Today we saw the first game of the Tigers vs. Athletics series. First pitch was set for 1:05 pm and we left our hotel around 10:30 this morning. We were surprised when our van arrived to the O.co Coliseum in a matter of 15 minutes. We had spent our last two days making an hour and a half drive to get to AT&T Park, so the quick drive and lack of traffic was refreshing. We found a parking spot and got out of the van to wander the Oakland tailgate. We had over an hour until gates opened, so we filled out a survey to win free Athletics t-shirts and mingled with other fans.
Around 11:30 the gates opened and we made our way into the Coliseum. This ballpark looked very different than the others we had seen so far on our trip. O.co was simplistic; the walls were made of concrete and the concourse lacked a lot of showy colors or signs. The park is the only remaining park in MLB that doubles as the playing space for another sport, the Oakland Radars. Because of this, most of the decor of the stadium is made to be interchangeable for the two teams and provided a very different feel to the stadium. We found our seats, which were probably the best seats of the trip so far, and settled in for the game. The sun beat down in O.co Coliseum and made it a very warm day for baseball. Most of our class ended up with sunburns at the end of the day, (we made sure to walk to the local Walgreens to buy Aloe Vera and sunblock after the game) but it was worth it to watch the Athletics shut out the Tigers.
The fan base in Oakland was different than any we had seen thus far. There is a standing rivalry between the Tigers and Athletics that would prove to make today’s matchup even better. In 2012 and 2013, Detroit beat out Oakland in the American League Division Series. As an observer, you could definitely sense the animosity throughout the stadium today. Oakland fans booed the Detroit players as they came up to bat, and any time the umpire made a call in favor of Detroit, he would get mocked and ridiculed.
The pitching matchups for the game were both of the teams 5th starters; Tommy Milone pitched for the Athletics and Drew Smyly started off for the Tigers. The Athletics would prove to be an offensive nightmare for Detroit. In the bottom of the second, Brandon Moss and Kyle Blanks both hit solo homeruns to center field to start of the Athletics’ hitting streak. In the bottom of the third, Josh Donaldson and Yoenis Cespedes both hit solo homeruns to give the Athletics a 4-0 lead over the Tigers. Detroit had a hard time hitting off of Milone, who pitched 6 and 2/3 innings of today’s game; he only allowed four hits the entire game. The Tigers stranded these four men on base, which resulted in a shutout for the Oakland Athletics. To finish the game, Derek Norris hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 8th, sealing the Athletics’ 10-0 victory. Today was a great day for baseball and I am very excited to see the Tigers and Athletics go head-to-head in another matchup tomorrow!
Until Next Time -
Kaylie
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