scored, giving the A’s a 2-1 lead.
Tyler Soderstrom hit a home run on a fly ball to right center field and Shea Langeliers scored.
“It’s good to get the first one out of the way and then just keep rolling,” said Soderstrom.
Then Carlos Cortes hit a home run on a fly ball to right center field and Jacob Wilson and McNeil scored, expanding the A’s lead to 7-1. It was his first homer of the season.
Cortes said the key to his success was “always preparing like I’m going to play, even if I know I’m not going to play.”
In the fifth inning, Bichette homered on a fly ball to right field and Francisco Lindor scored, cutting the Mets’ lead to 7-3.
The umpire reviewed a home run in the sixth inning and the call on the field was overturned, and Francisco Alvarez’s fly ball to center field put the Mets within three runs of the A’s. Bretty Baty hit a sacrifice fly to center fielder Clarke and Carson Benge scored, and the Mets trailed 7-5.
In the seventh inning, Jorge Polanco hit a home run on a fly ball to right field, putting the Mets within one.
Langeliers in the eighth singled on a ground ball to Benge and Clarke scored, putting the A’s up 8-6. Soderstrom homered on a fly ball to right center field and Nick Kurtz and Langeliers scored, putting the A’s on top 11-6.
“The guys swang the at-bats really well, I mean, what a day for both Sodi and Cortes. You know, big hit by Lang there in the eighth, keep the inning going,” Kotsay said. “So offensively we took some great at-bats against some good pitching today and the results were there.”
New York (7-8) dropped a season-high four consecutive games. The A’s have won five of their last six games at Citi Field.
In the series finale on Sunday, A’s right-handed pitcher Aaron Civale (1-0 ERA 2.70) will face Mets right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta (1-0 ERA 4.80). First pitch is at 10:40 a.m. PT at Citi Field.
Former New York Met and current Sacramento A’s infielder Jeff McNeil swings for a fourth inning double against his old team the Mets at Citi Field in New York on Fri Apr 10, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Jessica Kwong
NEW YORK. — The Sacramento Athletics shut out the New York Mets 4-0 in the first game of the three-game series at Citi Field on Friday night, a day after shutting out the Yankees and taking that series.
Jeff McNeil delivered two hits in his first game against his former team, including a single that drove in one of three runs in the ninth. The Mets prepared a video tribute for McNeil, who called it “awesome” and the standing ovation “great,” and also admitted he “felt a little choked up out there.”
“I just tried to collect myself, you know, it was kind of nice when the first at-bat was over. It was like, alright, let’s just go and play some baseball,” said McNeil. “That’s kind of what this whole day was too. It was a super special day, but got through it, and now we just get to go play baseball.”
In the third inning, Shea Langeliers singled on a line drive to right fielder Brett Baty and Carlos Cortes scored, putting the A’s up 1-0.
In the ninth, McNeil singled on line drive to left fielder Carson Benge and Jacob Wilson scored, giving the A’s a 2-0 lead. Then Denzel Clarke singled on a ground ball to center fielder Luis Robert Jr. and Zack Gelof and Max Muncy scored, making it 4-0.
A’s starting pitcher JT Ginn threw a season-high four innings and notched his second scoreless outing of the season.
“It feels good to go out there and do my job today, you know, whatever role they need me to do, I’m ready to get the ball and go,” said Ginn.
A’s manager Mark Kotsay complimented the team’s “awesome job tonight,” including key contributions from the bullpen.
“For our offense to add on like we talked about, we felt good about our chances to add on this season, and it came together tonight,” said Kotsay.
The game marked the first time the A’s have recorded shutouts in consecutive road games since July 29 and 30, 2021.
The A’s (6-7) are 5-2 in their last seven games. The Mets (7-7) suffered their first loss of an opener in a home series this season.
In game two of the series, A’s left-handed pitcher Jacob Lopez (0-1 ERA 6.48) will face Mets right-handed pitcher Kodai Senga (0-1 ERA 3.09). First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. PT. on Saturday.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
Sacramento A’s pitcher Jefferey Springs takes aim on the New York Yankees lineup in the first inning at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on Wed Apr 9, 2025 (AP News photo)
By Jessica Kwong
NEW YORK.— Sacramento Athletics starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a 1-0 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday afternoon – their first series victory at Yankee Stadium in a decade.
The game was runless until the seventh, when Tyler Soderstrom singled on a sharp line drive to right fielder Aaron Judge and Max Muncy scored, putting the A’s up 1-0.
Springs did not allow a hit from 22 batters before giving up a single to Ben Rice in the seventh. Afterward, he said that he “honestly didn’t realize it was the seventh inning already.”
“I was an inning behind for some reason,” said Springs. “Obviously was trying to get one out, two out, three outs and then reset and do it again. Yeah, obviously trying to be efficient, trying to get quick outs and go as deep as possible in the game and then you know you look up and it’s seven innings.”
A’s manager Mark Kotsay complimented “another great quality start from Jeff” and said he “mixed pitches really well today.” He added that Springs is “just a different guy from last year” and “feeling really confident right now.”
Springs and relief pitchers Justin Sterner and Hogan Harris combined for the team’s first shutout of the season.
“To come into New York – it was a tough game, first game of the series – and to fight these two games and come out with the series win, again I think these guys are really coming together as a group and it’s showing out there on the field right now,” Kotsay said.
A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz said: “It’s kind of what we came in here to do… We started the year not great and we knew what we could do and I feel like now we’re showing it.”
Brent Rooker was injured on a first-inning swing and left with back pain. He said he was feeling “alright” with some soreness and tightness on his right side and will undergo further imaging on Friday.
The Athletics (4-7) are 2-1 in their six-game road trip that continues with a three-game series against the New York Mets (7-5) starting on Friday. The A’s named RHP JT Ginn (0-0 ERA 5.14) who will face Mets right-handed pitcher RHP Clay Holmes (2-0 ERA 1.42). First pitch at Citi Field is at 4:10 p.m. PT.
Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.
⚡Craft cocktails? Check. 🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah. 🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.
Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.
Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.
📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street
Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm
Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.
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