Hello! Welcome to another edition of the A’s beat newsletter. WEST SACRAMENTO – When Willie MacIver played at Sutter Health Park in 11 games with the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate from 2023-24, he had no idea that he was playing in the same stadium where his childhood dream would soon become reality. An added wrinkle to the A’s making their temporary home at Sutter Health Park – also home of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats – through at least the 2027 season is that any debuting Major League player may have already played a Minor League game here in the past. That was the case for MacIver and Logan Davidson, both of whom were among the group of players called up by the A’s from Triple-A Las Vegas over the weekend. For MacIver, who grew up less than 70 miles south of West Sacramento in Pleasant Hill, his debut on Sunday was truly a full-circle moment. “I never thought that I would debut in Sacramento,” MacIver said. “But I’ve played here before, so the fact that I’ve played at this ballpark a few times gave a little comfort to that." |
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The proximity to his hometown afforded the opportunity for plenty of family and friends to make the roughly one-hour, 20-minute drive up. MacIver left 23 tickets for his group of supporters. Of those 23, only one was an out-of-towner: his younger brother Ian, who flew in from Salt Lake City. “I don’t want to leave him out,” MacIver said. “That’s my best friend. To have my brother there and be able to hug him after the game, man, it’s the best feeling ever.” MacIver gave them plenty to cheer for. In what was a dream debut, the 28-year-old catcher notched his first Major League hit in a clutch spot, as his RBI single to right field off Phillies reliever Matt Strahm in the eighth inning gave the A’s a one-run lead. One inning later, MacIver recorded the final out of the game from behind the dish, nabbing pinch-runner Johan Rojas as he tried to steal second base to secure a 5-4 victory. “It’s awesome. Really cool. So happy that it was easy for friends and family to get to the game. "Best day of my life,” MacIver said. “This was my birthday wish every single year when I blew out my candles since I was six. … It’s a dream come true. That’s all I can say. I dreamed about that for my whole life.” |
MacIver, a ninth-round Draft pick by the Rockies in 2018, spent the first six years of his professional career in Colorado’s farm system before becoming a free agent this offseason. He signed a Minor League deal with an invite to Spring Training this winter with the A’s, knowing that there was an opportunity to make the big league club as a backup catcher. Starting out the 2025 season at Triple-A, MacIver forced his way to the Majors by hitting .389 with a 1.107 OPS in 35 games with the Aviators. “You look at the production that MacIver’s given the Vegas team,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “He hit himself here, really. You can’t ignore a player that’s having that type of success at the Triple-A level. He’s got a different enthusiasm about him that we witnessed in Spring Training while he was there.” MacIver’s first big league knock was the hit the A’s desperately sought for nearly two weeks, as Sunday’s win snapped a dreadful 11-game losing streak. “Now we go,” MacIver said. “Just keep winning. Keep playing hard. We’ve been playing good baseball, but it just hasn’t been going our way. All we need is something like that. It’s like a hitting slump. You see one fall, all of a sudden you start getting hits. I’m expecting us to keep this thing rolling.” |
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Who managed the last of the A's three consecutive World Series champion clubs in 1974? A. John McNamara B. Dick Williams C. Chuck Tanner D. Al Dark |
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Since the start of the season, there was a good bit of intrigue over what an ejection might look like at Sutter Health Park. Because both home and visitor dugouts are situated behind the outfield wall, any manager or player ejected from a game must make the trek to the outfield gate before play can resume. The first honor belongs to Kotsay. During the seventh inning of Sunday’s win over the Phillies, Kotsay was ejected from the game after expressing his frustration over some called strikes by home-plate umpire Roberto Ortiz. Once Kotsay got his final words in, he walked back to the A’s clubhouse in left field, which took about one full minute to reach the wall from near home plate. “You didn’t think the visiting guy was going to be the first one to get tossed, did you?” Kotsay said with a smile. “It was long. There was a moment where I thought, ‘Should I jog?’ Then I thought, ‘No. I think [Phillies starter Jesús] Luzardo could use a little break.’” |
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