STOCKTON, Calif. – Game five against San Jose was the antithesis of the previous four games, as a pitcher’s duel broke out Saturday night at Banner Island Ballpark, with the Giants hanging on for a 2-1 win over the Ports.
Stockton got five solid innings out of starter Luis Burgos, as he allowed just two runs on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts. After the right hander walked San Jose catcher Fernando Gonzalez with two down in the second inning, he gave up a long fly ball to center off the bat of Broedy Poppell.
The ball appeared to hit the padding to the side of a door out in center rather than the top of the padding above it and bounced back into play. Ports centerfielder Bobby Blandford certainly thought it was still in play, but the base umpire ruled it a home run. Stockton skipper Darryl Kennedy came out to argue the call, but the umpire did not change his mind and Poppell’s fifth home run of the season put the Giants up 2-0.
The Ports scored in the fifth after Logan Sauve doubled with one out and Shotaro Morii singled him home to make it a 2-1 game. San Jose’s top-ranked offense was on display in the first four games of the series, but their defense and pitching won the game for them on Saturday.
Centerfielder Andy Polanco leapt over the wall in front of the Michelob Ultra sign in the bottom of the sixth to take a home run away from Bobby Blandford that would have tied the game. A base hit for Bryan Andrade was followed by a walk for Daniel Bucciero after Blandford’s 386-foot fly out to put two aboard for the first time on the night for Stockton. But winning pitcher Ricardo Estrada got to grounders to short to end the threat.
Jackson Nove, Blake Hammond, and Kade Brown kept the Giants off the board the rest of the way, getting around a single and an error in the seventh and a single and a double in the ninth. But the Ports were held hitless over the final three frames and the Giants edged Stockton 2-1.
UP NEXT: The series finale is set for a 2:09 PM first pitch with RHP Sam Bower (3-2, 4.96) expected to start for San Jose against Josiah Romeo (2-2, 10.80) who is looking to continue his impressive run since returning from the Arizona Complex League.
Single game tickets, mini plans, and group outings are all on sale for the 2026 season. For more information, call the Ports front office at 209-644-1400 or email at info@stocktonports.com.