Ballparks - # 26 - Oracle Park, San Francisco – Part 1

Oracle Park (9 August 2024)

The California visit that included the Oakland A’s stadium (posted April 30) was planned to nab the Giants’ park as well. The day before returning home we saw an interleague match against the Detroit Tigers. This was a visit interesting enough to break the story into two posts.

I don’t dedicate posts much, but this one is for Bill, another Bronx kid who’s been a Giants fan since they played in the Polo Grounds, which was just across the Harlem River from old Yankee Stadium. Imagine two major league ballparks within sight of each other. Bill was steadfast in his support when they moved to the west coast and when they weren’t any good. Although the team has been to twenty World Series, there was a 27-year dry spell before the earthquake appearance in 1989…more on that later.

 

Oracle Park (9 August 2024)

Dating to 1883, the San Francisco Giants franchise is one of the oldest in the game. Three years later, the New York Gothams became the Giants forever more.

Oracle Park has been the home field since 2000. In this quarter-century span, Oracle is the stadium’s fourth name…Pacific Bell, SBC and AT&T each had their names on the facade before 2019. With Mission Bay on one side and downtown on the other, the stadium is not surrounded by parking lots. Fans arrive from all directions via many forms of public transportation that get you there and back. It is a baseball-only venue that seats a bit over 41,000.

Because the team had played in the infamous Candlestick Park, the architects put extra effort to design and position a field that would be less influenced by the Bay winds. However, being an outdoor venue, they can do nothing about the chilly temps that sweep in after sundown. One is advised to pack extra layers.

Left Field and Beyond, Oracle Park (9 August 2024)

The days of stadiums with upper decks across the outfield are over. The days of designing stadiums to accommodate baseball and football are over. A ballpark is so much better when the seating is shaped by the field and bleacher seats remain level high. The views beyond often make it worth it.

Oracle Park (9 August 2024)

Plus, we need that space for ginormous video screens,

scoreboards and billboards. Fans have spent their entire day

staring at screens, so we want to keep the vibe going.

Scoreboard, Oracle Park (9 August 2024)

Older fans recall the 1989 World Series, a cross-town affair with the A’s playing the Giants. On October 17, the Loma Prieta earthquake caused major damage to the area. There was a 12-day gap between Game 2 and 3, but in that time, enough services were restored to complete the Series, won by the A’s in a 4-game sweep.

We had the same kind of announcement at the Oakland game…instructions about where each area of seating should exit in case of “an emergency” (they don’t say ‘earthquake’). I hope the folks pay attention.

At The Willy Mays Gate, Oracle Park (9 August 2024)

Young fans pose with the ‘Say Hey Kid’ before entering the park.

Many consider him to be the best to have ever played the game.

Imagine a New York kid whose love of the game blossomed at a time in the city when it had THREE major league teams...with THREE future Hall of Fame center fielders...Willy, Mickey and the Duke. In the ten-year period from 1949 to 1958, a New York team was in every World Series. In six of those years, that team played another New York team. A run like that helps explain that New Yawk attitude the rest of the country loves so much. It was a pleasure to close the loop and be at the Giants’ field after all these years.

More on this ballpark to follow in Part 2.