A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Last night, West Sacramento in California officially became a Major League Baseball city as the Chicago Cubs played the team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics. The A's are playing their home games for the next three years in the Sacramento area as they wait for their new billion-dollar stadium to be completed in their future home, Las Vegas. Steve Futterman has the story.
STEVE FUTTERMAN, BYLINE: Six hours before the first pitch, Jesse Chapman (ph) was in line to buy a ticket for the first game.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: How many tickets are you looking for?
JESSE CHAPMAN: Just two.
FUTTERMAN: Never in her wildest imagination was Major League Baseball played here a realistic possibility.
CHAPMAN: For me, it's about baseball and Sacramento. It's just the two things I loved, growing up in Sacramento and I love baseball. So the culmination of both.
FUTTERMAN: When the gates opened, David Richardson (ph), a longtime A's fan, was in front of the line.
DAVID RICHARDSON: We're down from southern California. Come out here to catch some baseball history today. Just so worked out we're first in line.
FUTTERMAN: Normally, the ballpark here is home to the minor league Sacramento River Cats. It holds only 14,000 and lacks the typical bells and whistles of a modern major league stadium. One thing they do have here? Lawn seats. In the park-like area behind right field, you bring your own chair. Chris Walthers (ph) came with his wife and young son.
CHRIS WALTHERS: These lawn seats are awesome. It's a great way to watch the game. You can sit with the family. The kids are engaged. It's a great spot.
AMELIA SCHIMMEL: It's a beautiful day for baseball.
FUTTERMAN: Finally, it was time to play the game.
SCHIMMEL: Thank you for joining us on this historic occasion as we usher in a new era of Major League Baseball in the state capital.
(SOUNDBITE OF BAT HITTING)
FUTTERMAN: The mayor, Martha Guerrero, wanted to make one thing clear - this is not Sacramento. It's West Sacramento.
So tell me what's it like to have Sacramento host a major league team?
MARTHA GUERRERO: Well, West Sacramento is hosting a major league team (laughter).
FUTTERMAN: West Sacramento, excuse me.
GUERRERO: And that is the most exciting, exhilarating experience for us to have.
FUTTERMAN: Before the game, some players quietly complained about the stadium's lack of facilities. Chicago's Dansby Swanson said it doesn't matter to him.
DANSBY SWANSON: No matter where it is, when it is, it's a special honor and something that we should never be able to take for granted.
FUTTERMAN: There were a few glitches last night, including internet problems, which briefly knocked radio broadcasts off the air. And there was a giant glitch for the A's - they lost to the Cubs, 18 to 3.
For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in West Sacramento.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
