GIANTS, PORTS MEET IN DIVISION SERIES: The defending California League champion San Jose Giants play the Stockton
Ports (Athletics affiliate) this week in the best-of-three North Division Series. Stockton hosts Game 1 on Tuesday night before
the series shifts to Excite Ballpark in San Jose for Games 2 and 3 on Thursday and Friday (Game 3 if necessary). The winner advances to the best-of-three California League Championship Series beginning on Sunday.
REGULAR SEASON REVIEW: The Giants finished the regular season with a league-best 80-52 overall record and won both the first half and second half North Division titles. It marked the first time since the 2009 season that the Giants won both halves in the North Division. San Jose went 37-29 in the first half and finished one game ahead of Fresno in the standings to clinch a berth in the postseason. The Giants then posted a 43-23 second half record – eight games of second-place Stockton for the top spot. It’s the third consecutive season that the Giants have notched the best overall record in the California League.
FINISHING STRONG: The Giants enjoyed a sizzling finish to the regular season with a remarkable 20-2 record in their final
22 games dating back to August 13. During the 22-game stretch, San Jose averaged a whopping 8.1 runs per contest and owned a +90 run differential (179-89) against their opponents. From August 13-27, the Giants achieved the longest winning streak in team history when they claimed 13 consecutive victories (previous record: 12 games).
RECORD-SETTING OFFENSE: The Giants established two significant team offensive records during the regular season. San Jose set a club record with 897 runs scored (6.8 runs/game) – shattering the previous mark of 836 runs set 38 years ago in 1988. The Giants led the California League in runs this season – just ahead of the 893 runs scored by the Ontario Tower Buzzers. Additionally, San Jose set their team record for home runs with 151 during the regular season – one more than the previous high of 150 from the 2021 championship season. The Giants set their home run record during the final day of the regular season last Sunday.
PLAYOFF HISTORY: The Giants are in the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season (2019, 2021-26) – the longest active streak in the California League. Since 2004, the Giants have reached the playoffs an impressive 19 times out of 22 seasons. San Jose is playing Stockton in a postseason series for the first time in 11 years (2015) when the Giants edged the Ports two-games-to-one in the best-of-three North Mini-Series. The Giants won the decisive third game with a 15-inning victory at Banner Island Ballpark. San Jose won the California League title last September sweeping both the Fresno Grizzlies (2-0) in the Division Series and Inland Empire 66ers (2-0) in the Championship Series to claim the crown. The Giants are attempting to win back-to-back titles for the first time since 2009-10.
TOP PROSPECT SHINES: Josuar Gonzalez, the consensus #1 prospect in the San Francisco Giants organization, has sparked the Giants from the leadoff spot in the lineup since joining the team on July 24. The 18-year old shortstop hit .357 in 31 regular season games for San Jose with six doubles, six triples, three home runs, 35 RBI’s and 13 stolen bases. Gonzalez, who hit all six of his triples over a 16-game stretch from August 7-28, posted a .444 on-base percentage and 1.010 OPS. Gonzalez hit a combined .351 in 228 at-bats between the Arizona Complex League (Rookie-level) and San Jose this season.
CAYAMA GETS GAME 1 NOD, FLORA IN GAME 2: Argenis Cayama is scheduled to start Game 1 on the mound for the Giants in Stockton. The youngest pitcher on the staff (turns 20 on September 15), Cayama logged a 4.87 ERA over 15 starts in the regular season for San Jose. The right-hander boasted a 73-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 57 1/3 innings. Cayama missed nearly two months in the middle of the season due to a stint on the injured list, but returned to fashion a 3.24 ERA over four August starts. Jackson Flora, San Francisco’s first round draft pick this year and the #1 pitching prospect in the organization, is expected to get the ball in Game 2 on Thursday in San Jose. Flora made his professional debut last week in Fresno and struck out two in a scoreless inning of work. The fourth overall pick in this year’s draft, Flora went 12-0 with a 1.06
ERA in 16 starts for UC Santa Barbara during the 2026 collegiate season. Other top arms for the Giants include Keyner Martinez, who ranked second in the Cal League with 134 strikeouts in 93 2/3 innings and had a 0.57 ERA (1 ER/15.2 IP) over his last three regular season starts. Ricardo Estrada ranked third on the staff in innings (91 2/3) and strikeouts (85) while compiling a 4.12 ERA. Samir Chires excelled late in the year out of the bullpen with a 1.82 ERA over 15 appearances and Dylan Carter led all current Giants with seven saves in the regular season.
PITCHING IN: The Giants led the California League in ERA for a sixth consecutive season (2021-26) with a 4.79 team earned run average in 2026. San Jose showed notable improvement from the beginning of the year with monthly ERA’s of 5.78 in April and 4.94 in May before 4.68 in June and then consistent marks of 4.35 in July, 4.39 in August and 4.33 in September.
COMEBACK GIANTS: After winning only once when trailing after eight innings from April through July, the Giants earned six victories when behind entering the ninth inning from the beginning of August through the end of the regular season.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Lorenzo Meola has been named 2026 San Jose Giants Player of the Year. Over a team-leading 119 games played during the regular season, Meola hit .269 with a league-best 40 doubles, 15 home runs, 78 RBI’s and 17 stolen bases. In addition to leading the league in doubles, Meola ranked second in hits (128), fifth in RBI’s and ninth in homers. After batting .233 with a .714 OPS in the first half (58 games), Meola hit an even .300 with a .917 OPS in the second half (61 games, 9 HR, 50 RBI).
HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Giants were 15-9 against the Ports during the regular season, but just 4-5 in the second half. San Jose scored 105 runs in their 12 games at Banner Island Ballpark this year (8.8 runs per game).