OAKLAND — As Jorge León stood at a table at The Athletic Club Oakland, surrounded by dozens unified by their love of baseball, he pondered the emotional contrast between losing the Athletics and gaining the Ballers. He, like many, is saddened by the impending departure of the A’s. He, also like many, is elated by the introduction of the B’s.
To León, regardless of where the A’s end up long term, he knows that the energy, the passion, the vibes of fans from this city will never, without a shadow of a doubt, be matched. Not in Sacramento. Not in Las Vegas.
Nowhere.
“This is what the A’s are losing,” said León, the founder and president of the Oakland 68’s. “I’m glad the B’s are keeping pro baseball alive in Oakland, and hopefully it continues on and on.”
As the Ballers, a new addition to the Pioneer League, won their inaugural game against the Glacier Range Riders in Kalispell, Montana, 7-6, dozens of fans flocked to the team’s watch party at The Athletic Club Oakland. The win was unquestionably sweet, but the result came secondary to the fact that, for a few hours, fans of Oakland baseball could congregate and share a space, one defined by a love of the game.
Ballers fans celebrate the team’s first win in franchise history, a 7-6 victory over the Glacier Ridge Riders. pic.twitter.com/qb6nYxLYY5
— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) May 22, 2024
“Oakland has a long and storied history of baseball,” said Ezra Berman, co-owner of The Athletic Club Oakland. “With (the A’s) leaving, there was a hole in the community. The Oakland Ballers are an opportunity to keep baseball alive. As a sports bar owner who is in touch with local sports fans, we saw an instant fit for our bar and the Oakland Ballers to keep the community coming together around baseball in Oakland.”
Added Juan Grande, 27, from Emeryville: “As they say, out with the old, in with the new. As much as a lot of us are going to be heartbroken when (the A’s) leave, the spirit of The Town is still here and a lot of baseball fans won’t go anywhere.”
Most of those at the Ballers’ watch party are — or were — Athletics fans. On his left arm, León has a tattoo of the team’s logo, as well as a Rollie Fingers-inspired Día de los Muertos skeleton. Grande shared fond memories of growing up with the A’s only a short commute away. There was no shortage of fans who have endured, as León describes, a rollercoaster of emotions due to developments in recent months, from all 30 MLB owners approving the A’s move to Las Vegas to the A’s announcing that this season would be their last in Oakland. The B’s, then, present an opportunity for fans to congregate and bond over the game they hold so close.
“I’m all about the community-minded aspect of sports,” León said. “So, (since the B’s) are all about that, there’s no doubt that we can get behind them.”
Those at the watch party emotionally invested themselves in the B’s as they would the A’s. There were cheers and groans. There were refrains of “Let’s go Oakland,” as well as soccer-esque chants of, “We love you Oakland, we do.” There were, unsurprisingly, several who voiced their displeasure for A’s owner John Fisher and president Dave Kaval.
Yet roughly 1,100 miles away from their home base, the B’s provided their fans with no shortage of reasons to cheer, checking off a plethora of boxes in the process.
Austin Davis, acquired in the first trade in franchise history, went 5-for-6 with two doubles and four RBIs. Dondrei Hubbard, the Ballers’ first signing and Pioneer League’s reigning batting champion, hit the team’s first home run, a solo shot in the seventh. Abraham De Leon got the start and recorded the team’s first strikeout while Carson Lambert tossed two scoreless innings to lock down the team’s first save.
“That’s what he does,” said Ballers manager Micah Franklin of Davis. “We call him ‘Turbo.’ He’s electric. It’s a joke that he wasn’t drafted, but he’s here now. He’s going to help us out and win a lot of games for us.”
Following 11 more games on the road, the B’s will return to Oakland for their home opener on June 4. If Tuesday’s watch party was any indicator, that first contest at Raimondi Park may very well be another reminder of what the A’s, in the mind of León and many others, are losing.
