Minneapolis —Tigers’ lefty reliever Chasen Shreve was born and raised in Las Vegas.
Tigers’ manager AJ Hinch was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the third round in 1996 and spent the first four years of his professional career with that franchise.
Obviously, the sale of the Athletics and the franchise’s move to Las Vegas by the 2027 season conjures different emotions for each.
“Now I have to play until 2027,” said Shreve, who is going to turn 33 on July 12. “I want to go there and maybe have a chance to pitch there, which would be awesome.”
When Shreve was growing up, there were no professional sports in Las Vegas, at least none of the four traditional sports. He ended up becoming a fan of the Atlanta Braves because he could watch their games on TBS.
The first big-league games he attended in person were in Phoenix and San Diego.
Different landscape now.
The NFL Raiders have since moved to Las Vegas from Oakland. The NHL expanded to Las Vegas six years ago and the Golden Knights just won their first Stanley Cup.
And four years from now, the city is going to usurp Oakland’s history-rich baseball franchise.
“Vegas is just taking all of Oakland,” Shreve said, laughing. “The hockey has been great and everybody loves the Raiders. It’s turning into a great sports city.”
Truth be told, though, Shreve isn’t sure Vegas will be able to support a Major League baseball team.
“Yeah, I’m worried,” he said. “I don’t know how well it will do. There’s just so much other stuff to do in Vegas. Football is great because they have eight home games. But 81 home games? To fill the seats for 81 games? I don’t know.
“I hope it does great. I just have my doubts.”
Especially if they go through with the plan to build the stadium without a full, retractable roof.
“They’re saying it’s going to be a half-roof,” Shreve said, shaking his head. “Like just covering part of the field, like a big shade. It’s going to be 115 degrees and you’re playing a day game? No chance.”
For Hinch, the Athletics moving out of Oakland stings.
“I don’t know the business side of it,” he said. “I’m just reading about it like everyone else. But as a former Oakland A, it’s heartbreaking because that organization has been so good to so many players, coaches and managers.”
The Oakland Coliseum is the home to Hinch’s most precious memories as a player.
“My first memory in the big leagues is at the Coliseum against the Red Sox,” he said. “I was catching on Opening Day, wearing those white shoes with that white uniform – the history that comes with that organization, you don’t want to see it go away.
“I know moving the team doesn’t make all those memories go away. But it sure does impact so many people that loved it there.”
First and foremost, he said, are the fans.
“That rowdy group that goes out to A’s games is a very unique fan base that has seen so much history in our sport,” he said. “The business is the business, and whatever is in the best interest of everybody will win out. But those of us who have played there really enjoyed it.
“Despite all the criticism over the years, on and off the field, nothing can take away how special that place is.”
The no-challenge blues
The Tigers know they got it wrong. They knew it almost immediately Sunday in Game 2 of the doubleheader when they didn’t challenge catcher Jake Rogers’ tag of Orlando Arcia at the plate in the fourth inning.
Arcia was ruled safe and Rogers motioned to the dugout to challenge, but they didn’t see definitive proof of the tag in the 15 seconds they had to review the replay angles. No challenge, call stands, run scored. The Tigers ended up losing by a run.
“That information is coming quick and the clock goes down,” Hinch said. “At the time the clock ran out, we didn’t feel like we had enough visual evidence to challenge. Then the more you get to stare at it, the more you realize it could’ve been a mistake.
“It’s tough. There is pressure that comes with the decision process. That one didn’t work in our favor and it was probably a mistake.”
Rogers was kicking himself a little bit for not being more adamant about challenging the play. He knew for sure he tagged Arcia on the leg.
“The only thing I didn’t know, or I would have been like, ‘Challenge, challenge, challenge,’ was where his hand was,” Rogers said. “I didn’t know if his hand had touched the plate before I tagged him. It was a big part of the game.”
Around the horn
… Lefty Tarik Skubal made his third rehab start Thursday, this one was against Triple-A hitters with Toledo. He pitched three scoreless innings, allowing a hit with five strikeouts. He threw 31 pitches, 24 strikes and his four-seam fastball was sitting at 96 mph and hit 98.
… Hinch said that outfielder Austin Meadows (anxiety) is continuing his treatment in Florida. He had been working out and seeing doctors in the Detroit area.
… With his home run Sunday, Miguel Cabrera became the fifth Tiger to homer at the age of 40 or later. He joins Norm Cash, Doc Cramer, Darrell Evans and Bobby Lowe on that short list.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky
Tigers at Twins
When: 8:10 p.m., Friday, Target Field, Minneapolis
TV/radio: BSD/97.1
Scouting report
TBA, Tigers: This is the first of two bullpen games for the Tigers in this series. This is what happens when you are operating with four starters and a rainout forces a team to use two starters the same day. It is not ideal.
RHP Joe Ryan (7-3, 2.90), Twins: He was 4-0 with a 2.54 ERA in five career starts against the Tigers, and that was before he fully integrated a splitter. That pitch has bumped his chase rate from 28% to 36.5% this season, holding hitters to a .163 batting average against it.