For San Francisco Giants announcer Jon Miller, the struggle to remember that the team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics is now simply the Athletics is taking some getting used to.
When the Giants and A’s met in spring training, Miller and fellow announcer Duane Kuiper repeatedly (and understandably) referred to the A’s as “Oakland.” When two teams opened a series in San Francisco on Friday night, Miller had not yet broken the habit.
Athletics third baseman Miguel Andújar led off the top half of the fifth inning. The first pitch he saw from San Francisco pitcher Logan Webb was a ball.
“There’s Ball 1 to Miguel Andújar as we go to the Oakland fifth, Oakland, the Sacramento fifth inning,” Miller said.
“Don’t feel bad. We’ve been doing it all night,” color analyst Mike Krukow replied.
“My first baseball broadcasting job was with the Athletics, in Oakland,” Miller said, emphasizing Oakland.
Andújar then lined Webb’s 1-1 pitch into centerfield for a single. Once again, Miller referred to the team by its former home.
“Base hit by Andújar. That’s the second hit allowed by Logan Webb, and it’s the second time that Oakland has gotten its lead-off man aboard against him,” he said.
Later in the inning, Luis Urías came to the plate for the A’s with runners now on first and second.
“Now two men on, Oakland with one of its best opportunities yet,” Miller said. “Oakland, the Athletics, I beg your pardon, Sacramento.”
“It just takes a little time,” Krukow replied.
From 1968 to 2024, they were the Oakland Athletics. Over 56 years, announcers are going to develop habits. This is especially true with Miller, who’s deeply rooted in the Bay Area. Not only did he announce for the A’s in 1974, but he’s called Giants games since 1997 and grew up in the East Bay.
Two, while the A’s are currently playing their home games in Sacramento (or West Sacramento to be specific), they do not want to be identified by their old city of Oakland, their current city of Sacramento or even their future home (we think) of Las Vegas. Instead, the Athletics simply want to be known as the Athletics. That only opens the door for what Miller did on Friday and what other announcers have done at other points this season.
If the Athletics want to look on the bright side, this was a road series. So none of the issues that have plagued their home games through the first two months of the season were on display.