Entering the 2022 edition of the Bay Bridge Series, professional baseball in the Bay Area had some concerns to quell. The San Francisco Giants have taken a backseat to the Golden State Warriors postseason quest, despite ho-humming their way to a 117-win pace. Meanwhile, the A’s have one foot in (and out of) Oakland with a team president that’s drawn more ire than his team’s bottom-half-of-the-league hitting. Tack on the series being a weeknight set in late April, it was a perfect storm for the rivalry to look unsupported. However, Tuesday night at Oracle Park demonstrated that the Bay Bridge rivalry is still embraced from both sides of the water.
Despite a classically frigid night, both orange and green descended upon Third & King Street. There were undoubtedly untaken seats, but the ballpark was brimming with energy by the first pitch. The atmosphere carried late into the windy evening, spurred on by a home crowd with a lead and overpriced adult beverages. Carlos Rodón stifled a stationary Oakland offense and the San Francisco bats were steaming early. The hero of the hitters was Wilmer Flores, who logged a four-RBI performance and led the Giants to an 8-2 win. Both stars from San Francisco’s revolving door of delightful surprises brought the crowd to its feet on multiple occasions, peaking after this third-inning no-doubter:
Looking at pre-pandemic attendance numbers for the Bay Bridge Series at Oracle Park, Tuesday’s 32,898 attendance wasn’t ideal. From 2015 to 2019, the average attendance was almost exactly 40,000. The last two Tuesday night Bay Bridge Series games were from 2019 (36,663) and 2016 (41,370). However, a lot was working against that figure. It’s no secret that attendance across baseball had spiraled, even before the pandemic. It was the earliest Bay Bridge Series since 2013 and far too early in the season for this series to have an impact on standings. All factors pointed to the series being a dud, but bragging rights kept the crowd afloat.
The East Bay fans showed up just as much as its City Connect jersey-wearing counterparts. Various shades of green stood out in the sea of black and orange. Although the A’s biggest storyline revolved around Dave Kaval’s social media antics more than the team, the Oakland crowd didn’t appear to care. After a weekend at the Oakland Coliseum, which failed to average 8,000 fans, the road crowd had an opportunity to attract positive attention to its club. They couldn’t right the wrongs of the front office’s offseason fire sale, but their effort was well-intended and it showed.
Gabe Kapler attempted to play down the rivalry before the game, saying “we haven’t transitioned yet” about the 10-day road trip the Giants just returned from. Even Kapler’s team played like it was business as usual, but the fans told a different story. Chants rang out when either side set the table for a big inning. Both sides languished when those potential rallies got extinguished. It caught the attention of the skipper.
“It felt like our fans were very much in tune,” Kapler said postgame. “They brought their best energy in the biggest moments and there’s no question our club felt that support.”
Together, the fans created a ballad built for any time of year. For April, it was equally surprising as impressive. With the unpopularity of Major League Baseball at arguably an all-time high after its ninth work stoppage in history, expectations were for that to impact the beginning of the season. Tuesday was not a sell-out, nor will it get any better on Wednesday going head-to-head with a potential Warriors home playoff-clincher. Yet, the fanbases brought out the best in one another, showing that baseball still has a presence in the Bay.
