The debut of the Athletics in their new home ballpark in Sacramento, CA, got off to a very rocky start last night as the hometown A’s hosted the Chicago Cubs in front of a sellout crowd of 12,119 at Sutter Health Park. While construction projects were still being completed in the outfield prior to the first pitch, the broadcasts for both the Athletics and Cubs were unexpectedly taken off the air due to technical issues, which were later discovered to be internet-related.
This marks the first season in which the Athletics will be playing in Sacramento, as the team is currently in the midst of transitioning to its new full-time home in Las Vegas.
In radio samples obtained by Awful Announcing, the Athletics’ radio broadcast went silent for several minutes during multiple innings. Meanwhile, Dieter Kurtenbach of the San Jose Mercury News provided a play-by-play of the technical difficulties on X.
As the situation worsened, the Athletics radio network eventually decided to carry the television broadcast on the radio network while they continued to work on resolving the issues.
At the same time, Kurtenbach continued to describe the ongoing issues for the Athletics radio network in real time via social media. Additionally, the Chicago Cubs broadcast was also affected by the same internet-related technical issues. Scanning feedback from listeners on X, it became evident that numerous Cubs radio listeners grew increasingly frustrated with the signal loss.
Due to the ongoing signal issues in Sacramento, 670 The Score ultimately decided to carry Infinity Sports Network programming for a period of time. As a result, some listeners on social media expressed confusion over the unexpected programming switch.
Despite all the technical setbacks, the game eventually reached its conclusion, with the Cubs securing a dominant 18-3 victory. Fortunately, both radio networks managed to resolve the feed issues by the later innings.
However, the internet problems were not the only unusual occurrence during the Athletics’ first game in the state capital. At one point in the seventh inning, a bat boy named Stewart Thalblum noticed a drone being flown near the left field wall. Reacting quickly, Thalblum took it down with a baseball bat, preventing any potential disruptions or safety concerns.
In the aftermath of the chaotic evening, neither the team nor the facility issued any official statements regarding the technical issues or the drone incident following the Athletics’ first game in their temporary Sacramento home.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
