An era of minor league baseball in Modesto came to an end as the Modesto Nuts, after nearly 80 years of swings, pitches, and home runs, bid farewell to their home field. Fans convened at John Thurman Field for the last time to witness their team face the Stockton Ports. Although the Nuts were edged out with a 4-3 loss, it was the weight of history leaving the diamond that left an impact on the hearts in the stands.
Supporters like Larry Rivera, who have lived in Modesto their entire lives, experienced a mix of nostalgia and sadness. "We were born and raised in Modesto our whole lives, this is everything to us," Rivera told CBS News Sacramento. Disappointed by the scorcher of a day, Carlos Herrera joined the crowd, saying, "We came because it's their last game," and "Even though it's 100 degrees. We were hoping it wasn't gonna be, but hey, we're here."
The Nuts, which are affiliated with the Seattle Mariners, now look to a fresh start as they move to San Bernardino and become the Inland Empire 66ers next season, with remaining games to be played out on the road, as stated by KCRA. Along with the relocation of the team comes the departure of many employees, including Operations Director Connor Skustad, who began his journey with the Nuts as a high school junior. With nearly 200 staff members needing to move on, Skustad remarked on his sense of loss, "I haven’t tried to dwell on it too much,” but then moments would come clearing out his office and seeing it become bare, Skustad shared in an ABC10 interview.
As the city contemplates the future of John Thurman Field, city leaders have engaged in discussions with the Pioneer League, with the city set to take over the stadium on October 1. League officials called these discussions productive in a conversation acquired by ABC10. Amid these transitions, Ryan Denis, whose family has been season ticket holders since 1973, expressed a poignant dilemma as he gathered team memorabilia for memories, "The gut-wrenching part is when my oldest goes, ‘Well, what team am I going to take my kids to games now?’" Denis told ABC10.
The final game’s result was secondary to the poignant acknowledgment of a shared past coming to a close. "Just a big thank you to all the fans, partners, vendors, employees," said Nuts General Manager Veronica Hernandez, the first Latina general manager in minor league baseball as of 2022, speaking to her community during this bittersweet juncture in a statement obtained by CBS News Sacramento.
