BY BEN MARQUEZ
Every year, Bay Area fans anticipate the annual Battle of the Bay series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics. This year’s series takes place March 31 through April 2, 2016, with the first two games at AT&T Park in San Francisco and the series closer at the Coliseum in Oakland.
There is a heated rivalry between the neighboring MLB teams that spans countless highly contested games, including the A’s 1989 World Series Championship over the Giants. Historically, the rivalry has been pretty even with the Giants and A’s trading off years of dominance.
In 2015 the A’s had a down year after making the playoffs for consecutive years, so the team is looking to make its way back into the playoffs in 2016. Behind its star and Cy Young-worthy pitcher Sonny Gray, the A’s can make noise through great pitching and stellar defense. Gray, at the age of 26, has a 2.88 career ERA in the Majors to go with 7.7 strikeouts per 9 innings. Center fielder Billy Burns also has All-Star potential for 2016. A key weapon for the A’s, Burns hit .294 in 2015 and gets on base regularly with his cat-like speed.
The Giants have big shoes to fill in 2016 as they’ve won the World Series every other year for the last five years. With Championships in 2010, 2012, and 2014, anything but the Commissioner’s Trophy will be considered a let down. The team made big moves in the off season, as it signed star pitchers Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzjia. The Giants are favored to win the NL West and make the playoffs along with the LA Dodgers. After third baseman’s Matt Duffy phenomenal rookie year, he is looking to continue his success.
Overall, after a long off-season, Bay Area fans are going to be thrilled to see both teams play live in action as both seasons are projected to be very promising and exciting.
For the latest updates on your favorite musicians, sports teams, comedians and more, download the eventseeker app for iPhone, Windows, or Android and become a tastemaker among your friends. Think of us as your personal advisor for music and events.