Photos below? NOT YET!
| Decade | Renovations, expansions, etc. | Resident team(s) | Milestones | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2000: Built, originally called "Raley Field" | Sacramento River Cats (Triple-A affiliate of San Francisco Giants) | 14,000 | |
| 2010s | 2019: renamed "Sutter Health Park" | Sacramento River Cats | 14,000 | |
| 2020s | 2025-2027 (?): Borrowed by Athletics! | Sacramento River Cats (Athletics) |
14,000 |
After negotiations over a possible new stadium with the city of Oakland broke down and the Athletics signed a deal to relocate to Las Vegas, Nevada, the awkward question arose of where to play in the mean time. The lease at Oakland Coliseum expired after the 2024 season, and bad feelings between the city and the team owners precluded any short-term extension. The most logical solution would have been the Las Vegas Ballpark, the home of the Las Vegas Aviators, located in the suburb of Summerlin several miles west of the Vegas "Strip." Old Cashman Field, where the A's played briefly in 1997, has since been converted into a soccer stadium. But apparently because the deal to build a new stadium had not been finalized by late 2024, the Athletics decided to play it safe by committing to a stadium close enough to their previous home to attract a respectable number of fans.
Compared to the mild Mediterranean climate of Oakland and the San Francisco Bay area, Sacramento is "hot, hot, hot"! Temperatures routinely climb into the triple digits during the summer months, so perhaps this intermediate move was a good way of preparing the Athletics for playing in their future home in Las Vegas. (The stadium being constructed there will have a roof with air conditioning, of course.) Technically, Sutter Health Park is located in West Sacramento (which has a separate municipal government), but it's just across the Sacramento River from the city of Sacramento itself. The California state capitol building (in downtown Sacramento) is just over a mile away.
Coincidentally, just as the Athletics moved here, the The Tampa Bay Rays moved to a similar minor league ballpark: George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. This was for quite different reasons, however. Tropicana Field had been heavily damaged by a hurricane, necessitating extensive repairs.
Various upgrades were made to approximate Major League standards, such as new luxury suites and an enlarged video/scoreboard. Because the River Cats are continuing to play here, and the hot, dry climate puts added stress on natural grass, the surace was replaced with artificial turf. The seating capacity of 14,000 includes "10,624 fixed seats and additional space on the expansive grass berms known as Toyota Home Run Hill." (sutterhealthpark.com)"
The playing field at Sutter Health Park has a very constricted foul territory, though the sharply acute angle of the grandstand does provide more room between home plate and the dugouts. The left field fence is a broad arc, and then in right field there are two straight segments in front of the two bullpens. In that respect, with just a bit of outfield asymmetry, it's rather like the Atlanta Braves' old home at Turner Field. NOTE: In the map of Sutter Health Park on the Athletics' web site, the position of the outfield fence is shown as a perfect circular arc, quite different from what anyone who has seen it with their own eyes, in person or on TV. That is why I am not including that as one of the sources.
SOURCES: sutterhealthpark.com, milb.com