The Giants released their 60-game schedule on Monday and first baseman Brandon Belt believes that the condensed season gives San Francisco a “higher chance” to win in 2020.
There's very little that's normal about a 60-game season, but for the two Bay Area teams, one aspect of this year's schedule will look normal.
The Giants and A's, as regional rivals, will play six games against each other as they always do. "The Battle of the Bay" will be played August 14-16 in San Francisco and then September 18-20 in Oakland.
The Giants and A's also are working on finalizing as many as three exhibition games to be played in the days before the July 23 opener the Giants will be playing at Dodger Stadium. The two teams traditionally play three Bay Bridge Series exhibitions at the end of spring training, but this year, those were the first games to get canceled when the coronavirus (COVID-19) caused the shutdown of the sport.
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Last season was the 30th anniversary of the teams meeting in the World Series, and recent matchups have been remarkably close. The regional rivals have played 124 times since the 1989 World Series, with the A's holding a 64-60 edge and outscoring the Giants by 14 total runs over 30 years. Over the last 50 games, each side has won 25 times, with the Giants holding a 225-224 edge in runs scored since 2010.
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Because MLB is trying to limit travel this season, each team plays 40 games within its own division and 20 against the corresponding division from the other league. In addition to the six games against the A's, the Giants will play the Angels, Mariners, Rangers and Astros.
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