Prioritizing community above all else made the Oakland Ballers’ journey to the league championship sweeter than any of The Town’s recent sporting successes.

“ I’m just feeling happy, honestly,” said Jorge Leon, the leader of The Oakland 68’s. The local fan group became famous in the 2000s for its loud drum-banging and flag-waving in the A’s bleachers — and then for its valiant fight against the team’s ownership to keep the A’s from leaving Oakland.

“Like, I’ve never felt this way, ever,” Leon continued. “ Just to see them come this fast, it’s crazy, right? The community I knew was always here. You just have to win and care — I think that’s what happened.”

Two weeks ago, the players on the second-year Pioneer League team did their best to put the A’s in the rearview mirror. They’d roar

See Full Page