Langeliers, the likely starting catcher Thursday night, said his parents used to pull him out of school so they could attend the Texas Rangers’ Opening Day game.īy the time he reached high school, Langeliers realized he might have a chance to be on the field for an Opening Day game.Īfter a successful college career at Baylor, he was drafted No. I don’t do this just because I love baseball. “It’s going to be amazing to have my family there and feel the love and support. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to achieve,” Allen said. Thursday they’ll be in the stands, witnessing his major league dream. Oakland A’s pitcher Shintaro Fujinami delivers a pitch during the Oakland A’s spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels at Hohokam Stadium on Februin Mesa, Arizona. Another, Shintaro Fujinami, will pitch Saturday. One of the pitchers, Kyle Muller, will get the start Thursday night. The A’s could almost field a lineup with first-timers: A full outfield with Brent Rooker, Conner Capel and Esteury Ruiz a catcher in Shea Langeliers a first baseman in Ryan Noda a shortstop in Nick Allen and four pitchers. What the A’s can’t offer in salary, they can offer in opportunity. It’s a team with a $200-million payroll trying to keep up with the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. Look across the Bay Bridge and the Giants will have just four players experiencing Opening Day festivities for the first time. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) These guys are excited and hungry for a good season.” Oakland Athletics’ Nick Allen (2) and Tony Kemp (5) compare their bats eduring batting practice before their preseason MLB game against the San Francisco Giants at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, March 26, 2023. So it’s really special to make an Opening Day roster. “There are fewer than 800 guys in the whole world who make these rosters. “You can’t take it for granted,” said 31-year-old Tony Kemp, who will be playing in his fifth Opening Day game. Of the 26 players expected to suit up for the A’s Opening Day game against Shohei Ohtani and the Angels, 10 of them will be on an Opening Day roster for the first time. The silver lining for a franchise in the midst of a rebuild? A fresh start. OAKLAND - The guys you’ve never heard of are here, ready to take the field along the third-base line of their crumbling old stadium tonight just before 7:07 p.m., lift their cap to the American flag and kick off a brand new season of A’s baseball.Įxpectations? Couldn’t be lower.
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