A's temporary home in Sacramento will have grass instead of artificial turf

NEW YORK (AP) — The nomadic Athletics will play home games on grass as they move from Oakland to Sacramento next season rather than the artificial turf initially planned at Sutter Health Park.

The team announced in April 2023 it will move from Oakland to a new ballpark to be built in Las Vegas and said this April it intended to play its home games in Sacramento from 2025-27 until the new stadium in Nevada is constructed. The Sacramento ballpark also is home to the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A River Cats.

Major League Baseball said last summer an artificial turf field would be installed that could withstand a schedule of up to 153 regular-season games over 186 days. Daily high summer temperatures in Sacramento have reached 115 degrees (46 Celsius), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Major League Baseball Players Association expressed concern.

"In light of the players’ clear preference for natural grass, and after weighing with the MLBPA the potential risks and benefits of maintaining natural grass versus replacing the playing surface with synthetic turf, all the parties are aligned in moving forward with a natural grass field for opening day 2025,” MLB said in a statement Monday.

MLB said the decision was made jointly by the commissioner's office, the team and Sutter Health Park.

“I'm glad it's going to be grass, for sure,” said Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt, a two-time Oakland All-Star.

The A's open the home portion of their schedule against the Chicago Cubs on March 31. Sutter Health Park has a capacity of about 10,500 fixed seats.

“We play on turf so I can’t say I had any concern for player safety,” Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said in a text message. “I will say I’m not a fan of turf on an outdoor ballpark so I’m glad to hear the news.”

Las Vegas will be the fourth long-term home of the franchise, which was based in Philadelphia from 1901-54 and Kansas City from 1955-67 before moving to Oakland.

Murray Cook, the field surface consultant to MLB and the union, assessed the options and determined a grass surface was viable. Sutter Health Park, which opened in 2000, has had a grass surface.

A new home clubhouse is being constructed for the A's that includes a locker room, weight room and training room. Dugouts will be renovated to create more space, bullpens will be revamped and a new batter's eye installed after the union raised visibility concerns.

AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report.

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FILE - Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., April 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

FALL CITY, WASH. (AP) — Law enforcement officials found five people killed in a shooting inside a home southeast of Seattle on Monday morning and took a teenager into custody, police said.

Several people called 911 around 5 a.m. to report a shooting in Fall City, Washington, King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Mike Mellis said at a media briefing Monday afternoon.

Arriving deputies immediately took one teen into custody while another teenager who had been hurt was taken to a Seattle hospital, Mellis said. Both teens live at the house, Mellis said.

Deputies entering the home found the bodies of five people, he said. Two were adults and three were described by Mellis as young teenagers. No names have been released yet.

“Once bodies were discovered, clearly we understand that this is a hugely significant crime scene,” he said.

Mellis said the shooting appears to involve members of a family, but added that they didn't yet know how they were related. He also said there was no ongoing threat to the community.

“I have no reason to think that there will be any additional arrests,” he said.

The teen in custody was booked into King County’s juvenile detention facility, according to Mellis. The teen will appear in court for a first hearing on Tuesday or Wednesday, a spokesperson for the county Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said in an email.

A neighbor told KING-TV that a couple and their five children lived in the home.

“I’m just in total shock, I keep bursting into tears,” Lynne Trowern, told the news outlet.

Sheriff Patricia Cole-Tindall told KING-TV that she was “very sad, very disturbed” to learn about the shooting.

Neighbors leave the scene of a fatal shooting Monday morning, Oct. 21, 2024, in Fall City, Wash. (Kevin Clark/The Seattle Times via AP)

Police arrive on the scene of a shooting in Fall City, Washington, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (Kevin Clark/The Seattle Times via AP)