WEST SACRAMENTO – What a difference a year makes.
Around this time last year, the Athletics carried an extra sense of anxiety into their first homestand of the season. Sutter Health Park, their new temporary home before relocating to Las Vegas in 2028, was an unknown for most players and coaches.
That feeling of unease as the A’s opened up that first series against the Cubs showed on the field as they were swept over three games and outscored by 26 runs.
Friday night’s 2026 home opener at Sutter Health Park was a completely different story. The A’s knew what to expect out of their home ballpark, and an offense that had been sputtering to begin the season looked plenty comfortable as it finally broke out in an 11-4 victory over the Astros.
Every hitter in the A’s starting lineup reached base at least once, and the offensive eruption was highlighted by a six-run outburst in the fourth that featured back-to-back home runs, with Lawrence Butler’s three-run shot to left immediately followed by a booming 404-foot blast to left by Max Muncy, who finished with three RBIs as part of a 3-for-4 night and was just a triple shy of the cycle.
There was no shortage of hard contact in that six-run frame. The catalyst, however, was a sky-high popup hit by Tyler Soderstrom that began in foul territory and sailed back into play and out of the reach of catcher Yainer Diaz, plating home the first of six runs with two outs that inning. In fact, all 11 runs scored by the A’s on Friday came with two outs.
“We took advantage of a mistake on their part and ended up scoring quite a few runs when they should have been out of the inning,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “That’s what you have to do. You have to capitalize on those opportunities. We did tonight. It was nice to see the guys have some momentum and have some fun playing the game.”
The A’s generated heavy preseason buzz as an offense projected to perform as a top-five unit in MLB in ‘26. The bats had not lived up that billing early on, with their 17 runs scored tied for the fewest in the Majors through their 1-5 start over the first six games of the season.
On Friday, we saw that high-powered lineup on full display, as the A’s put 17 balls in play with an exit velocity above 95 mph, including 10 north of 100 mph.
“It felt like a regular day at the office,” Butler said. “We know what kind of team we are, and we showed it tonight. Nobody has been panicking in the clubhouse, despite our record. We know we’re a good team, and we know that we’re eventually going to show the league that we’re a good team.”
The increased sense of comfort was also evident on the mound for Jeffrey Springs, who limited Houston to one run on two hits and one walk with seven strikeouts across six strong innings to notch his first win of the season.
“For me, [knowing how the ballpark plays] is huge,” Springs said. “Just understanding how the mound plays and how the ball travels, everything that was different and unknown last year, we have a much better idea now. For me, it’s big to know what you’re walking into.”
For any team with playoff aspirations like the A’s, playing well at home is essential. That was a struggle for them last year, as they went 36-45 at home as opposed to 40-41 on the road.
It’s only one game, but Friday night was a glimpse of how the A’s hope to utilize Sutter Health Park, a hitter-friendly field that saw 230 home runs hit and an average of 10.04 runs scored per game in 2025, to their advantage as a club whose identity is one that relies heavily on outscoring opponents with its offensive firepower.
Having a full house also helps. Friday night’s announced attendance was a sold-out crowd of 12,410 fans, marking the largest for an A’s game at Sutter Health Park. The Sacramento fans were bought in from first pitch and erupted during big moments, providing an energy the A’s hope to feed off of throughout this season.
“It was electric,” Muncy said of the atmosphere on Friday night. “I had chills rounding third. It was awesome. The fans were into it. I loved it. I thank them for coming out.”