Giants, A’s, NBC Sports Bay Area announce ‘The Bridge’ trophy

The stakes in the regular season Bay Bridge Series will no longer be simply for hometown pride.

The Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants in conjunction with NBC Sports Bay Area announced Monday that the teams will now compete for “The Bridge” trophy.

Standing at 18 inches tall, the trophy was forged from reclaimed steel scraps from the eastern span of the old Bay Bridge, with interchangeable bronze Giants and A’s logos along with a bronze baseball engraved with a “Bay Bridge Series” logo.

Construction of the trophy, a collaborative effort by Scientific Art Studio, whose previous works include the giant glove and Coca-Cola bottle at AT&T Park, and Oakland-based industrial art studio The Crucible.

Giants CEO Larry Baer said:

“I can not think of a better symbol of our cross-bay rivalry than a trophy fabricated from the steel of the original San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The Giants-A’s interleague games are always great fun for our fans and we are excited to get this season underway. We look forward to proudly displaying The Bridge at AT&T Park.”

The Bridge will go to whichever team wins the annual series between the two teams. But if the series ends in a tie, the winner of final game will be declared the winner. The Bridge will be awarded to the winning team either on the field, if the clinching team is playing at home in the final game, or in the visitor’s clubhouse, if the clinching team is on the road.

This year, the Bay Bridge Series will wrap around the All-Star break in mid-July, with Oakland hosting the second installment.

A’s president Dave Kaval said:

“The Bay Bridge series has always been exciting for our fans. What better way to enhance the friendly rivalry with our cross-town neighbors than with The Bridge trophy uniquely made from steel from the original San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge? We’re excited to claim bragging rights in the Bay and hoist the trophy up at the Coliseum.”