March 11, 2025
Ballers to Face Giants in Battle of the Bay 2.0
Exhibition game set for Wednesday, April 2 at Excite Ballpark
San Jose, CA – On Wednesday, April 2, 2025, the San Jose Giants and the Oakland Ballers will write a new chapter in the storied history of Bay Area baseball matchups. Coined as "Battle of the Bay 2.0", the two organizations will play an exhibition game at San Jose's Excite Ballpark with first pitch scheduled for 6 PM on April 2.
Tickets are now on sale at sjgiants.com with broadcast details to be announced in the coming weeks.
"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," said San Jose Giants President, Ben Taylor. "Providing fans the opportunity to enjoy this first-of-its-kind matchup, while giving young developing players the chance to play in front of an energized Excite Ballpark crowd 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."
History will be written at the formerly known Municipal Stadium which opened in 1942, as the matchup will represent the first time an Affiliated Franchise (San Jose Giants) takes on an Independent Major League Baseball (MLB) Partner League team (Oakland Ballers). Both teams are coming off trips to their respective league postseasons in 2024, with RHP Elijah Pleasants spending time on both rosters after the San Francisco Giants signed Pleasants from the Ballers in June and assigned him to San Jose.
"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," said Ballers EVP of Baseball Operations Don Wakamatsu. "The Ballers are committed to developing homegrown talent and cultivating baseball excellence in Oakland and the greater Bay Area and we appreciate Major League Baseball and the Pioneer Baseball League for coming together to make this happen."
Roster information for both teams will be announced in the days leading up to the event, as well as contests and promotions between the two organizations to allow fans to engage in the fun prior to and during the game. The contest will be a nine (9) inning game and be played using standard MLB rules and guidelines.
"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," said Pioneer League President Michael Shapiro. "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."
Following the exhibition against the Ballers, the San Jose Giants 2025 Opening Night is set for Tuesday, April 8 at Excite Ballpark against the Visalia Rawhide. For more information on Tickets call 408.297.1435, visit the Excite Ballpark Box Office or log on to sjgiants.com.
ABOUT THE SAN JOSE GIANTS
The San Jose Giants are a Class A professional baseball team and have been an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants since 1988. San Jose has won seven California League Championships as a Giants affiliate (2021, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2005, 2001 and 1998) and twelve overall. The San Jose Giants have graduated 243 Major League players, 177 of whom have played or currently play for the San Francisco Giants. Excite Ballpark, the home of the San Jose Giants, first opened in 1942 and has seen over 8 million fans enter through its gates. The organization has been honored with the Larry MacPhail Award, presented to the club with the best creative marketing and promotions, and the President's Trophy, granted to the most complete franchise in all of Minor League Baseball. For information on the 2025 season, please contact the San Jose Giants Box Office at 408.297.1435 or visit us online at sjgiants.com.
ABOUT THE OAKLAND BALLERS
The Oakland Ballers (aka the B's) are Oakland's one and only professional baseball team. The team was started as a fan-led movement to ensure that professional baseball never leaves The Town. The Ballers joined the Pioneer Baseball League, a historic independent baseball league founded in 1939, as their first West Coast franchise. The PBL is dedicated to innovation around the game and is a Major League Baseball partner league. In the team's first year, the Ballers built a ballpark in West Oakland at historical Raimondi Park, had 4 players receive contracts by MLB franchises, made history by having the first female pitcher in Pioneer League history, welcomed nearly 100,000 fans to games, made the playoffs, brought over 2,000 fans into the ownership group, elected a fan representative to our board, and sold over 11,000 hats. The Oakland Ballers are dedicated to delivering a joyful, community focused experience for Oakland and the entire East Bay. We vow to never leave town. Built by Oakland. Forever Oakland.
