In their final series of the season, the A’s faced the Kansas City Royals from September 26 to 28, 2025. While the A’s came in hoping to finish strong, Kansas City delivered a commanding final game, denying the A’s a sweep. The series was a microcosm of a season of highs and lows: one walk off, some offensive bursts, and a finale where the Royals flexed as the home side closed out.
The season’s penultimate series opener went down to the wire, with the A’s eking out a 4-3 walk off win. The game was tight throughout, as neither team could dig out a comfortable lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Shea Langeliers came through with a tiebreaking double, sending the crowd into a frenzy and giving the A’s a crucial early edge in the final homestand. The bullpen held earlier leads, and the A’s secured the narrow finish as the season headed toward the end.
Buoyed by the momentum of Game 1, the A’s fought hard in Game 2 but failed to clinch the series before the finale. The A’s offense again found timely swings and stayed close throughout the game but were unable to close the gap as they fell 4-2.
In the final game, the Royals roared back with a decisive 9-2 victory to spoil the A’s hope for a season-ending win. The Royals powered multiple home runs. Mike Yastrzemski accounted for two solo blasts, and their attack overwhelmed the A’s. Backed by a sharp outing by Cole Ragans, who struck out eight in just over four innings, the Royals were focused and determined. While the A’s managed to hit a few long balls of their own, the deficit proved too large. The result gave Kansas City momentum to close their year on a high note and handed the A’s a sobering end to their first season in West Sacramento.
Sutter Health Park, home to the season’s last chapter in West Sacramento, brimmed with emotional energy. Fans cheered the walk off, held their breath in tight innings, and braced for the final out. The finale’s lopsided result could not erase the moments of late-season drama. Langeliers’s heroics and the aggressive swings from the visiting lineup were memories that outlasted the scoreboard. The walk off win in Game 1 proved the A’s can fight and they can deliver in clutch moments. They’re clearly capable of beating any team in the league, but this series offered both affirmation and caution. They proved capable of fighting until the last swing, but also exposed vulnerabilities when opponents got hot. As the organization transitions toward next year, the young core showed flashes. Langeliers, Cortes, and Rooker prove the foundation remains sound. Soderstrom, Wison and Kurtz are all outstanding and yet they still have tremendous potential upside. The A’s leave the field knowing they collected heroic moments, closed a season with fight, but also encountered the kind of unfinished business that fuels the next chapter. On to 2026.
Ahsan Awan has been covering sports for two decades and has been covering professional baseball since 2005. All images taken by Robert Longan and Jason Reed for American Presswire and ©2025 Robert Longan and Jason Reed for their specific unique images for American Presswire and subject to unlimited use under license unless otherwise noted. Robert Longan can be found on X as @robbielphoto and on Instagram as @lngn_media. Jason reed can be found on X as @fieldofdd and on Instagram as @fieldofdaydreams. Ahsan Awan can be found on X as @quackarazzi and on Instagram as @quackarazzi. American Presswire can be found on X as @ampresswire and on Instagram as @ampresswire.