Andrew McCutchen knows passion. The active leader in games played, McCutchen has played in 36 different ballparks during his 16-year major-league career. He’s seen packed houses. He’s seen barren ballparks. He’s seen everything in between. But the environment on July 21, 2018 at the Oakland Coliseum had no true comparison. With 56,310 in attendance, it was the largest crowd in the venue’s history.
It wasn’t just The Town. It wasn’t just The City. It was The Bay.
“They love where they’re from, and they love their teams,” McCutchen, who played one season for the Giants, said of A’s fans. “They have certain sections in the outfield where people are banging on household items, having a grand ol’ time up there, supporting their team through thick and thin. That’s part of what you play for. That’s the reason you do it: be able to give fans something to cheer about. They’re super passionate fans, and it sucks to be where they are right now and the situation that they’re in.
“It just makes you appreciate what you have had and appreciate what you have right now.”
What the Giants and A’s have right now is their last proper Bay Bridge Series, set to meet for the 147th and 148th time in the regular season. These two games will be the last Bay-centric matchups before the A’s, who lead the all-time series 75-71, head up north. The two teams will continue playing one another during the regular season, but the rivalry stands to lose much of its flavor; San Francisco versus Sacramento just doesn’t have the same punch.
Before the two teams meet this weekend, let’s dive into the last 27 years of the Bay Bridge Series and reminisce on the players, moments and performances that made these yearly matchups so special.
Who was the Giants’ best player during the Bay Bridge Series?
On the San Francisco side, it should come as no surprise that Barry Bonds was, far and away, the Giants’ best player. Shocking. Over 52 games, Bonds compiled the most steals (seven), home runs (18), RBIs (33) and walks (63) in Bay Bridge Series history. His 51 hits are tied with Brandon Crawford for the most in the series’s history as well.
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A more compelling question, then, is who was the Giants’ second-best player? There are some compelling candidates.
Hunter Pence had a 1.044 OPS with five home runs, 15 RBIs and three steals in 19 games.
Matt Cain totaled 72 strikeouts and pitched 85 2/3 innings, both of which are the most in the history of the Bay Bridge Series, with a 2.42 ERA.
Tim Lincecum didn’t lag far behind his rotation counterpart. Not only were his 71 strikeouts second to Cain, but he’s the only pitcher on either side of the Bay to throw multiple shutouts (the only others to pitch a shutout: Cain, Logan Webb, Tim Hudson for the A’s and Jerome Williams).
There’s no wrong answer here, but let’s give the nod to The Horse for consistently shoving against the green and gold.
Who was the A’s best player during the Bay Bridge Series?
The question of Oakland’s best player is more ambiguous. Jason Giambi had the most homers (seven). Eric Chavez had the most hits (42) and RBIs (22). Bobby Kielty (!) owns the highest batting average (.405), on-base percentage (.463) and OPS (1.058) (min. 10 games). Tim Hudson owns the most strikeouts (29) and the lone shutout by an A’s pitcher.
There’s no obvious pick, so let’s give the honor to the Bay Area kid.
Eric Byrnes, born in Redwood City and an alumnus of St. Francis High School, played some of his best baseball during the Bay Bridge Series. In 23 games, Byrnes slashed .315/.375/.616 with four home runs and 12 RBIs, his .991 OPS being the third-highest of any A’s player (minimum of 10 games).
On June 29, 2003, Byrnes hit for the cycle as part of a 5-for-5 day, the only cycle in the history of the Bay Bridge Series. The following year, Byrnes hit a pair of three-run homers to deliver a 9-6 win in San Francisco.
What was the best singular moment?
In the same way that Bonds was unquestionably the best hitter of the Bay Bridge Series, he also orchestrated the series’ best singular moment, tying Babe Ruth for second on the all-time home run list on May 20, 2006. So, again, this is a battle for second place.
There is an abundance of options, but the second-best moment in the history of the Bay Bridge Series is likely the showdown between Hudson and Barry Zito showdown on Sept. 26, 2015.
Neither former ace pitched all that well. Hudson allowed two earned runs and recorded four outs, while Zito, the 2002 Cy Young Award winner, surrendered four runs over two innings. But the results didn’t really matter. In their first acts, Hudson and Zito formed The Big Three along with Mark Mulder. In their second acts, they won championships in San Francisco.
This was an opportunity for the entire Bay Area — not just Oakland, not just San Francisco — to say goodbye to two pitchers who meant so much to the region. The game, at its core, was a celebration.
Who had the best singular game?
That day may have been dedicated to Hudson and Zito, but it was Jarrett Parker who truly stole the show by the end of the day.
Parker hit three home runs, the last being a grand slam, and drove in seven runs, both of which remain single-game highs in the Bay Bridge Series. In his 14th career major-league game, he became the first Giant to hit three homers and drive in seven runs since Willie Mays. Bruce Bochy, the Giants’ manager at the time, called it the best offensive game he’d ever seen.
Who played for both teams in the Bay Bridge Series for both sides?
There have been 168 players in major-league history to play for the A’s and Giants, including three Hall of Famers: Willie McCovey, Joe Morgan and Orlando Cepeda. Other notables include Hudson, Vida Blue, Miguel Tejada, Matt Chapman, Kevin Mitchell and Felipe Alou — among plenty of others. Only 18 players have exclusively played for the two teams, the most notable being Zito.
Surprisingly, though, the list of players to appear in a Bay Bridge Series on both sides is composed of just 13 players: Tejada, Chapman, Marco Scutaro, Stephen Vogt, Tim Hudson, Santiago Casilla, Yusmeiro Petit, Tommy La Stella, Tim Worrell, Alan Embree, Brandon Hicks, Aramis Garcia and Brent Mayne. Mark Canha is poised to join the list this weekend, while Bob Melvin is the only manager to lead both teams in the series.
Who were some notable cameos?
We’ve established the main characters of the Bay Bridge Series, but what about the notable cameos by players who weren’t really known for their time in the Bay? It’s a fun list.
For San Francisco, there’s Mariners manager Scott Servais (’99), Eric Davis (’01), Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts (’07), McCutchen (’18) and Kris Bryant (’21).
For the A’s, there’s Kevin Mitchell (’98), Hall-of-Famer Frank Thomas (’06), Carlos González (’08), Nomar Garciaparra (’09), Matt Holliday (’09), and Hideki Matsui (’11).
