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Farewell, Oakland: Sellout crowd expected for A's city finale vs. Rangers

MLB: Texas Rangers at Oakland AthleticsSep 25, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; A sign reads “Oakland forever” for the Oakland Athletics after the game against the Texas Rangers at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

A rare sellout crowd of about 46,000 will be there to witness — and likely celebrate the good memories afterward — when the Athletics put a wrap on 57 years of major league baseball in Oakland with their final home game Thursday afternoon against the Texas Rangers.

Drawing much larger crowds than usual, the A’s have lost four of five on their final homestand. They will finish the 2024 season with three games in Seattle and then begin a new chapter in 2025 about 90 miles away in Sacramento, their home for three seasons as they await construction of a new ballpark in Las Vegas.

Team ownership decided to move after contentious years of not being able to strike a deal with local officials to build a stadium to replace the aged Coliseum.

Oakland manager Mark Kotsay, while disappointed with his team’s lackluster effort in a 5-1 loss to the Rangers (75-83) on Wednesday, knows Thursday’s finale will leave a lasting impression, win or lose. He played with the A’s for four seasons of his 17-year career, including on the 2006 Oakland team that reached the American League Championship Series.

“The ‘Let’s go Oakland’ is ingrained in my brain,” Kotsay said. “That’ll never go away, no matter if we’re playing here or if I’m sitting on a porch somewhere retired. I’m always going to be forever grateful for the fans, the memories and the passion they bring in night in and night out.”

This year’s Oakland fans not only have suffered through a lame-duck six months but also the possibility of the club’s third consecutive season with less than 70 wins. The A’s (68-90), who won four championships in Oakland after moving from Kansas City in 1968, failed to reach the 70-win mark three straight years twice previously — from 1977-79 and 1993-95.

Those who showed up for the series opener with Texas on Tuesday got to witness a walk-off win, the 485th since the A’s moved west, the most in the majors over that stretch, according to Oakland’s researchers.

“I feel for the fans,” said Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, who was a neighbor of the A’s as the skipper of the San Francisco Giants for 13 years. “There’s a lot of die-hard Oakland fans. Believe me, I had to hear it from them over the years. They’re passionate. They’ve had a lot of success here.

“It’s a fun place to play — the atmosphere, the fans. I always enjoyed my time here. It’s hard to believe this is going to be the last series. I’m glad that I’m here for it.”

The final pitching matchup will pit top prospects seeking to start their own historic journeys with a potential first big-league win while adding their names to a page of baseball lore.

The scheduled starters are the Rangers’ 24-year-old Kumar Rocker (0-1, 2.57 ERA) — rated by MLB.com as the No. 2 right-handed pitcher coming out of high school in the 2018 draft — and A’s 25-year-old righty J.T. Ginn (0-1, 4.40), named the 2018 national high school player of the year by USA Today.

Both were first-round draft picks. The New York Mets selected Rocker, then the ace at Vanderbilt, with the No. 10 overall pick in 2021 but didn’t sign him by the deadline. The Rangers took him No. 3 overall the following year. The Los Angeles Dodgers tabbed Ginn with the No. 30 overall selection in 2018, but he chose to attend Mississippi State and re-entered the draft in 2020.

Rocker will make his third big-league start. He has thrown a total of seven innings against the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays, allowing three runs (two earned) and five hits.

Ginn is slated for his sixth start and eighth appearance overall — his first against the Rangers. He is coming off the best effort of his young campaign, limiting the New York Yankees to one run in five innings in his team’s 4-2 loss last Friday. Ginn didn’t figure into the decision.

-Field Level Media

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Mets rack up 19 hits, 14 runs in demolition of Braves

Jul 27, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (4) hits a single against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn ImagesJul 27, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (4) hits a single against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images

Francisco Lindor hit two homers and drove in six runs as the New York Mets battered the visiting Atlanta Braves 14-3 on Monday.

Tyrone Taylor went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer and Marcus Semien also had three hits and a homer for the Mets, who have won consecutive games for the first time since July 8-9.

Lindor, A.J. Ewing and Bo Bichette each added three of New York’s season-high-tying 19 hits.

Mets starter Zac Thornton (2-1) tossed 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out five and walking one.

Braves starter Martin Perez gave up three runs on eight hits in five innings. He fanned four and walked one.

Connor Thomas (0-1) was blasted for 11 runs on 10 hits across 2 2/3 innings, walking five and striking out two. Ozzie Albies homered, singled and drove in three for Atlanta, which had won four of its previous five games.

Albies drove in the game’s first run with an RBI single in the top of the first.

New York answered in the bottom of the first, as Ewing led off with a single and Lindor tripled to even the score.

