With the Golden Knights playing in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final and the Athletics ending their six-game Las Vegas homestand Sunday, some fans chose to pull a Southern Nevada sports doubleheader.
In what was the second time the A’s and Knights have played on the same day in Las Vegas — the first being on Tuesday — the timing of Sunday’s game allowed for those who were willing to take in both games on the same day.
First pitch of the A’s game was at 12:06 p.m., with the game ending at 3:31 p.m., ending in a 23-9 loss to the Colorado Rockies to wrap up their Las Vegas homestand with a 4-2 record. The gap between the two games gave fans ample time to make their way from Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin to T-Mobile Arena on the Strip.
Two fans were doing just that, as they wanted to get in what is now a rare occurrence, but would become more commonplace in 2028, taking in A’s and Knights games within hours of each other.
Fans at the A’s game endured temperatures in excess of 102 degrees Sunday, according to the National Weather Service, only to be met with 105 degrees on the Strip, for those celebrating pregame in Toshiba Plaza outside of T-Mobile Arena.
“We’re looking forward to it,” said Mike Schlotter, a Las Vegas resident originally from the Bay Area. “Just got to somehow make it through this heat so we can get to the colder air in the ice rink.”
Bill Oliver, a Las Vegas resident, said there was no way he was missing out on the chance to see two Game 6s in a day, with the A’s sixth game of their Southern Nevada homestand and Game 6 of the Cup Final.
“We need to get the other Game 6 so we can go to Game 7 (of the Stanley Cup Final),” Oliver said. “I’m a season-ticket holder for the Knights, so it’s one of those things where we’re deciding whether we want season tickets for the A’s. So, we’ve been coming to this series to see if we want them.”
With Southern Nevada already home to the Knights, Raiders, Aces and the A’s to come in 2028 and potentially the NBA by the end of the decade, Oliver said the more sports the merrier.
“To have a baseball team here, Las Vegas is turning into a real sports city,” Oliver said. “It’ll be cool and then basketball’s potentially coming in two years now. So, there’ll be a time when we’re going to all four games. Yeah, you’ll never be home.”
With Schlotter’s Bay Area roots, he still loves his A’s but wishes they could’ve stayed in Oakland. It was in the Northern California where Oliver first attended two sporting events in one day.
“The only time I’ve ever done this is we went to a (Golden State) Warriors playoff game and then to a (San Jose) Sharks playoff game and they doubled up,” Schlotter said.
With the sports-filled day likely being at least an eight-hour affair, planning the day out right is a good way to make sure sports fans can make it through the end of both games. Schlotter and Oliver planned to take an Uber from Summerlin to T-Mobile Arena so they could then enjoy some adult beverages responsibly.
“We’re just going to go sit down, just get some water and stay away from the beers during this (A’s) game so we make it into the Knights game all in one piece and not dehydrated,” Schlotter said. “I love days like this. It’s what I live for.”
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.
