Battle of Giants on deck in West Sacramento
On March 30, the Sacramento River Cats will take the field in their first-ever exhibition game against the three-time World Series champion San Francisco Giants. It’s a neat trick, since the Pacific Coast League baseball team is the Triple-A affiliate of the major-league Giants.
Which means, essentially, that the Giants are playing against the Giants.
“The shortest, simplest way to explain it is that we provide the facilities, and the Giants provide the players,” said River Cats media relations coordinator Robert Barsanti. “Majorleague teams affiliate with minor-league teams to provide their minor players with a place to continue to develop their skills. The players sign a contract with the Giants, and then play where the Giants assign them.”
In this case, those facilities are at Raley Field, on the shores of the Sacramento River in West Sacramento. And the game holds extra meaning, because this month, the two teams signed a four-year extension of their player development contract. The Giants entered into their first two-year agreement with the River Cats in September 2014; previously, the contract was held by Fresno.
The River Cats have already seen some of their players graduate to the major leagues, including Trevor Brown, Josh Osich, Kelby Tomlinson and Jarrett Parker, while several Giants made their River Cats debut in 2015 on rehab assignments, including Hunter Pence, Matt Cain and Joe Panik.
The exhibition game will allow fans an opportunity to cheer not just their favorite River Cats but also current members of the San Francisco Giants, such as three-time All-Stars Pence and Buster Posey, World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner, and middle-infield stars Panik and Brandon Crawford.
A bit of reality: The only way fans are able to guarantee tickets for the March 30 fun is to become a River Cats season-ticket holder or renew a current membership. Visit www.rivercats.com, email tickets@rivercats.com or call (916) 371-4487.