Oakland Ballers Officially Sell Out Opening Day, Score 21 Runs Tuesday Night
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The Oakland Ballers have officially sold out of tickets for their home opener on June 4, the team announced. Fans that were hoping to attend the first-ever game in Oakland are encouraged to purchase tickets for later in the week, which includes Oakland 68's day on Saturday, June 8.
Ballers co-founder Paul Freedman said of the achievement, "As we put the final touches on our beloved Raimondi Park, we're not just preparing for a game—we're embracing a legacy. Raimondi Park has a storied history of producing baseball stars, and we're honored to revive that tradition in the heart of Oakland. We invite fans to join us not just for our sold-out opener, but for all of our opening week games so we can continue to show the world how we do it in Oakland."
Raimondi Park holds 4,000, and with the Ballers' attendance already known, it's going to be interesting to see what the A's announced attendance for a Tuesday game against the Seattle Mariners ends up being. Last season on May 2 (a Tuesday) with the M's in town, the A's drew 2,583.
On the field, the B's began their second week of play with the first game of their series against the Rocky Mountain Vibes with a 21-15 win. Offensive numbers can go wild in the Pioneer League, especially when games are being played at altitude.
The Ballers were down 9-2 after the first inning, and their starter, Abraham De Leon, faced seven batters without recording an out before being pulled from the game. Second baseman Jaylen Smith recorded two errors in the inning, with another from first baseman Noah Martinez, which led to just three of the seven runs that crossed the plate being earned. The Vibes added two more runs in the inning.
On the bright side, pitchers Conner Richardson and Zach St. Pierre each struck out six batters in four and 3 2/3 innings pitched. They also gave up seven runs in the process, but blame that on the altitude.
Oakland recorded 22 hits, drew nine walks, and scored in every inning, including putting up a crooked number in five of the nine frames. Four players recorded three hits, but only centerfielder Payton Harden recorded four, going 4-for-5 with a walk and five runs scored.
The series continues on Wednesday at 5:35 PDT, with the same start time every day through Saturday. On Sunday the B's take the field at 12:05 PDT before heading to Oakland for their sold out home opener next week.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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