It's a black and white, green and orange October -- and it could be a weekend of playoff baseball, on both sides of the Bay.
With the National League West title wrapped up a week ago, the San Francisco Giants are preparing to host either the Washington Nationals or the Cincinatti Reds on Saturday and Sunday in the first round of the playoffs. The results of Wednesday's games will decide who finishes the National League's No. 2 seed, and who visits San Francisco this weekend for games Saturday and Sunday.
But the Oakland Athletics are guaranteed at least one postseason game, too -- and possibly more.
With their 3-1 win on Tuesday, the A's are tied for first place in the American League West with the Texas Rangers. The A's host the Rangers at 12:35 p.m. Wednesday at the Coliseum -- and if the A's win, they'll clinch the division and top seed in the playoffs. But that would also mean no home games. A top-seeded A's team would open against the No. 4 seed on Sunday on the road, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
If the A's lose, they'll face either the New York Yankees or the Baltimore Orioles in a one-game playoff on Friday. The A's would host Baltimore and go to New York... that is, unless the Orioles win and the Yankees lose in their final games Wednesday.
In that case, the Orioles and Yankees would finish with identical records and play a one-game playoff on Thursday in Baltimore. The loser would host the A's in a one-game playoff on Friday, and the winner would then HOST a playoff game on Sunday.
Got that? Maybe it would just be easier to win the division.
As always, BART, which is running extra trains this weekend, is the best way to get to the O.co Coliseum. AT&T Park, along San Francisco's transit-rich waterfont, is accessible by multiple Muni lines as well as pedicab and regular taxi. It's also a 20-minute walk from Market Street.
Or go ahead and drive -- the first few innings will sound great on KNBR.
