The Athletics’ first wild game in Las Vegas resulted in a 29-run, 11-run home run that bodes poorly for the future of the local MLB.
The team known as the Oakland Athletics now plays its home games in West Sacramento, en route to a brand new stadium on The Strip in Las Vegas.
But to finally build a home base, the A’s have scheduled six home games at the Las Vegas Ballpark this week. That stadium, which usually hosts the Las Vegas Aviators, the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, is located in the Summerlin area of the Vegas Valley. Being on the west side of the city means it is at the foot of the nearby mountains. It also means that the stadium sits at an altitude of over 3,000 meters.
Well, sure enough, Monday night’s game between the Athletics and the Brewers, even though the stadium is bigger than a Major League Baseball ballpark, resulted in the worst result of the season. Any season. All thanks to being played at a higher altitude than any baseball park other than Coors Field in Denver.
Tyler Soderstrom, left, runs after hitting a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning at Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin, Nev., on June 8, 2026. (Lucas Peltier/Imagn Images)
The game ended 15-14 in 12 innings, just the 18th time that score has occurred in any Major League game since 1900. It has only happened twice this century, and not since 2019. It was the highest batting performance of the year, by a wide margin. On May 31, the Giants beat the Rockies 19-6 in, you guessed it, Colorado.
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But it is not the only points that are unusual and unexpected. It was how the teams got there.
The Brewers and A’s combined for 11 homers. OA, even if they fail, hit seven by themselves. Two Athletics players hit two home runs each, Tyler Soderstrom and Nick Kurtz. There were 31 hits between the two teams. 14 different pitchers were used, 441 pitches were thrown, easily surpassing the previous high this year. Oh, and when the game reached the 10th inning, the Brewers scored four in the top of the inning…only to allow the A’s to tie the game with four runs in the bottom of the 10th.
But there is more to it than that.
Because of the height, there have been a number of over-the-top home runs, including one from Brewers catcher William Contreras. Contreras hit a 463-foot home run, the second-longest of the year, and was able to fall behind him in the process.
Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras celebrates after hitting the Athletics during the ninth inning at Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin, Nev., on June 8, 2026. (Lucas Peltier/Imagn Images)
On the other hand, as football continued to move forward, there was also the unexpected player of the season.
First, some backstory. With the A’s down 14-11 in the bottom of the 10th, Nick Kurtz came up with a runner on second as the team’s last hope. At 2-2, one strike away from the end of the game, he launched the ball 110 mph and 447 feet to make the score 14-13.
A’s catcher Jonah Heim batted a bit, and hit what can only be described as a typical pop-up…over the fence for a game-tying home run.
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Just look at the host’s reaction after seeing the contact. Contreras played hundreds of baseball games in his professional career. He saw a lot of fly balls hit the bat. And he was so sure it was a game-ending fly, he stood up and hit his glove in celebration.
And then it carried 398 yards over the fence, despite an exit velocity of just 94.6 mph. How slim were the chances of Heim’s ball ending up being a home run? According to Baseball Savant Statcast’s MLB tracker, it was a home game in 0/30 MLB ballparks. The expected batting average was actually .000. Every time the ball is hit with that exit velocity and launch angle combination, it exits. Except for Las Vegas.
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A sign marks the future home plate during a groundbreaking ceremony for Major League Baseball’s Athletics 33,000-seat stadium at Sutter Health Park in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 23, 2025. (Photos by Justine Willard/Athletics/Getty)
It was already clear that going to Las Vegas would be a change for the team and the league. But this game and the way it played highlights how much of a fix there will be. The new A’s stadium is being built on The Strip, not Summerlin, which means it’s on a lower level. It’s closer to 2,300 feet instead of 3,000. However, it is clear that the ball is going to fly out of that park. And with similar expectations for the new center, it could be yet another high-scoring slugfest as they head into the 2028 season.
A roof may help some, especially when it’s closed in the hot summer months. But if this is the way the Vegas games go, A’s pitchers will be pissed. And the A’s hitters will be added to fantasy baseball. Just a few years to find out.
