World Series on Hold Until Tuesday : Baseball: Saying both Candlestick Park and Oakland Coliseum were not extensively damaged by quake, Vincent sets tentative date for Game 3.

SAN FRANCISCO — The World Series will not resume before next Tuesday at Candlestick Park as the Bay Area recovers from its worst earthquake since 1906, baseball commissioner Fay Vincent said Wednesday.

Neither Candlestick nor the Oakland Coliseum are ready yet, but Vincent said he expects the ballparks to be prepared by next week, assuming government officials give their permission.

At that time, the Series would pick up where it left off, Oakland leading two games to none, with Games 3, 4 and, if necessary, 5 in San Francisco. The Series would return to Oakland for the last two games, if necessary.

“The alternative of waiting a few days seems to be better than canceling the World Series, but this is said in light of understanding the difficulty this area is having,” Vincent said. “We will not be playing while this community is in the early stages of its recovery.

“We believe Tuesday is a very good working hypothesis, but it is not definite yet. I think our preferred course is to play at Candlestick.”

This will be the longest gap during a World Series since 1911 when there was a one-week delay because of rainouts in the meeting between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Athletics.

“It is becoming very clear to all of us in major league baseball that our issue is really a modest one in light of the great tragedy,” Vincent said. “It is also clear that we are not going to be able to play baseball at either park in this area until next Tuesday.”

The Bay Bridge Series was postponed Wednesday for the second straight day. The earthquake, which struck Tuesday just 25 minutes before game time, killed more than 200 and injured hundreds of others.

“We had 17 structural engineers and two architects totally examining the stadium for the impact. We feel there is no structural damage,” said John Lind, Candlestick’s manager. “There are some minor repairs and some cleanup. There are areas where we would like to explore in the next few days, to make sure beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

The news conference announcing the plan was held in a room lit by candles and remote television camera lights. The St. Francis Hotel is still without full power.

The Giants have been told to report to Candlestick Park Thursday afternoon for a 1 p.m. workout. The A’s are to work out at noon at the Oakland Coliseum.

“Once the community returns to a sense of normalcy, they will expect the World Series. I think it can be part of the healing,” A’s vice president Sandy Alderson said.

Oakland mayor Lionel Wilson said late Wednesday he met with Athletics’ representatives and told them they should not resume play immediately.

“I did tell them that at this time, it would be inappropriate to play baseball in this city while there are still bodies underneath the concrete,” Wilson said at the Alameda Naval Air Station.

Wilson estimated it would take at least four to five days to recover the bodies from underneath double-decked Interstate 880, the freeway which collapsed and was responsible an estimated 250-plus deaths.

Power, telephones and other services were limited as the cleanup began Wednesday. So too, fortunately, was crime.

Debris littered the streets, windows from the best shops were shattered and hotel lobbies were strewn with sleepers. Tourists roamed with video cameras, focusing on cracks in the concrete and frozen clock faces.

Candlestick, where 60,000 fans were watching the Giants and Athletics warm up when the stadium shook, and the Coliseum were inspected during the day. Candlestick was closed Wednesday, while groundskeepers mowed the grass in Oakland.