15 Jul A Day at Oracle Park: Bonds, Ohtani and a Timeless Rivalry

The view at Oracle Park is unlike any other in Major League Baseball.

Commentary and photos by Joe Porrello

The legend Barry Bonds throwing out the first pitch. The phenom Shohei Ohtani on the mound. Two generational hitters in one place. And I was lucky enough to witness it.

The night before, I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve, too excited to sleep, knowing what was coming.

That youthful giddiness, however, did not help me wake up when my alarm went off at 6 a.m.  Saturday.

Not only did I need to make my way from El Sobrante to see the San Francisco Giants take on the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park, but I also had to be prepared to stand in line for hours before the 1:05 p.m. first pitch.

With the Giants giving out 20,000 Barry Bonds bobbleheads to early-arriving fans and the game sold out (attendance was later reported at 41,029), I knew I should arrive well ahead of the gates opening at 11 a.m.

Adding to the usual fanfare of the historic rivalry was the Dodgers’ two-way international sensation, Ohtani, taking the mound at Oracle Park for the first time in his eight-year career. He also batted leadoff as the designated hitter.

It was the first time the Giants gave away Bonds bobbleheads in over two decades — presumably due to his early 2000s steroid scandal — and there were longer lines to enter the ballpark than I had ever seen before.

 

I went to my usual entry gate (which I will gatekeep — pun intended) because it always has shorter lines. Still, the possibility of showing up four hours before the game started and not getting the giveaway had me feeling anxious the whole time as the line inched along. But when I finally got handed that Bonds bobblehead after about two hours in line, my nervousness turned to relief and excitement.

 

Into the stadium over two hours before first pitch, I had ample time to soak in Oracle Park and all it has to offer.

 

Growing up with hot and sticky summer days at Fenway Park in Boston, I appreciate the weather at Giants home games more than anything else. The bay breeze combined with 70-degree temperatures and clear skies makes for a truly heavenly baseball climate during day games like this one — at least for the fans. Players often battle the wind or sun at Oracle Park, and it’s known to be one of the hardest MLB parks to hit a home run in.

 

Gorgeous views of McCovey Cove and the Bay Bridge provide a backdrop unlike any in Major League Baseball, for my money. The distinct smell of Giants concession staple Gilroy Garlic Fries (the cooking oil is used instead of gas to power machines used by the grounds crew) fills the Oracle Park air, mixed with the satisfying scents of saltwater and freshly cut grass.

 

And the garlic fries are just the beginning, with options available like lumpia, Fuku chicken, Ghirardelli ice cream and a souvenir baseball bat filled with popcorn, not to mention the highly sought after Crazy Crab’z sandwich — a line for which went so far I had to ask someone in it to confirm that was really what they were waiting for.

 

In addition to the concessions, attractions make the ballpark fun for everyone.

Children can go down the Coke bottle slide beyond the bleachers that is synonymous with Oracle Park, hit off a tee on a mini baseball field, see their pitch speed on a radar gun, play Skee-Ball and more.

 

Some of the photo opportunities are so great, even the hesitant Dodgers supporters — who made up at least half of the total crowd — couldn’t resist posing for a quick pic. Fans posed with giant replica World Series rings, an authentic San Francisco cable car, amongst the sea of palm trees in front of the stadium sign, and in countless other spots.

 

Before the game began, Barry Bonds threw out the first pitch. After San Francisco won the first game of the series 8-7 on Friday night, Giants shortstop Willy Adames called the atmosphere playoff-like.

 

Ohtani grounded out to begin the game but made up for it quickly. He took the mound and immediately started firing 100 mph pitches, striking out all three first-inning batters.

A Giants fielding error combined with a Freddie Freeman double — the game’s only extra-base hit — in the following frame helped Los Angeles grab the game’s first run. Ohtani pitched three no-hit innings before being relieved to start the fourth without allowing a run.

In a two-out sixth inning rally, the Dodgers drew a walk and notched a pair of singles to give them a two-run cushion. Hurting San Francisco the most was struggling ex-Giant Michael Conforto, who scored two runs on three singles, while holding a meager batting average of .185. The Giants managed just three singles, while Dodger Andy Pages was the only other player from either team to tally multiple hits and Mike Yastrzemski was the lone Giant to reach base twice.

Loading the bases with one out in the sixth inning, San Francisco only managed to plate one run on a sacrifice fly from Rafael Devers. 

Failing to reach base in the final frame, the Giants had their fifth 1-2-3 inning, contributing to a game time of only two hours and 11 minutes.

A higher than usual number of kayakers waited beyond right field in McCovey Cove for a valuable splash hit home run from Ohtani but came up empty as the superstar went 0-4 with two strikeouts, as did his All-Star teammate Mookie Betts. According to “McCovey Cove Dave,” who attends every game in his kayak, it was the largest cove crowd since the 2014 World Series.

 

The closely contested 2-1 battle is on brand for the rivalry, with the Giants holding an all-time edge of just four more wins (1,286-1,282).

The victory broke an unexpected seven-game losing streak for Los Angeles — their longest since 2017 — which went 9-1 directly before the winless stretch.

With the loss, San Francisco moved to 11-13 since trading for the highly touted batsman in Devers, who is hitting just .214 in 24 games with the Giants and is hitless over his last 22 plate appearances.

An extra-inning loss Sunday gave the Giants their first series defeat of July after winning three straight. 

The Giants didn’t get the win, but I left with a Bonds bobblehead, Tony Gemignani’s pizza in my belly, and memories I’ll hold onto for a long time. Just like Christmas morning, it was worth the wait.