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SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler says A's fans have 'good reason' to be upset

Prior to Tuesday's game against the Oakland Athletics, SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler showed some support for #UniteTheBay.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler says A's fans have 'good reason' to be upset
SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler says A's fans have 'good reason' to be upset /
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The SF Giants will have an unusual group of fans at Oracle Park on Tuesday night. With the Giants beginning a two-game series against the Oakland Athletics, fans of the team's rivals from across the Bay have organized a #UniteTheBay effort as a show of solidarity between Giants and Athletics fans protesting A's ownership's efforts to move the team to Las Vegas. Prior to the game, Giants manager Gabe Kapler was asked about the situation and said he understood why fans were upset.

"I know that it would be challenging for A's fans," Kapler said. "It's part of the reason A's fans are so upset right now, and I think for good reason. It's challenging to see a team that you may have grown up supporting, you may have spent your most formative years rooting for, and potentially not having them around anymore. That's going to be challenging for any fanbase."

A's ownership, headlined by owner John Fisher and president Dave Kaval, clearly gave up on trying to build a successful franchise in the Bay Area over recent years and actively undermined negotiations with the city about building a new stadium. In fact, the team accepted worse terms from the city of Las Vegas than had been offered by Oakland.

The #UniteTheBay effort is the second such event this season, building upon the reverse boycott orchestrated by fans earlier this summer. Kapler endorsed the fans' method of expressing their frustration with team ownership.

"I get it. I'm all for-I don't know if I'd call it peaceful protest, but maybe it is-peaceful protest. Today's game, at least from our side is focused on winning today's baseball game, but totally understand the sentiment in the Bay and totally understand the sentiment in the stadium tonight."

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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