Advertisement

A’s owner John Fisher says he is excited to watch Aaron Judge hit homers in Sacramento ballpark

(KRON) — The Oakland A’s made it official on Thursday that they will play several seasons in Sacramento while they wait for their new ballpark in Las Vegas to be built. At a press conference announcing the move, owner John Fisher said something that made fans scratch their heads.

Fisher said he was excited to watch “some of the best players in baseball.” Rather than mentioning a current A’s player, like 2023 All-Star Brent Rooker, second-year stud Zack Gelof or flame-throwing pitcher Mason Miller, Fisher name-dropped New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge.

Photo of John Fisher from Nexstar. Photo of Aaron Judge from Bryan Woolston (AP)
Photo of John Fisher from Nexstar. Photo of Aaron Judge from Bryan Woolston (AP)

‘Shameful’: Union representing Coliseum workers slams A’s move to Sacramento

“We’re excited to be here for the next three years playing in this beautiful ballpark, but also being able to watch some of the best players in baseball, whether they be Athletics players or Aaron Judge and others launch home runs out of this very intimate, the most intimate ballpark in all of Major League Baseball, for the next three years,” he said.

The A’s had their chance to sign Judge two offseasons ago when he hit free agency, but the former American League MVP inked a deal to return to New York for nine years and $360 million. With Judge locked in with the Yankees, any home run he hits in Sacramento will be against A’s pitching.

Judge’s deal is $294 million more than any contract the A’s have ever handed out.

Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, who spoke at the press conference as well, did mention Gelof, along with Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

Fisher also drew chuckles when he called Sutter Health Park the most “intimate” in MLB. Its capacity of 14,014 is far less than any other big-league stadium.

The most recent example of an MLB team playing at a minor league stadium for an extended period of time happened in 2021. The Toronto Blue Jays split time between their minor league affiliates’ stadiums in Dunedin, FL and Buffalo, NY in 2021 as Canada did not allow sports following the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.