A’s fans have travelled across the Golden State of California, and beyond, this fourth of July, to finally see their team in classic green and gold being showcased on ESPN’s Sunday night baseball. Of course, this isn’t just any 3-game series that the A’s faithful have committed to attending over the course of this holiday weekend. It is an extension of the “Battle of the Bay,” the legendary clash between the two Bay Area teams, the (formerly Oakland) Athletics and the San Francisco Giants.
These two proud franchises each have a storied past that can be traced back to the birth of baseball as a sport. The combination of cricket and rounders evolved to create travelling baseball clubs that captivated and drew flocks of curious fans in the more populated areas of the Eastern United States.
The Giants of the “Senior Circuit” National League got their start in 1883 as the New York Gothams, but for reasons unknown, decided to forfeit that original badass name and officially became the Giants two years later. The Athletics would enter the newly founded American League in 1901 in Philadelphia, remaining there until 1954, when the team relocated to Kansas City. The Giants finally landed in San Francisco in 1958, while the A’s set up shop directly across the Bay, in the much less touristy jurisdiction of Oakland, in 1968.
Some of the game’s all-time greats donned the orange and black jersey of the SF Giants in those early years. The great Willie Mays and Willie McCovey headlined the list of stars who would dazzle in the field and send moonshots through the blistering wind gusts that would often land in the second deck of Candlestick Park’s outfield bleachers. As great as their core group was, a championship eluded them during their tenure in San Francisco.
Across the Bay, Oakland A’s owner Charles O. Finley was a penny-pincher and frugal, yet a visionary. He saw the beginning of something truly special coming to fruition at Oakland’s Alameda County Coliseum. Finley had the foresight to realise that to thrive in an otherwise relatively unknown and rarely visited section of California, the team needed to stand out.
First, with vibrantly clashing colours (green and gold), and second, with a perfectly balanced, talented team with depth, purpose and attitude. A dynasty came to Oakland in the form of three straight World Series championships in the early 1970s.
They were the best and most feared team in the game, and the Giants, figuratively speaking, couldn’t hold a “candle” to the Oakland A’s at the time. They never played one another, but the seeds of resentment were firmly planted.
How could this A’s team, from a blue-collar, industrial suburb, be so much better at baseball than the glorious and beautiful “City by the Bay”? There were valiant efforts to reverse this trend. The Giants drafted and groomed MLB superstars like Will “The Thrill” Clark or hot-corner specialist and power-hitting Matt Williams. Still, the A’s were better, and they proved it when the “Earthquake” series swept through the sports world in 1989.
Swept is the correct terminology, as the Bash Brothers, Jose Canseco, and Mark McGwire pulverised Giants pitching. The late Hendersons, Rickey and Dave, as well as the late Tony Phillips, completely dominated their cross-bay counterparts. The recently passed Dave Parker was in the twilight of his career, but still contributed with a meaningful home run in the four-game sweep of the Giants.
In 1989, if you were an A’s fan, you said, “We dominated…and won the World Series” If you were a Giants fan, you said, “The earthquake dominated…and won the series.” – Ian Gregor, teacher and longtime A’s fan from Gilroy, California
More than three decades removed from that dramatic and historically significant, but realistically lopsided 1989 World Series, the A’s still have the upper hand. In 145 Interleague contests, the A’s are leading 74-70. As for World Series wins, the A’s have been slipping in that department as of late, but still have a 4-3 lead over the Giants when all years, up to the present day, are tallied up.
The Giants have unquestionably been dominant themselves, with the post-Barry Bonds era roster electrifying the perpetually sold-out crowds of Oracle Park. The Mecca of modern baseball stadiums sits nestled perfectly among the docks at the China Basin of San Francisco Bay. The old discomfort and parka-wearing conditions offered at Candlestick Park are now a distant memory, as the confines of Oracle make for a fan experience that speaks of luxury and the very best that Northern California has to offer.
A’s fans were left hung out to dry, first with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders adding third-deck seats in the outfield. This effectively removed the picturesque NorCal hills backdrop and replaced it with what would mockingly be called “Mount Davis”.
The team battled through these distractions, making several unlikely playoff appearances. The respect factor, though, was quickly dwindling. The petitions and voices of the passionate fanbase were not enough to save the inevitable move of their beloved A’s.
Now, a temporary fix is being played out before us, and it will even be showcased on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. The A’s, led by manager Mark Kotsay, will be fielding a lineup that features rookie superstar shortstop Jacob Wilson and power-hitting, All-Star outfielder Brent Rooker. They are hosting their former Bay Area foes at Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park. A’s fans have travelled far and wide to relive this rivalry from an up-close-and-personal perspective, perhaps even picnicking on the outfield grass.
The lovely community-focused atmosphere that the park offers is often scrutinised as representing the current unaddressed problems with revenue sharing and marketing in MLB. Why should this proud and storied franchise have to play in a park that, despite being rather nice, is just plain not an MLB facility? Why? Because they are the A’s…That’s why!!
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