In the third, Ewing and Lindor paced the New York offensive attack again. Ewing singled and stole second before Lindor launched a homer to left-center, giving the Mets a 3-1 lead.

After Matt Olson’s walk opening the fourth, Albies connected on a 407-foot home run — his 18th of the season — to tie the game 3-3.

With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Perez allowed singles by Bichette and Luis Robert Jr. before walking Francisco Alvarez to load the bases. Through heavy rain, Perez struck out Jared Young to escape the jam.

Thomas relieved Perez in the sixth and immediately allowed Taylor’s single and Semien’s two-run homer to give the Mets a 5-3 lead. The long ball was Semien’s 12th.

Thomas remained in for the seventh, walking Alvarez before Young’s single and Taylor’s ninth home run of the year broke the game open, giving the Mets an 8-3 advantage.

Thomas then walked Semien, allowed Luis Torrens’ double and issued a one-out walk to Lindor, loading the bases. Bichette’s sacrifice fly made it 9-3 and stamped a four-run New York frame.

Torrens drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth to give the Mets a 10-3 advantage. Ewing followed with a sacrifice fly to extend the margin. The beating continued for Thomas as Lindor launched his eighth homer of the year before Atlanta shortstop Jorge Mateo entered in relief. Bichette singled before Mateo struck out Robert to end the inning.

–Field Level Media

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Brandon Lowe’s heroics help Pirates down Diamondback in 10

Jul 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe (5) receives a water bath after hitting an RBI single to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks in ten innings at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn ImagesJul 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe (5) receives a water bath after hitting an RBI single to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks in ten innings at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Brandon Lowe’s RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning scored Billy Cook and propelled the host Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.

The Pirates’ victory drew them even with the Diamondbacks for the final National League Wild Card spot, and dealt Arizona its third loss in a row.

Lowe’s game-winner off Diamondbacks reliever Taylor Clarke (2-2) was his third hit of the game and he finished with two RBIs after lining a ball off Diamondbacks’ first baseman Ildemaro Vargas.

Endy Rodriguez, who was activated from the 10-day injured list with a left glute strain, singled to right to open the 10th and put runners on the corners with no outs.

Jake Mangum grounded into a fielder’s choice, and Billy Cook was caught in a rundown between third and home. But Cook bought enough time and made it back to third just as Rodriguez did, resulting in one out, but ensuring the Pirates still had a runner at third.

Max Kepler had three hits, drove in the Diamondbacks’ two runs, and had a chance to give Arizona the lead in the top of the 10th. But with runners on second and third with two outs, Kepler lined out to center against reliever Mason Montgomery (4-3), who also struck out Gabriel Moreno two batters prior after Arizona had put runners on second and third with one out.

Bryan Reynolds knotted the game at 2 in the bottom of the eighth with a two-out RBI double to score Lowe, who doubled on the prior at-bat. The clutch hit came moments after Pirates manager Don Kelly was ejected by third base umpire Ben May after arguing a check swing call during Reynolds’ at-bat.

The teams were locked in a scoreless stalemate until Kepler’s two-run double with the bases loaded gave the Diamondbacks a 2-0 lead in the top of the sixth.

Mangum scored Pittsburgh’s first run on a single by Lowe to cut Arizona’s lead to 2-1.

Pittsburgh’s hot-hitting rookie Esmerlyn Valdez was hit by a 91.4 mph fastball from Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly on his left hand and left the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Valdez has 14 home runs in his first 38 career at-bats.

–Field Level Media

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Vikings agree to deal with veteran LB/S Jamal Adams

Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Jamal Adams against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium.Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Jamal Adams against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium.

Three-time Pro Bowl linebacker/safety Jamal Adams is headed to his sixth NFL team after agreeing to terms with the Minnesota Vikings on Monday.

The 30-year-old veteran confirmed his decision with a post on X that said “Year 10 #skol”.

Adams spent last season with the Las Vegas Raiders, amassing 45 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in 17 games (four starts) as a linebacker.

Adams also previously played for the New York Jets (2017-19), Seattle Seahawks (2020-23), Tennessee Titans (2024) and Detroit Lions (2024). Adams earned his Pro Bowl appearances as a safety from 2018-20.

It remains to be seen which position the versatile Adams will play for the Vikings. However, his addition comes as safety Harrison Smith mulls retirement.

Overall during his pro career, Adams has tallied 546 tackles, 22.5 sacks, four interceptions, 36 passes defended, eight forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.

Adams is joining a stingy Vikings defense that ranked third in the NFL in yards allowed per game last season (282.6).

–Field Level Media

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