Las Vegas knows baseball. It’s the professional team sport that has had the longest, most consistent presence in Southern Nevada. The minor league Stars (now the Aviators) began play at Cashman Field Downtown in 1983, years before the casino resort boom that established Las Vegas as the modern tourism destination everyone knows.
And Vegas knows baseball is special and unique. Here’s an example: Radio is still a thing in baseball. This game hasn’t changed as much as the others, and its slow-and-steady pace naturally fits the best broadcasters’ ability to incorporate some real storytelling into the game’s action, the statistics and analysis. It’s a big reason why baseball feels old-timey.
“When you do what I do for a living, the most important thing is to foster an emotional relationship with the ball club,” says Ken Korach, now in his 31st season with the Athletics, and 21st as the team’s lead radio announcer. “You want people to care. You want fans to care, to have that attachment with the team.”
Korach knows that Vegas fans care a great deal about baseball, because he’s spent his offseason living in Henderson since 1992; he was hired to broadcast for the Stars in 1989. “I’ve always appreciated the tradition and history in Las Vegas, and I think a lot of people do because so many players have gone on to play in the big leagues, names like Greg Maddux and Bryce Harper,” he says. “But there’s always been a great tradition here and it’s clear the game was important to people.”
The people and the place will see another baseball milestone this week as the A’s, preparing to move to their new ballpark on the Strip in time for the 2028 season, play six “home” games at the Las Vegas Ballpark in Downtown Summerlin June 8-14.
These are Major League Baseball regular season games, not the Big League Weekend exhibitions that have long visited the local park. And it’s not the first time the A’s have played real games here, but it’s a significant step for a team on the rise that’s doing a lot to connect with its new home.
“These games are important for us because they give us an opportunity to continue building relationships before the ballpark opens,” says Catherine Aker, senior vice present of marketing and communications for the A’s. “We’ve said from the beginning that we want to be part of the community long before opening day in 2028, and playing regular season games here helps make that connection feel real and tangible for fans.”
Stomper
Baseball becoming the third of the “big four” sports to move to Las Vegas has been feeling very real for locals since construction on the Strip venue has blossomed in recent months. The lower bowl of the $2 billion domed stadium is developing quickly, and upper deck work went vertical in April. “What’s exciting now is that people can really start to see the ballpark take shape when they drive by the site,” Aker says.
Team president Marc Badain, at the Las Vegas Stadium Authority meeting just before Memorial Day weekend, said initial suite sales have sold out and 80% of season-ticket packages for the seats behind home plate have been sold.
But that’s for 2028—right now, the A’s are on top of the American League West, playing out of their temporary home in the 14,000-seat Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California. For their Summerlin games against the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies, the 10,000-seat Las Vegas Ballpark—home of the Aviators—is expected to be packed. “We’ve been there the last several years for those spring training games, and it was really well attended if not a sellout,” says Korach. “Everyone knows that ballpark is a gem.”
Every time a major sports franchise has moved to Las Vegas—or an expansion team has been granted, in the case of the Vegas Golden Knights—there are always questions or doubts about its potential for success. It’s getting harder all the time to doubt the A’s. Ground was broken for the stadium in June 2025 and construction has continued on pace. But the team’s play so far this season has generated an equal or greater amount of enthusiasm, especially after the A’s locked up a group of talented young players with long-term contracts in shortstop Jacob Wilson and first baseman Tyler Soderstrom, and earlier, outfielder Lawrence Butler and designated hitter Brent Rooker.
“A lot of the momentum began to build this past offseason. That’s when I really could feel it,” says Korach, who pinpoints the hiring of Badain, the former president of the Las Vegas Raiders who helped guide the arrival of Allegiant Stadium, as a crucial step. “He has so many ties to the community and he was living in Vegas before he was hired. That was an important message.”
The best way to endear yourself to fans is to win, and that goes for any team in any sport, but there’s a lot of effort happening behind the scenes and away from the diamond. In mid May, the Athletics and Spread the Word Nevada opened a new Book Nook, a literacy hub for local children and families. The grand opening event welcomed local families to check out the nook and children received A’s-branded tote bags to fill up with books. The $15,000 project didn’t garner headlines but it’s a great example of a community connection with meaningful impact.
“One of the best parts has been seeing how welcoming and engaged the Las Vegas community has been with us,” says Aker. “Whether it’s youth baseball and softball programs, school visits, nonprofit partnerships or community events, the most impactful moments have been the ones where we’re able to have direct interaction with families and local organizations.”
But perhaps most importantly, the A’s have been building the foundation for success in Las Vegas on the field. “Most people would agree this team has some of the best, if not the best, young players in the game,” says Korach.
And if you’re a local baseball fan, you probably already know that every A’s game can be heard on the radio in Las Vegas, on ESPN KWWN 1100 AM, 100.9 FM and KLAV 1230 AM The Game. Korach is making the call with Johnny Doskow and Chris Caray, and trusted voices mean a lot in the world of the national pastime.
“I don’t think you can come into town and say, here we are. You’re going to have to work hard at it, and everybody knows that. You have to be in the community, and you have to do a great job in how you run the franchise and I’m confident we will,” says Korach. “There will be a huge effort, not only on the field, but in sales and marketing and the job you do integrating in the community, too. It has started with charitable efforts and working with little leagues and youth groups. That’s really important.
“But you gotta win, in any sport, in any city. And that’s one thing with this year’s club, they are embracing those expectations, and I think you should.”
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