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The Student News Site of San Francisco State University

Golden Gate Xpress

The Student News Site of San Francisco State University

Golden Gate Xpress

Giants and A’s fans share the on-campus pub for Wild Card games

Becca+Steen%2C+Junior%2C+cheers+when+the+Giants+won+the+Wild+Card+game+against+the+Pittsburgh+Pirates+in+the+Pub+at+SF+State+Wednesday+Oct.+1%2C+2014.
Becca Steen, Junior, cheers when the Giants won the Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Pub at SF State Wednesday Oct. 1, 2014.

Postseason baseball was in full swing last week on campus, where students gathered at the pub with beers in hand, hoping to see the Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants win Wild Card games and advance further into the playoffs.

On Tuesday, the A’s lost its game against the Kansas City Royals, a team that hadn’t qualified to the playoffs in 25 years. In an up and down affair, A’s fans left the pub heartbroken and disappointed after losing in extra innings.

Juan "J.P." Gonzalez, a graduate student, shows off his Giants pride while watching the SF Giants Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Pub at SF State Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014. Daniel Porter / Xpress.
Juan “J.P.” Gonzalez, a graduate student, shows off his Giants pride while watching the SF Giants Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Pub at SF State Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014. Daniel Porter / Xpress.

“Honestly from my entire perspective, the Oakland Athletics should not even be in game 163 (the Wild Card game). We should’ve been in the first round of the playoffs,” said theater major Miguel Mendoza.  “After two seasons of winning the division, this season we were expected to make it past the first round at the very least.”

Euphoria filled the pub in the second inning after Brandon Moss of the Oakland A’s hit a two-run homer. However, the fans started to feel uneasy when the Royals took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third inning.

Though fans wore their rally hats and jerseys reversed, superstitions could not save the A’s fans from the rollercoaster of a game.

In the top of the sixth inning the A’s took a comfortable 7-3 lead over Kansas City. But to the surprise of many, the Royals tied it up and took Oakland to extra innings, where Kansas City dealt the final blow.

“I’m pretty upset that the A’s lost, so I’m looking forward to the Warriors, but God damn, the A’s should’ve had it,” said Austin Schenk, a business marketing major.

When the A’s gave up a four run lead during the Wild Card game, it rang echos of the team’s mid-season collapse. The A’s had the best record in the entire league at one point, having won 59 games before the All-Star break and held onto a comfortable lead over the LA Angels in its division.

Many students left the pub frustrated and upset that their season had come to an abrupt end.

But on Wednesday, another set of fans trickled in to watch the Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-0, and advance to the National League Division Series , where they will face the Washington Nationals.

Becca Steen, Junior, cheers when the Giants won the Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Pub at SF State Wednesday Oct. 1, 2014. Daniel Porter / Xpress.
Becca Steen, Junior, cheers when the Giants won the Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Pub at SF State Wednesday Oct. 1, 2014. Daniel Porter / Xpress.

Throughout the evening, the beer flowed and spilled on the floor as Giants fans high-fived, jumped and tackled each other in celebration of the game.

“We’re a championship team and people know that,” said an elated Manny Cestoni, a math major.  “We always come with surprises and we’re going to surprise the whole world. People are going to doubt us because that’s how life is.”

The celebration began when Brandon Crawford hit a grand slam in the fourth inning, becoming the only shortstop in Major League Baseball history to hit a grand slam in the postseason. The giants went on to add another four runs, and won the game 8-0.

The Giants battle the Nationals in game three of the NLDS Monday, Oct. 6 at AT&T Park.

“I feel another World Series ring this year,” said computer science major Matvey Voishev. “We have a great team that is red-hot.”

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    82bestbet1Oct 13, 2014 at 6:03 am

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Giants and A’s fans share the on-campus pub for Wild Card games