San Francisco Chronicle

Jarrett Parker’s 3 home runs steal the spotlight at Big 3 reunion.

- ANN KILLION

Nostalgia is the lifeblood of baseball. Don’t tell the sabermetri­cians — many of whom reside in the A’s front office — but without romance and sentiment, this game would have long ago withered and blown away in the winds of change.

So what happened Saturday at the sold-out Oakland Coliseum was not only cool, not only fun, but it was also important. When the fans of both Bay Area teams, rivals most of the time, came together to cheer for two memorable men who played key roles on both teams, it was a satisfying moment at the end of two relatively unmemorabl­e seasons.

“To be out there and have those fans give me the love, that was awesome,” Barry Zito said.

The game in which Zito and Tim Hudson pitched didn’t mean much. The A’s season has been over for ages, a wasteland of rebuilding and ennui. And the last

 ?? Michael Macor / The Chronicle ?? Fans at the Oakland Coliseum show their support for pitchers Barry Zito and Tim Hudson.
Michael Macor / The Chronicle Fans at the Oakland Coliseum show their support for pitchers Barry Zito and Tim Hudson.
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