Battle of the Bay 2.0 to pit the Oakland Ballers against the San Jose Giants

CBS News

02-04-2025

A new chapter in Bay Area baseball kicks off on Wednesday when the a couple of local minor league teams face off in an extension of a long-standing traditional rivalry.
Baseball has been a big part of Bay Area History, but the A's leaving Oakland brought an end to the long standing Battle of the Bay. At least that's what people thought.
Then Ben Taylor -- the president of the San Jose Giants, the Minor League affiliate of the San Francisco Giants -- had what some initially thought was a far-fetched proposal.
"It was one of those late-night ideas," said Taylor. "There's a void that has to be filled."
Taylor grew up in the Bay Area and played baseball through high school.
He looked forward to seeing the Giants and the A's face off each year and was disappointed it was over. So he reached out to the owners of the Oakland Ballers to propose a new "Battle of the Bay 2.0" that would be between the teams in San Jose and Oakland.
"We're taking a piece of the Bay Area history that has meant so much to this area and this region of fans and bringing it back," said Taylor.
Oakland Ballers co-founder Paul Freedman jumped at the opportunity.
"We just want to make sure that the excitement of baseball stays around," said Freedman. "To our knowledge the first time in the history of baseball that an independent minor league team is playing an affiliated minor league team."
The Ballers play in the independent Pioneer League.
"It's a big opportunity for them to show up in the spotlight, a televised game, and see what they can do," said Freedman about his team.
The Ballers haven't started spring training yet, but they're going to try to be ready for their first appearance at Excite Ballpark in San Jose, potentially in front of 3,200 fans.
"You get an intimate entertainment experience that you just don't have much of anywhere else in the Silicon Valley," said Taylor.
Taylor says people will be traveling from across the region to see the Battle of the Bay 2.0.
"We've got folks driving down from areas of Northern California that we don't generally see tickets purchased from. Certainly folks are going to be purchasing hotel rooms, staying the night, enjoying everything San Jose has to offer in addition to the game," said Taylor about the economic impact of the game.
Both teams hope this will be just the first meeting in a long, friendly rivalry.
"This is the inaugural season, but will be far from the last time that this game takes place," said Taylor.
The leadership of the two teams are aiming to create a new tradition for a new era of Bay Area sports. Those unable to attend the game in person can catch all the action on PIX+. First pitch is Wednesday night at 6 p.m.