LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — For one weekend this baseball season, Las Vegas is a Major League Baseball town.
It's called Big League Weekend and it's an annual event at Las Vegas Ballpark, home the Las Vegas Aviators.
This year, the Milwaukee Brewers face the Oakland A's and this occasion is special because it's the first time the A's have played here in Las Vegas since announcing their planned relocation to the city. That's planned to happen prior to the 2028 baseball season.
WATCH: Full interview with A's manager Mark Kotsay
Before Friday's game, during A's batting practice, a roster of dignitaries dotted the field, a list that included A's owner John Fisher, Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers, A's great Jason Giambi and Vegas Golden Knights President and CEO Kerry Bubolz.
Fingers says he's excited for Major League Baseball to come to Las Vegas.
"I think it's going to work," Fingers said. "There's a lot of cities out there that would love to have a major league team. I think there's enough baseball fans here in Las Vegas to get it going."
WATCH: Full interview with Hall Of Famer Rollie Fingers
Fisher says he's excited about this Big League Weekend.
"To be playing a big league game here in this ballpark — which is an incredible ballpark — and to think about the future for the Athletics and a new stadium on the Strip, it gets me smiling," Fisher said.
Earlier in the week, the A's released updated renderings for their planned $1.5 billion ballpark on the Strip, which will go at the current site of the Tropicana.
Fisher says the challenge now is for the A's to find their place within the Las Vegas sports landscape.
"We're working with our partners to get to a place where we can start construction in 2025," Fisher said. "Seeing how the other sports franchises in Las Vegas — the Aces, the Golden Knights, the Raiders — have engaged with the community, that's really inspiring. Seeing what the Golden Knights did last year, winning the Stanley Cup, that sets a very high bar for us for when we move to Las Vegas."
WATCH: Full interview with A's owner John Fisher
