Oakland Ballers’ Sold-Out Opener ‘A Ray of Light’ for City That Still Loves Baseball

A sold-out crowd cheered on the Oakland Ballers in the team’s inaugural home game on Tuesday at Raimondi Park, and even the opening night loss did little to subdue the celebratory mood.

Ballers outfielder Dondrei Hubbard hit a home run in the first inning, igniting a giddy crowd of 4,100. The Ballers held a 2–0 lead over the Yolo High Wheelers for several innings but eventually lost 9–3.

Still, catcher Tyler Lozano said the crowd was like “electricity.”

“I know tonight, opening night, wasn’t what we planned, but we’re excited to be out here and to see the Oakland fanbase,” Lozano said. “I mean, the fans were loud; the fans were here. I mean, we were even down by eight, and they were still cheering ‘Let’s go Oakland,’ so you can tell they love Oakland.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the Oakland Athletics hosted a crowd not much larger on Tuesday night, playing in front of 5,624 people at a Coliseum with a capacity of almost 50,000.

The Ballers, an independent Pioneer League baseball team, were formed in part as an attempt to fill the void left by the A’s, who are set to leave for Sacramento after this season before relocating to a new stadium in Las Vegas as early as 2028.

“The Ballers have been like a ray of light, a real energizer for the city,” fan Jerome Sicat said after Tuesday’s game.

He called the loss of the A’s “heartbreaking” and said, “It’s amazing to have the B’s to come and check out and root for.”

In preparation for their inaugural season, the Ballers invested $1.6 million to bring Raimondi Park up to league standards. Before that, the park wasn’t fit for Little League games, Oakland native and Ballers fan Anthony McNeal said.

“When the Ballers came and waved their magic wand over this area, it just revitalized hope, excitement,” McNeal said. “And it couldn’t be at a better time, Oakland getting such a bad rap, and a lot of crime and things like that, and this is just a bright spot and one of many we hope to build in Oakland and in this neighborhood.”

Though Oakland is losing its major league team and the Ballers lost their home opener, it’s clear Oakland hasn’t lost its love for baseball.