Goodbye Oakland A’s. Hello Oakland Ballers.

OAKLAND, California—On a perfect night in West Oakland, Jorge Leon is roaming around Ernie Raimondi Park, where the city’s new independent league baseball team, the Oakland Ballers, play. It’s the first game of the new season, and the ballpark is sold out. A few minutes earlier Leon was up in the stands, shouting “Let’s go Oakland!” at the top of his lungs, but right now he’s on the outdoor concourse, where fans wait in line for food and locally brewed Almanac beer.