Athletics say hello to eventual Vegas fanbase with an explosive 15-14, 12-inning game

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The first pitch to an Athletics player Monday night in Las Vegas was an explosive welcome.

Shea Langeliers sent a shot 483 feet in the first sign of the madness to come in a 15-14, 12-inning game that introduced the city to its eventual MLB club.

The Milwaukee Brewers were the winners, but so too were the fans.

“It's the most bizarre game I've ever had in Major League Baseball in 11 years,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I never saw anything like it. So many things happened. There were 16 challenges in the game. Sixteen challenges in the game. I've never seen anything like it.”

Oh, yes, the challenges.

It wasn't just the pitchers who had a rough night. Home plate umpire Clint Vondrak had 11 of 16 challenges for ball and strikes overturned and, according to Umpire Scorecards, he missed three other calls that potentially impacted the game.

This series is being played at Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the A's Triple-A affiliate. The A's play the Brewers again Tuesday and Wednesday and will host the Colorado Rockies in a three-game series beginning Friday as they begin to introduce themselves to the Las Vegas fan base. The club is scheduled to move to Las Vegas in 2028 and play in a $2 billion, 33,000-person capacity domed stadium on the Strip.

Team jerseys with VEGAS on the back and the No. 28 were given out to fans.

It's doubtful that new stadium will be the launching pad the minor league facility was in the opening game, a four-hour, 14-minute offensive onslaught. The teams combined for 34 hits and 11 home runs.

“Just an all-around crazy game,” Langeliers said. “Both teams battled all night. It was a great baseball game.”

This was the Brewers' second-ever victory after allowing at least 14 runs. Milwaukee defeated Washington by the same score on Aug. 17, 2019. The Brewers now are 2-88 in such games.

For the A's, this was the first time they have been in a game in which both sides scored at least 14 runs since a 17-16 loss at Texas on May 5, 2000.

There was not only a lot of scoring, but plenty of drama as well.

The A's took a two-run lead into the ninth inning, but Andrew Vaughn's two-run double with no outs sent the game to extras.

Milwaukee then scored four runs in the 10th before the A's answered with four of their own, including two-out homers by Nick Kurtz and Jonah Heim.

Brice Turang's fielder's choice grounder with one out in the 12th inning scored Christian Yelich for what turned out to be the winning run, and soon after perhaps the wildest game of the season was over.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom (21) is greeted by teammates after hitting a three-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Milwaukee Brewers' Brice Turang (2) is greeted by third base coach Matt Erickson, right, as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Abner Uribe (45) reacts after striking out the final batter to end the inning during the eleventh inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Fans gather to watch the Milwaukee Brewers face off against the Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, June 8, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Athletics' Nick Kurtz (16) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Stadium workers near Los Angeles say they have reached a tentative contract deal, averting a strike ahead of the U.S. men’s soccer team’s opening World Cup match Friday.

The union announced the deal at a news conference Tuesday and said workers will vote on whether to ratify the agreement on Wednesday. The union representing 2,000 bartenders, servers, cooks and dishwashers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, voted last week to authorize a strike after contract talks had stalled with the stadium’s food service provider, Legends Global.

Workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 11 said they were seeking pay increases, protections from subcontracting and security on the job amid ramped-up immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump’s administration.

“This is a very proud moment for all of us,” said Yolanda Fierro, a suite runner at the stadium. “We really want to secure the safety of all our employees.”

Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, said that, under the deal, workers retained the right to strike in case of an immigration raid at work. He said it was the last issue on the table in negotiations with the company.

"No other collective bargaining agreement in the country preserves the right to strike in response to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids and attacks,” he said. “We hope we never need to use that right.”

The World Cup is expected to draw millions of fans to matches across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, over 39 days this summer.

Eight matches are scheduled for SoFi Stadium, starting with Friday’s match between the U.S. and Paraguay.

Taxin reported from Santa Ana, Calif.

A worker walks past temporary fencing with FIFA World Cup 2026 signage outside SoFi Stadium, Friday, June 5, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

FILE - A general view shows SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., Tuesday, May 12, 2026, during a media event for the upcoming FIFA World Cup soccer tournament.. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong,File)