Fans provide heckling, support
Those in the stands watch A’s lose live
Tami Soderstrom teared up when she walked into Hohokam Stadium on Sunday afternoon with her family. It had just hit her that her son, A’s first-round pick Tyler Soderstrom, would be participating in a big league camp.
“He’s learning so much. It’s been an amazing experience for him,” Tami said.
She and her husband, Steve, have been calling with questions — wanting to know who he’s met, what he’s learned. Finally able to watch their son live from a pod of seats on the first-base side, they couldn’t keep their eyes off their 19-year-old son as he warmed up with the pros.
“Such a huge transition from a year ago playing high school baseball to this,” Steve, a former big leaguer himself said. “Pretty amazing how fast it goes.”
The Soder stroms weren’t the only fans in seats, of course. Though, they were some of only a few A’s fans spotted in a sea of Los Angeles Dodgers blue spattered across Hohokam’s seats in Mesa, Arizona. The Dodgers won 2-1.
For the players, even the harsh sting of a heckle was music to their ears.
“I don’t think we realized how much we missed it,” Daulton Jefferies, the A’s starter said.
Buddy Reed, an A’s prospect who started in right field, said a Dodgers fan was chirping all game — clearly anxious to let the pent-up fan energy out.
“Some guy from the Dodgers (a fan) was saying some stuff, it was like wow, you couldn’t wait how many days to chirp at us,” Reed said. “It was good to hear, all that stuff gets you hyped up. I was never as nervous as I was in the past. Today I was nervous, but it was a lot of fun hearing people talk smack.”
The A’s spring home stadium is allowing fans at 20% capacity and, Sunday, sold out with 1,998 in attendance.
“What was it, 20%? IT felt like there was more than 20%,” manager Bob Melvin said.
For some A’s fans in attendance, coming to spring training during a pandemic was a no-brainer.
Matt Simeone, an A’s fan Roseville who moved to Arizona six months ago, checked the ticket site every day hoping to land tickets for a spring training game. He picked up tickets to watch four games with his son, Sean. This is the first spring training he’s been to since he was 12 years old — he hopes this year will start a tradition.
“I’ve been sending pictures and texts to my friends,” Simeone said. “They’re all so mad at me.”
The anger stemmed from jealousy, to be clear.
Franie Homen, a lifelong A’s fan, flew from Dublin, Calif. to Spokane, Wash., to pick up and bring her grandsons Ezekiel and Malachi, to Arizona for their annual spring training trip. Her husband, Mark Homen met them at the Phoenix airport.
The family spans different fandoms — her husband, Mark, is a Giants fan, as are their grandsons. Even though they had to buy tickets in different pods in different rows, they relish the opportunity to continue a family tradition.
“It’s been over a year since we’ve watched baseball,” Mark said. “We’re just so excited we’re able to be here.”
NOTES FROM THE CACTUS LEAGUE OPENER VS. DODGERS >> Daulton Jefferies gave up five runs in the first inning of his big league debut last season. No player puts too much stock in spring outings, but Jefferies couldn’t help giving himself a little fist pump after pitching a clean first inning Sunday against some Los Angeles starters.
The 25-year-old struck out Mookie Betts on three pitches, then got Corey Seager to pop out and Austin Barnes on a groundout.
“I was breathing really well. That’s something I was focusing on,” Jefferies said. “I put more emphasis on knowing how to slow the game down. When you’re facing big name guys like that it makes you feel like it doesn’t matter who is in the box. You’re in control of the game. You’re the one who delivers the ball. Breathing just allows you to go back to taking one step at a time.”
Jefferies threw a changeup, had good velocity on his fastball and threw a cutter and slider against Betts.
“You have three very good hitters coming up from the Dodgers. I know even though it’s a spring training game, that felt pretty good for him,” Melvin said.