OAKLAND, Calif. — On Aug. 4, the Nichi Bei Foundation held its annual Nichi Bei Day with the A’s fundraiser at the Oakland Coliseum, where the Oakland Athletics played the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was the last time that the Nichi Bei Foundation’s longest-running fundraising event was held at the Oakland Coliseum, as the A’s will move to West Sacramento at the end of the season en route to a more permanent home in Las Vegas in three years.

The bittersweet occasion began with a tailgate barbecue in a lot outside the Coliseum at 10:30 a.m., two hours before the start of the game. Tables were set up for around 150 supporters of the nonprofit, which served freshly grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. Nichi Bei Foundation president Kenji G. Taguma raffled off A’s gear, including a baseball signed by former A’s pitcher Shintaro Fujinami who was traded last summer, and T-shirts donated by Makimino, while supporters of the Nichi Bei Day with the A’s mingled.

One attendee, Rachel Guerrero, had been on the road since the early morning, having set out for Oakland with a large group from Sacramento. She had been planning for the day since she bought the tickets three months ago.

“(The barbecue) was great. Just talking to people, we had a funny little raffle, the food was great, it was very community (centered),” Guerrero said of the event.

People wore a mix of A’s, Dodgers and Angels gear, but the name to be found on the back of most jerseys was that of Japanese baseball superstar and the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani. It seemed that more than the game itself, most people were there to see Ohtani. Many had already seen him play before but it was Ryoko Qureshi’s first time.

“We are absolutely not Dodgers (fans) but since Ohtani’s playing, we have to come,” Qureshi, who came from Pinole, said.

Around noon, the attendees began moving into the stadium and to the section reserved for Nichi Bei supporters, located on the lowest level, to the right of first base. The group grew larger as those who had missed the tailgate joined.

“It’s nice because almost all of these four rows are from the community and so we see people we know,” said Christine Umeda of Sacramento.

The Dodgers came into the final game of the weekend series having won 10-0 on the evening of Aug. 4. The A’s had won the Aug. 3 game 6-5, despite a three-run home run by Ohtani.

The first inning was action packed as the Dodgers third baseman Enrique Hernandez’s two-run double was immediately matched by a two-run homer by A’s star left-fielder Brent Rooker. Then, in the third inning, Cavan Biggio added a run-scoring single, edging the Dodgers up 3-2.

The A’s had a chance to come out ahead in the fifth inning, with bases loaded and a two out, but Evan Phillips struck out Rooker.

Although an atmosphere of anticipation enveloped the Coliseum every time Ohtani was at bat, the phenomenon who reached his first career 30-30 season (30 stolen bases and 30 home runs) on Aug. 3 went hitless in the game.

“I think he’s pressing a little bit harder since he has a lot of people watching him today,” Glenn Fujinaka, who came from Alameda, said.

With the remaining innings going scoreless, the Dodgers narrowly snapped a streak of six road series losses in the last game they will play in Oakland, while the A’s got their first series defeat since July 11.

Diehard A’s fan and Sunnyvale native Yuta Ito, attending the Nichi Bei Day with the A’s for the first time this year, lamented the A’s move away from Oakland — its home since 1968 — although his loyalty to the team has not been shaken. “I hate it. I bought those Oakland uniforms but not anything Sacramento or Las Vegas, I wouldn’t buy it,” Ito said. “But I’ll keep supporting the A’s. I’ve been rooting for the A’s since my birth so I can’t change it.”

The Nichi Bei Foundation aims to keep hosting the Nichi Bei Day with the A’s in West Sacramento, and many attendees expressed their eagerness to keep attending the event — to see Ohtani, but also to support the nonprofit.

“It’s a very good community resource and I think it’s just a nice way to link everybody together.” Fujinaka said. “There really isn’t any other local media that (makes it) easy for people to access activities and to see what’s going on.”