‘Highway 80 series’? Giants-A’s rivalry takes latest twist after Sacramento move
The San Francisco Giants had a new item available in their official team store at Oracle Park for their weekend series against the A’s.
The team Friday evening was selling a white T-shirt with “Highway 80 Series” printed across the chest with a depiction of the Bay Bridge and the two teams’ logos.
It many ways, the departure from the “Bay Bridge Series” symbolized the odd, new phase of the rivalry between Northern California’s two Major League Baseball teams now that the A’s are playing their home games in West Sacramento and not Oakland as they did for the previous 57 years. Not to mention the correct name of the freeway connecting Sacramento and San Francisco via the Bay Bridge is called Interstate 80, not “Highway 80.”
Across MLB this weekend, the league is ushering in the inaugural version of what it has dubbed “Rivalry Weekend,” with each team playing its designated geographic rival.
In the case of the Giants and A’s, that formally codifies a competitive streak that for decades pitted the two Bay Area teams against one another, peaking in 1989 with the A’s four-game sweep of the Giants in an earthquake-interrupted World Series.
Those days are long gone. A’s players and coaches no longer get to sleep in their own beds during San Francisco road games as they did when the team played in Oakland. Instead, the team is in a hotel, giving the feel of a more traditional road trip following their stop in Los Angeles for three games against the Dodgers earlier in the week.
“It’s different,” A’s general manager David Forst said in the visiting dugout before Friday night’s game. “I think A’s-Giants will be the same rivalry for a while. There’s obviously generations of fans who will see A’s and Giants and think of it in the same way, but it’s definitely different.
“We’re not right across the Bay. Our guys flew in from L.A., stayed in a hotel last night and as far as they’re concerned, this is part of a road trip, so it’s a little bit different.”
A’s new home remains a ‘hot topic’
Forst held court with reporters before the first of the three-game series, perhaps in part to save manager Mark Kotsay from fielding the slew of questions about the team’s odd circumstances of moving temporarily to a minor league ballpark in West Sacramento ahead of their planned move into a new ballpark in Las Vegas, which has yet to officially break ground.
The A’s players have largely avoided being critical of their new situation in West Sacramento, save for ace starting pitcher Luis Severino, who has said he’s had a hard time getting used to the new digs at Sutter Health Park with the clubhouse being a 400-foot walk to left field rather than a few steps behind the dugouts, which is customary throughout the big leagues.
Catcher Shea Langeliers said answering questions about playing in West Sacramento has been more bothersome than playing there.
“It’s the hot topic,” Langeliers said. “Because nobody’s ever done it before, so we get asked a lot about it.”
There’s also the notable difference between the A’s performance at home compared to the road. The team came into Friday’s contest 14-9 in road games, giving them MLB’s highest winning percentage in road games this season. Their 8-13 mark at Sutter Health Park, meanwhile, represents the second-worst home winning percentage.
“Look, (players’) opinion is always going to be tainted by how things go on the field. We obviously haven’t played as well at home as we have on the road,” Forst said. “So I think until we start playing really well there, I think they’re going to feel more comfortable on the road.
“That said, the building we built out in left is fantastic. I think they all agree on that — they’re comfortable in that building. They’re still getting used to the walk in and out of the dugout to left field, but I think it’s just a matter of settling in and playing better baseball at home and it’ll feel like home to them.”
The Giants defeated the A’s Friday night, 9-1, to open the series. Wilmer Flores drove in eight of the Giants’ runs on three homers, and Rocklin native Logan Webb got the win by pitching 8 innings and allowing just one run.
The A’s, with a 22-23 overall record after Friday night’s loss, have pointed out that their sample size of home games has been small, just 21 of 81 total home games in a season. They expect their play to normalize closer to the level they’ve played on the road as the season goes on and they get used to the difference circumstances of playing at Sutter Health Park.
“I would say as much as you can, yeah,” Langeliers said when asked if the ballpark is starting to feel like the team’s true home. “It just feels like two different atmospheres when at home compared to being on the road, if that makes sense.”
Getting the A’s ace comfortable
Regarding Severino, the A’s highest paid player in franchise history making $25 million this season, Forst said work is being done to figure out how to make him comfortable.
“That’s a very specific issue, a starting pitcher who likes to be in the clubhouse during home innings. Mark and I talked about letting Sevi just walk straight out to the clubhouse after a half inning. I don’t know if he wants to do that. But I don’t see any reason he couldn’t, if that’s his route and helps him kind of feel comfortable. We potentially could offer that to him. We’ll see the next time he pitches at home.”
Severino is scheduled to start in San Francisco on Saturday and would likely throw next at Sutter Health Park next week when the team hosts the Los Angeles Angels for four games before welcoming the Philadelphia Phillies next weekend.
Oracle Park is known for being tough on hitters given the cool San Francisco temperatures, particularly at night with a 6:05 p.m. start time. Severino entered the start 1-0 with a 0.95 ERA in three road starts compared to 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA in six starts at home.
Kotsay was initially coy when asked about the situation, saying, “We’ve talked. We’ve talked a lot. ... Our conversations are great.”
Kotsay added: “But yeah, we’re looking at different ways to help him. But he also is a professional. He understands the situation. He’s not using that as an excuse. He’s just telling you the truth. Hey, this is different, and this may take some time for me to get used to, right? So there’s definitely conversation in regards to finding solutions.”
This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 7:14 PM.
