After 0-7 Start At Home, A's Pitcher Luis Severino Complains About Sacramento's 'Spring Training' Stadium

Luis Severino is getting a real-time lesson in understanding the consequences of his own actions.

Severino has played the entirety of his Major League career in New York City, with the Yankees from 2015-2023. After injuries and underachievement led to the end of his time in the Bronx, he had a resurgent season in 2024 with the New York Mets. He got through a full season, making 31 starts and getting through 182 innings with a 3.91 ERA.

Justifiably, he cashed in during the offseason, signing a three-year, $67 million deal with the team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics. 

Severino knew when he signed the contract that the Athletics were moving out of their stadium in Oakland to a minor-league facility in Sacramento for three seasons before heading to Las Vegas. He signed there anyway. And now he's not happy about having to deal with playing in a minor-league stadium.

Luis Severino is unhappy about playing in a minor-league stadium even though he knew that would be the case when he signed a three-year contract with the A's in the offseason. (Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images)

Luis Severino Apparently Didn't Understand What He'd Agreed To

"It feels like a spring training kind of game every time I pitch, and every time other guys pitch," Severino told reporters before the A's faced the Yankees on Friday night. "It's the same mentality we have, to go out there and try to do our best. But it's not been great for us."

Severino's been terrible at home in Sacramento this year, going 0-7 with a 6.79 ERA. On the road? He's been the pitcher the A's thought they were getting: 2-1 with a 2.27 ERA. Why the difference? 

"Because we play in a big-league stadium on the road," he said. "We don't have that at home right now. It's not the same atmosphere. We don't have a lot of fans. Our clubhouse is in left field. So, when we play day games, we have to just be in the sun. There's no air conditioning there, too. It's really tough."

Severino also told reporters that there's little "energy" at the stadium because of the smaller capacity. Sutter Health Park seats roughly 14,000 fans, compared to over 50,000 at Yankee Stadium and Dodger Stadium. 

That's all true and understandably frustrating. But what did he think was going to happen? He signed up to play in Sacramento. That's the deal. It was always going to feel like a spring training or minor-league stadium, because that's effectively what it is. If he wanted to play in a "big-league" stadium, sign elsewhere. He didn't. What did he expect?