A's fans held their annual Bacon Friday, and Jeff Francoeur was among the attendees

The third annual Bacon Friday (previously incarnated as Bacon Tuesday) got off to a great start a few hours before the A's and Royals started their three-game set at the Coliseum on Friday. Kansas City right fielder/bacon aficionado Jeff Francoeur stopped by the parking lot for the Bacon Friday tailgate, meeting A's fans, posing for pictures, playing cornhole and signing a big piece of bacon. Before he left, he ate a few things and grabbed a big slice of bacon and a tray of bacon-ified foods to bring back to the Royals clubhouse.

"A couple other guys in there are jealous," Francoeur said. "I wish I could just stay out here until 6:30 with you guys."

The menu included two bacon explosions (aka a Northern Wyoming bacon loaf), cheese-infused tater tots wrapped in bacon and sprinkled with brown sugar, bacon cinammon rolls, peanut butter bacon Rice Krispies treats, bacon-wrapped donuts and more.

It all started in 2011, when Francoeur wrapped a $100 bill around a baseball and threw it up to the right-field bleachers with a note that said, "Buy bacon or beer." The fans opted for the former, and the phenomenon grew to even greater heights with Bacon Tuesday in 2012. More than 120 fans put in orders for Bacon Friday shirts this time around, and the tailgaters were upset to find out that Francoeur wasn't in Friday's starting lineup.

Check out more photos from the event here.

-- Alex Espinoza / MLB.com Real-Time Correspondent