The track and field club has made plans to play their home games at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California, on natural grass instead of artificial turf.
Major League Baseball originally planned to install an artificial surface in the ballpark, which will be shared by the A’s and the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats for the next three seasons while a new stadium is built for the team in Vegas. The reason for using artificial grass for the field was that it would hold up better when two teams played on it.
However, heat is a major concern when playing in Sacramento and temperatures will not be as high on a natural turf surface. Between that and playing as many night games as possible, the belief is that the high temperatures will be addressed.
Grass fields rarely reach temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, according to an article published by The National Recreation and Park Association. In contrast, synthetic surfaces can reach maximum temperatures of as high as 140 to 170 degrees under warm, sunny conditions.
Last summer, Sacramento experienced its hottest 20 days on record, with an average of 103.8 degrees during the three weeks from June 23 to July 12. On July 5, the temperature reached 110 degrees. The next day the high temperature was 113 degrees.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters in July that the league, the players’ union and on-field consultant Murray Cook had selected a synthetic surface that would also contain “a specific hydration component” that would add water to cool the turf. A hybrid of grass in the infield and grass in the outfield was also considered, but the MLB decided not to take advantage of that.
In addition to the new playing surface, Sutter Health Park renovations also include a new clubhouse, a new center field batting eye and improvements to the dugouts and bullpens to bring them up to Major League level.
The A’s have an option to play in West Sacramento for a fourth season in 2028 if the new fixed-roof ballpark in Vegas is not ready.
