The Athletics are having a tough go of it to start the season, both in the standings and in the stands at Oakland Coliseum.
After welcoming 17,503 fans for their home opener against the Orioles on Monday, the A’s saw their attendance numbers take a dramatic plunge in games 2 and 3 of the series. Tuesday’s contest saw Oakland seat only 3,748 fans for a 2–1 Athletics win. However, a day later, a home crowd of 2,703 looked on as Baltimore earned a 1–0 victory in a game that had to be pushed up 3.5 hours due to a forecast projecting heavy rain.
The marks were the lowest the club has seen in 42 years when the A’s hosted the Rangers in front of 2,443 fans on Sept. 9, 1980, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. In addition, the consecutive lows represent the smallest crowds in a non-pandemic MLB season since the Marlins welcomed 5,297 fans for an Aug. 2019 game, per CBS.
Sitting at 7–6 and in third place in the AL West, the Athletics are expected to finish their series against the Orioles on Thursday, barring any more inclement weather. The club will kick off their three-game homestand against the Rangers on Friday before traveling to face the Giants on Apr. 26 and 27.