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OAKLAND, Calif. — The image of fireworks lighting up the sky over Greenman Field in Oakland is still bright in Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner’s memory.
As a kid, Hoerner always looked forward to playing night games at the fields a few blocks from where the Athletics play. And none was more epic than 10-year-old Hoerner’s Mustangs taking on the rival Bulldogs as the A’s firework show turned the scene into something straight out of ‘‘The Sandlot.’’
On Monday, Hoerner played at the Oakland Coliseum for the first time in his major-league career. Up until a couple of weeks ago, Hoerner never had faced an American League West team.