The Bay Area’s two minor league teams are picking up the regional baseball rivalry that used to be reserved for the Giants and A’s. The San Jose Giants and the Oakland Ballers also will make a little history when they meet in San Jose in April.
The teams announced Tuesday that they will play an exhibition game on April 2 at San Jose’s Excite Ballpark. The franchises have dubbed the game “Battle of the Bay 2.0.”
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In addition to establishing a new Bay Area rivalry, it will be the first time an affiliated franchise (the Giants a member of the Single-A California League and an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants system since 1988) has faced an unaffiliated team. The Ballers, a member of the Independent Pioneer League and Oakland’s sole pro team with the A’s relocated to Sacramento, made their debut last spring.
“The Battle of the Bay 2.0 at its core is a celebration of the Bay Area baseball fan and the history of baseball in this region,” San Jose Giants President Ben Taylor said in a release issued by the teams. He added that it “is going to be an unforgettable experience. It is my sincere hope that alongside the Ballers this is the beginning of a new, annual baseball tradition for our region.”
Don Wakamatsu, the Ballers’ executive vice president of baseball operations, said in the release, “This history-making Battle of the Bay 2.0 exhibition will help grow the game in our region and shine a light on the up-and-coming players in our respective organizations.”
The first “Battle of the Bay” was in 1989 when the A’s and Giants played in the World Series. With the arrival of interleague play, the teams played regular season games on both sides of the Bay every season since 1997. This season the A’s make their lone visit to the Bay Area in mid-May.
Tickets for the Ballers and the San Jose Giants’ “Battle of the Bay 2.0” are available at sjgiants.com, by calling 408-297-1435 or at the Excite Ballpark box office.
“On behalf of the Pioneer Baseball League, I am thrilled to have our Oakland Ballers take on the San Jose Giants in a pre-season exhibition game,” Pioneer League President Michael Shapiro said in the release. “In the grand tradition of the Bay Bridge Series, this game affords two great cities – San Jose and Oakland – the opportunity to celebrate the joy of minor league baseball in the Bay Area.”
