Oakland A’s pregame: Fan boycott doesn’t ruin Opening Night sentiments, especially for Stephen Vogt
While Alex Wood takes the mound as the A's starter, their lineup against the Guardians opens with Ryan Noda, Zack Gelof, J.J. Bleday and Brent Rooker.
OAKLAND — Whether or not this will be the A’s final Opening Night lineup from the Coliseum, and whether or not this is their final season here, manager Mark Kotsay is not ignoring fans’ feelings of abandonment.
“My heart is with the fans,” Kotsay said while many were protesting in the parking lot rather than enter to watch the A’s host the Cleveland Guardians.
“I understand the emotion and the impact, not just from this organization’s history of being here 55 years or more,” Kotsay added, ahead of season No. 57. “Their emotion and passion to want to keep this team here, and the way they express it, is with passion. I wouldn’t express anything less from Oakland A’s fans. When they come out, they come out with support and love, and they do it full force.”
Echoing those words in the opposing dugout was Kotsay’s counterpart, Stephen Vogt, who’s making his managerial debut in front of some 30 friends and family from his native Visalia. Vogt played for the A’s from 2013-17 before returning two years ago to make a storybook exit — hitting a home run in his final plate appearance in a 3-2 win over the Angels at the Coliseum.
“Obviously I’ve followed the Oakland news closely and my heart goes out to the fans and the people of Oakland and obviously the organization as well,” Vogt said. “They’re in a tough place right now and hopefully they get some answers and clarity soon.”
After back-to-back seasons with over 100 losses, the A’s are at a crossroads, in that they look to improve this season while unsure where they will play next year and thereafter until relocating to a new stadium in Las Vegas, presumably in 2028.
During Vogt’s farewell in the 2022 finale, a scoreboard showed some of his Oakland highlights, including a walk-off single in Game 2 of the 2013 American League Divisional Series against the Detroit Tigers when he was a 28-year-old rookie.
“The playoff atmosphere here is better than any in baseball,” Vogt said. “I’ve experienced a number of different playoff atmospheres, but the Oakland Coliseum packed at playoff time, it’s tough to beat.
“Just those memories of those teams and what we went through together — from being one of the best teams in baseball, to going through a rebuild, to seeing people go to seeing people come — you become a family here in Oakland,” Vogt added. “That includes the fans and the stadium workers. All the people here in this organization mean the world to me.”
As Kotsay enters his third season as the A’s manager, he knows the franchise’s relocation efforts are a familiar storyline to him and most of his players. “The key to my messaging is to focus on what we have control over, and that’s how we play the game, night in and night out,” Kotsay added.
A’S STARTING LINEUP
Only two players return from last year’s Opening day lineup (Seth Brown, Shea Langeliers), and that matches the fewest in Oakland history (1977, ’98, 2015, 2023). Here is the debut lineup:
1B Ryan Noda (#49)
2B Zack Gelof (#20)
CF J.J. Bleday (#33)
DH Brent Rooker (#25)
LF Seth Brown (#15)
3B J.D. Davis (#5)
C Shea Langeliers (#23)
RF Lawrence Butler (#4)
SS Nick Allen (#10)
LHP Alex Wood (#57)
Here come the A's
pic.twitter.com/QzYrO4e8eY
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) March 28, 2024
* * *
GUARDIANS LINEUP
LF Steve Kwan
3B Jose Ramirez
RF Ramon Laureano
1B Josh Naylor
DH David Fry
CF Tyler Freeman
2B Andres Gimenez
C Austin Hedges
SS Brayan Rocchio
P Shane Bieber
AND HERE. WE. GO.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/PiKmLxMadZ
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) March 28, 2024
* * *
OPENING-DAY ROSTER
The A’s opening day roster:
PITCHERS (13): Austin Adams, Paul Blackburn, Joe Boyle, Lucas Erceg, Dany Jimenez, Michael Kelly, T.J. McFarland, Mason Miller, Kyle Muller, JP Sears, Mitch Spence, Ross Stripling, Alex Wood.
CATCHERS (2): Shea Langeliers, Kyle McCann
INFIELDERS (6): Nick Allen, J.D. Davis, Zack Gelof, Darell Hernaiz, Ryan Noda, Abraham Toro
OUTFIELDERS (5): JJ Bleday, Seth Brown, Lawrence Butler, Brent Rooker, Esteury Ruiz
NOTES
Catcher Kyle McCann, a 2019 fourth-round draft pick, suited up for his major-league debut, as did pitcher JP Sears and infielder Darell Hernaiz. Kotsay said of McCann: “He came into camp in great shape, motivated to make the roster and really performed. He did everything he needed to be on this roster, make an impression, and build trust, which is key to being a catcher.” … Pitcher Zach Jackson was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas. … Placed on the 60-day injured list were pitcher Sean Newcomb and infielder Aledmys Diaz; onto the 15-day IL were pitchers Scott Alexander, Luis Medina and Freddy Tarnok; sent to the 10-day IL was outfielder Miguel Andujar. … Also on the 60-day IL are Ken Waldichuk and Trevor Gott. … The A’s are 1-5 against Cleveland in openers, including an 0-3 mark since moving to Oakland, the last such opener coming in 2014 (2-0 loss).