The final days of the Oakland Athletics have begun with a series against their division-rival Texas Rangers. The A's took the first game in walk-off fashion. With only two more games left in the Oakland Coliseum, both teams are taking precautions to prevent any worrisome incidents with fans.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports, the Rangers' security detail “addressed their players today to prepare them for all scenarios” for Thursday's series finale. Fans are rightfully furious with the Athletics' ownership group, specifically John Fisher, but it's hard to imagine them storming the field or putting any players in danger.
A's fans decorated their outfield fence with a plethora of signs calling out the franchise for its gross mistreatment of Oakland. The city was dragged through several flimsy attempts at establishing the franchise’s future there only for Fisher and MLB to strong-arm them and get Fisher's wish of an eventual relocation to Las Vegas.
The signs in RF as the A's begin their final series at the Oakland Coliseum:
"Rooted in Revenue Share"
"Vivek Repent"
"Moneyball. Major League."
"Doris, 4 Real: Get Him"
"Come Back to Oakland"
"Goodbye MLB"
"SELL"
"No Fans Like Oakland Fans"
"Generational Robbery" pic.twitter.com/2ME1gtmBpG— Matt (@nosoupforgeorge) September 25, 2024
In a farewell letter to fans, Fisher couldn’t even be bothered to correctly spell the name of the mountain peak where the infamous 1989 earthquake occurred that halted that year's World Series, which Oakland went on to win. It's a fitting end to his time there.
Rangers play Athletics in final series at Oakland Coliseum
When the Rangers ditched their old identity as the Washington Senators, they moved to the American League West, where the Athletics were one of MLB's biggest powerhouses. The A's won not just the AL pennant but the World Series in all three of the Rangers' first seasons in the division. Over the ensuing decades, the teams have traded moments of triumph and defeat, though Texas has usually been trying to catch up to Oakland and the vastly different teams it has built and found some success with.
Marcus Semien enters this series against his old team as one of the most notable players to be an Athletic and a Ranger. Jonah Heim barely played for the A's but he is also a part of this lineage. From them to Elvis Andrus to Jose Canseco to Rubin Sierra to Bert Campaneris and many more, plenty of notable names have donned the green and yellow and the red and blue. Even if the A's keep their same branding in whatever new home they inhabit in the years to come, it won’t be the same.
In this series, both teams are winding down seasons where they have already been eliminated from postseason contention.