There's an expression for when MLB games go into extra innings: free baseball.

The A's weren't interested in working overtime Tuesday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their first game in Oakland.

Instead, they started with free — no admission or parking charges — to kick off a party attended by 46,028 at the Coliseum. They even had a birthday cake, cut by team president David Kaval. The icing: A 10-2 win over the White Sox.

"I’ve been here for a lot of playoff games, and tonight I got that vibe with how packed it was. There was a lot of electricity,” right fielder and Pleasanton, Calif., native Stephen Piscotty said (via the East Bay Times).

Tickets were distributed in advance (no game-day walk-up sales) and some sections were blocked off for season-ticket holders, but for the most part it was open seating for the near-capacity crowd.

“It was loud, it looked like the place was packed,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “I think that was the objective, and I really wanted to put on a good show for ’em. … When our crowd gets into it, they have a lot of fun.”

The rocking atmosphere was in contrast to Monday's crowd of 7,479 that looked even smaller in the cavernous Coliseum. The A's, 25th in attendance this season, have seen four crowds of fewer than 10,000.

Asked by the Times if an event like Tuesday night could bring more people to the park, one fan offered some free advice: “Sure, if they do this every night.”