SF Giants, Oakland A’s react to fans uniting for anti-John Fisher protest

SAN FRANCISCO — For the Giants and A’s players, the focus of Tuesday night’s first Bay Bridge series matchup of 2023 was on trying to win.

But it was impossible not to notice what the fans of both teams did, with many of the 40,014 coming together for some booming “Sell the team” chants directed at A’s owner John Fisher during the fifth inning of the Giants’ 2-1 win.

A’s outfielder Cody Thomas led off the top of the fifth against Giants starter Alex Cobb. While the protest plan was for fans to remain silent throughout Thomas’ at-bat and begin the chants once he was done, the chants picked up after the first pitch of the fifth inning.

In fact, much like during last month’s “reverse boycott” in Oakland, Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb couldn’t hear his PitchCom — but unlike A’s pitcher Hogan Harris, who stopped the game to check his, Cobb kept pitching.

“I had no idea what was going on. It just got loud,” Cobb said. “I was trying to focus on the PitchCom. I couldn’t hear the PitchCom going on and actually threw a pitch I didn’t want to throw because I didn’t hear it.”

Thomas said it isn’t the loudest environment he’s ever played in — a former two-sport star at Oklahoma, he mentioned the Sooners’ 2015 football game at the University of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium as an example — but he definitely heard the chants, which he said was “wild” to experience at the plate.

“It kind of broke out of nowhere,” Thomas said. “I noticed it but yeah, I stay focused and usually block out the noise pretty good.”

Thomas and many of the A’s current got their first experience of the Bay Bridge series on Tuesday night, which usually bring large crowds — not counting 2020, Giants-A’s games have an average attendance of 40,154 and games at Oracle Park have averaged 40,682 fans — and a raucous scene.

“I know coming in here, everyone said it was going to be back and going to be loud and I feel like that’s what it was tonight,” Thomas said. “It was a great atmosphere.”

A’s pitcher Ken Waldichuk, who followed opener Tayler Scott by only allowing one unearned run in 4.2 innings, called it “kind of crazy” and “pretty loud.”

“It was a fun game,” said Waldichuk, who played collegiately in the Bay Area at Saint Mary’s. “There was a big crowd tonight. They brought a lot of energy and I definitely was able to feel that. Feel like I almost kind of fed off it.”

Between playing and coaching, this is A’s manager Mark Kotsay’s 12th season with Oakland. So he knows that these Bay Bridge games matter that little bit more to fans.

“There’s definitely extra energy in this series, being that it’s a crosstown rival and a Bay Bridge series,” Kotsay said. “These guys have experienced some energy and some excitement. We’ve been in some parks this year that are full houses and on the road. And even in the crowd we had for the game against Tampa, the energy was electric and we talked about it that night. So they’re fun games, they’re exciting games. It’s just unfortunate we end up on the wrong side.”

Thomas added, “Not many people get to travel 30 minutes down the road and play someone that close in the Major Leagues. Anytime you’re doing that, I feel like it might mean a little bit more.”

It’s not the first time A’s fans have protested their owner and it won’t be the last. There are already plans from two A’s fan groups, Oakland 68s and Last Dive Bar, to have another giveaway at the first Bay Bridge game in Oakland on Aug. 5. Kotsay said the team didn’t need to have any extra preparations for a protest game.

“We’re four and a half months into this season, so it’s not unchartered territory for us,” Kotsay said. “We understand the fans’ frustration and emotion behind the chants and we continue to move on and play the game and not let it be a distraction.”

But the appreciation of what the A’s fans are doing is strong — both from their players and from across the Bay, too.

“I think it’s really cool to see the bond between the two fanbases, pulling in the same direction and wanting the same thing,” Cobb said. “Everyone knows how good this little rivalry’s been for baseball. I’ve been in Oakland when they’re at the top of the league. The energy that crowd brings when they’re in postseason contention, it’s a very unique atmosphere. That fanbase is very passionate. So it’s cool to see them both come together tonight.”

Waldichuk added, “They’re definitely passionate. My parents were from the Bay Area, so I’ve known how passionate they’ve been in the past as well. I think they’re pretty great fans.”

And Cobb — who’s turn in the rotation lines him up to pitch in the Bay Bridge series again over in Oakland on the first weekend of August — seemingly made his feelings known while expressing his appreciation for the Coliseum.

“They’ve been there for so long and have a generational amount of kids that have grown up and become fans. Whenever you move a franchise, that’s gonna take a really long time to create,” Cobb said. “It’s a unique environment over there. If they do end up leaving, it’ll be sad because [I have] a lot of fun memories from playing in that park.”