If Monday night’s preview of Major League Baseball in Las Vegas was any indication, pitchers may want to start updating their résumés.
In a game that felt more like a Home Run Derby than a regular season contest, the Athletics launched six home runs, survived a record-setting barrage of Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenges, erased a four-run deficit in the 10th inning, and still somehow walked away with a heartbreaking 15-14 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in 12 innings at Las Vegas Ballpark.
The game featured 29 runs, 11 home runs, and a record 16 ABS challenges, the most ever in a Major League game utilizing the experimental system. Nine of those challenges were successful, as players and catchers on both sides repeatedly tested the technology throughout the marathon affair.
“It was definitely an offensive game tonight on both sides,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said afterward. “They swung the bats, we swung the bats. It’s unfortunate that we just couldn’t push another run across to keep the game going.”
The fireworks started immediately.
On the very first pitch thrown to the Athletics in their temporary home debut in Las Vegas, catcher Shea Langeliers launched a leadoff home run off the scoreboard in left-center field, instantly giving the crowd a glimpse of what could be in store when the franchise permanently relocates to Southern Nevada in 2028.
But that was merely the opening act.
After falling behind 4-1 in the third inning, the Athletics exploded for six runs in the bottom half, highlighted by Tyler Soderstrom’s three-run blast over the pool in center field and Zack Gelof’s solo shot. The inning chased Milwaukee starter Kyle Hamilton and gave the A’s an 8-4 lead.
Soderstrom finished with two home runs and three RBI, while Nick Kurtz continued his outstanding rookie campaign with three hits, including a pair of homers. Langeliers added three hits and three RBI in one of the strongest offensive performances of his season.
Yet even a 10-6 lead entering the ninth inning wasn’t safe.
Milwaukee rallied behind Andrew Vaughn, who went 4-for-6 with four RBI, including a game-tying two-run double in the ninth. Then came the chaos of extra innings.
William Contreras appeared to put the game away with a three-run blast in the 10th, giving Milwaukee a 14-10 advantage. Instead, the Athletics answered immediately. Langeliers delivered an RBI single before Kurtz crushed a two-run homer and Jonah Heim followed with a game-tying solo shot that barely cleared the wall in right field.
The clubs combined for eight runs in the 10th inning alone.
After both teams were held scoreless in the 11th, Milwaukee finally broke through in the 12th when Brice Turang reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Christian Yelich after an errant throw home by Jeff McNeil.
“Anytime you cough up a lead late, it’s tough,” Kotsay said. “Our guys rallied. We were down four with one out left. That just shows the fight. Both teams grinded this game out.”
Lost amid the offensive chaos was the return of Max Muncy, who had missed nearly six weeks with a hand injury. The infielder contributed two RBI in his first game back, helping fuel the Athletics’ six-run third inning.
The loss wasted another productive offensive night from one of baseball’s most exciting young lineups. Soderstrom, Kurtz, Langeliers, and Gelof combined for eight hits, five home runs, and eight RBI, but Oakland’s inability to protect late leads ultimately proved costly.
For one night, however, the final score almost felt secondary.
Las Vegas got its first real taste of Major League Baseball, and between the offensive explosion, the record-setting 16 ABS challenges, and nearly five hours of back-and-forth drama, the city received a memorable introduction to what could soon become its newest major league attraction.