On A’s Move To Las Vegas: The Manager, The Broadcaster, The Designated Hitter/Backup Catcher; Saturday: A’s Win Again In Vegas, 7-5, Over Rockies

June 14, 2026June 14, 2026 Alan Snel Dallas Braden, John Fisher, Jonah Heim, Mark Kotsay, Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers

Dallas Braden with a young A’s fan at the A’s stadium groundbreaking in Las Vegas. Photo credit: Steve Spatafore

A’s catcher and designated hitter Jonah Heim

Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — It’s a very big deal when a Major League Baseball team moves to a new city. Relocation does not happen often in the Big Leagues. Since 1972 when the Washington Senators moved to Texas to become the Rangers, it’s happened only twice — the Montreal Expos to Washington to become the Nationals in 2005 and the Athletics from Oakland via West Sacramento to Las Vegas planned for 2028.

This week, the Athletics rolled out their product to fans for six games in Las Vegas, where the A’s defeated the Colorado Rockies Saturday, 7-5, before a sellout of 8,532 for their fourth straight win at Las Vegas Ballpark that evened their record at 35 wins and 35 losses. Remarkably, with that 35-35 record after 70 games, the Athletics would qualify as the third wild card playoff team in the American League as of today, June 13. Tonight’s win was the Athletics’ 20th comeback victory out of 35 wins — a mark that would even impress the NHL Vegas Golden Knights, a team known for their comebacks this season.

Young A’s fan at tonight’s game, Athletics vs Rockies

LVSportsBiz.com was at Las Vegas Ballpark Saturday to 1. hear A’s Manager Mark Kotsay use some of his media time before the game to playfully interview A’s broadcaster Chris Caray; 2. talk with A’s game TV broadcaster Dallas Braden on what he has seen in the Las Vegas community during his week in Las Vegas and 3. interview A’s backup catcher/designated hitter Jonah Heim on his return to Las Vegas after he played here with the Triple-A Aviators in this same ballpark in 2019.

The manager

It was 5 PM before the Athletics/Rockies game at Las Vegas Ballpark and manager Mark Kotsay took a spot on the A’s bench to chat with the media.

Instead of starting things off by fielding questions from media like he typically does, Kotsay launched the dugout session with a lighthearted moment by posing questions to Caray in a tongue-in-cheek interview. Caray, who was next to Kotsay, is the young, talented A’s broadcaster, the great-grandson of legendary baseball broadcaster Harry Caray and the latest member of the Caray baseball broadcast legacy.

“So Chris, what activities have you been involved in here in Las Vegas this week,” Kotsay playfully asked Caray as the media soaked up the manager-turned-comic muse.

Kotsay turned up the comic relief by observing that Caray was nattily dressed for the Athletics’ first game of the six-game homestand against the Milwaukee Brewers at Las Vegas Monday and then drew some laughs when the A’s skipper actually used the term, “peacocking around,” to describe Caray strolling around the ball yard. And Kotsay even added he saw young Caray “schmoozing” with A’s owner John Fisher, asking the young broadcaster what was that like?

Caray came up with the right answer: “I enjoyed John’s presence.”

It’s this type of playfulness combined with Kotsay’s serious baseball side that has made the 50-year-old former MLB outfielder an ideal skipper to guide this team of young talents and a few veterans to Las Vegas in 2028 when the A’s plan on christening the $2 billion, domed stadium at the former Tropicana hotel site on the Strip.

Kotsay, who played 17 seasons in the Big Leagues, including four years in Oakland from 2004-07, signed a three-year contract extension in 2025 that would place the Whittier, California native inside the new A’s domed stadium on the Strip for the venue’s first home game in 2028.

The broadcaster

Dallas Braden was eating sushi for lunch in Las Vegas Saturday when the meal’s server took a moment to share a thought with the 42-year-old former A’s pitcher known now for his enthusiastic and insightful commentary during Athletics TV broadcasts on NBC Sports California.

“The waitress said she knew I was a TV announcer and she wanted me to know how excited she was for the A’s to be coming to town,” Braden told LVSportsBiz.com before tonight’s A’s game.

Like many A’s staffers this week from team president Marc Badain who visited Three Square food bank to team players who checked out Las Vegas community institutions, Braden has been making the rounds in Las Vegas this week. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the overall level of excitement” by local workers and even customers in restaurants, he said.

Las Vegas baseball fans can easily identify Braden because he’s the personable dude with the giant, fluffy Santa beard.

Dallas Braden (right) chats with A’s executive Sandy Dean (left) during the A’s stadium groundbreaking ceremony in Las Vegas. Photo credit: Steve Spatafore

As a former A’s pitcher from 2007-2011, Braden has street cred with all A’s fans — from those left heartbroken in Oakland to current fans in the Sacramento area where the A’s are playing from 2025-27 while their ballpark is built on the Strip. On May 9, 2010, Braden pitched MLB’s 19th perfect game — 27 opposing batters up and all 27 opposing batters down.

Braden has successfully navigated a narrow and delicate path by feeling for the fans of Oakland who were emotionally upset over the Athletics’ departure while also representing the organization under Fisher, who says his family has the money to fund the $2 billion stadium project on the Strip. It was Braden who was the emcee at the Athletics’ stadium groundbreaking in Las Vegas June 23, 2025. Braden also offered emotional words of appreciation to the former Oakland Coliseum field crew members after the Athletics played their last game at the Coliseum Sept. 26, 2024. Braden was featured in a documentary that focused on the Athletics’ final day at the Coliseum.

Dallas Braden at the A’s stadium groundbreaking in June 2025. Photo credit: Steve Spatafore

Here in Southern Nevada, Braden said he felt the warmth of people in Las Vegas this week, noting the locals he talked with were embracing the A’s moving to a market that already has the NHL Golden Knights, WNBA Aces, NFL Raiders and even an expected NBA team that could be here the same year the A’s open their palatial 33,000-fan ballpark. Don’t forget there are the annual F1 race in November, two NASCAR weekends at the Speedway and countless other sports events in Las Vegas. The A’s will join a crowded sports field in Las Vegas in two years.

And Braden added he has family history in Las Vegas. His uncles helped build the pirate ship at Treasure Island and the New York New York roller-coaster. Braden said he is used to being active in the community — something that he will partake in when the A’s take up fulltime residency in Las Vegas in 2028.

A’s DH and catcher Jonah Heim, who played for the Las Vegas Aviators in Las Vegas Ballpark in 2019.

Every successful pro team has a player like versatile Jonah Heim, the 30-year-old Buffalo, NY native who can spell Shea Langeliers at catcher, bat cleanup as a designated hitter like he did against the Rockies Saturday night and come off the bench to smack a home run like he did Monday when the A’s played the Brewers.

Heim’s appearances in Las Vegas this week is like coming home in a sense because he played for the Triple-A Aviators in 2019 before making his MLB debut with the A’s in 2020.

Heim also met his wife, a Centennial High School graduate, here in Las Vegas.

He told LVSportsBiz.com before Saturday’s game that the A’s are poised to take the next step to becoming a postseason team.

“It’s an exciting time to come to the yard,” Heim said.

The A’s wrap up their six-game homestand in Las Vegas with a 12 noon start against the Rockies Sunday before they return to West Sacramento to play the Pittsburgh Pirates at 6:40PM Monday.