Gabe Kapler, Giants express support for Athletics fans amid Las Vegas deal
Kapler, Giants express support for A's fans amid Las Vegas deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
In the 12th inning of Game 1 of the 2003 American League Division Series between the Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox, Gabe Kapler walked to the plate at the Coliseum with two outs and the go-ahead run on second. He crushed a grounder down the third base line, but Eric Chavez gloved it and stepped on third to end the inning.
Two decades later, Kapler remembers one thing vividly.
"What I remember is the energy in the ballpark and how much Oakland fans cared about that moment," the now-Giants manager said Thursday afternoon.
Those crowds haven't been there in Oakland in recent years, and they likely never will be again. The A's hope to break ground on a new ballpark in Las Vegas next year and to play in their new home in 2027, which would leave fans in the East Bay in a familiar spot.
Once home to the A's, Raiders and Warriors, Oakland residents have watched all three move elsewhere or signal that they soon will. The A's decision will leave the Bay Area as a one-team region as far as baseball goes and will give the Giants a greater stranglehold on local fans, but on Thursday there mostly was sadness that it all worked out this way.
"I do feel bad for the fans over there," Giants ace Logan Webb said. "It's tough. I think there have been a ton of efforts for all three teams to stay in the Bay Area and in Oakland. I do feel for them. I grew up going to Raiders games, I grew up going to A's games, I've been to Warriors games over there. It's hard, it's definitely hard for all the fans over there."
Webb's A's fandom ended when he was drafted by the Giants, but he still is a huge supporter of the Raiders, who soon will be neighbors with the team they once shared the Coliseum with. As Kapler digested the major MLB news, he thought back to his playing days with the Texas Rangers, who visited often and would always stay at the Westin St. Francis in downtown San Francisco. Kapler would take BART to games.
"I'll never forget how gritty and tough and raw and just, like, really working class I saw that stadium as being and how important it was to, not just the Bay Area, but baseball in general," Kapler said. "I'm sad for Oakland-based fans that want to see their club stay in Oakland. I also know that it's an exciting time for the franchise and for Major League Baseball. I can certainly see it from all angles but my perspective is really about what I saw as both a player and a manager managing against the A's and our mini-rivalry that we had with them."
Other Giants notes
--- Alex Wood had an MRI on his injured left hamstring and Kapler said he will miss "several weeks" at least. The Giants plan to slide Ross Stripling into that rotation spot, which will come up Sunday.
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--- Austin Slater (hamstring) played center field for the River Cats, checking another box off his rehab list, and Mitch Haniger (oblique) has joined him in the lineup for two games. Both players are trending in the right direction but Kapler said it's not likely that either is back Friday when the Giants face lefty Joey Lucchesi.
The Giants will face two left-handed starters in this series, which has been a problem. They currently rank 29th in the big leagues in OPS against left-handed pitchers.
--- Joc Pederson (wrist) hit in the cage on Thursday and Bryce Johnson (concussion) continued to ramp up his activity, but there's no firm timetable for either to return. Johnson was eligible on Thursday and Pederson can return as soon as Friday.
