Long Beach State University Athletics
Bowker Has Dream Debut
4/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 15, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO -- John Bowker was dressed and getting ready to go home following the Fresno Grizzlies' come-from-behind 6-5 victory over the Tucson Sidewinders on Friday night when manager Dan Rohn called him into his office.
"I thought it was something about the game," said Bowker, who had a hit and made an error in the Grizzlies' home opener. "I had no idea."
Rohn told him he'd be playing his next game in San Francisco.
"I got maybe three hours [of sleep]," said Bowker, who went to high school in Sacramento and attended games at both Candlestick Park and AT&T Park. "I was up at 5 a.m. this morning and fell asleep on the way up here. I called my parents last night and they told some of my friends, so I had quite a few people here."
Bowker made sure he gave them a good show. He singled in his first career at-bat and then became one of eight San Francisco Giants to hit a home run in his Major League debut. Whoever grabbed his home run ball ran off with it and told Giants representatives he was going to keep it. Bowker did, however, get the ball he hit for the single.
After hitting 22 home runs and driving in 90 runs for Double-A Connecticut last year, Bowker was penciled in to start the season with the Grizzlies. He was used in nine Spring Training games without hitting a home run or driving in a run. He made up for it Saturday.
"That was awesome," Giants pitcher Matt Cain said. "He gets his first hit and his first home run. That was huge for him to get. That's a confidence booster for him and big push for us."
Bowker said everything was going in slow motion as he ran around the bases after hitting a hanging slider over the arcade seats above the right-field fence.
"I heard the crowd," he said. "It was a crazy experience, a fun experience."
Bowker stayed in the dugout after he was taken out of the game as part of a double-switch and just sat back to enjoy the show.
As a hitter, Bowker is a natural. As an outfielder, he still has a few things to learn.
"I've never played in a park that had so much space out there," he said. "[Coach] Roberto [Kelly] had to help me. At first I was playing too shallow."
In seven games with Fresno this year, Bowker hit .185 with no homers and one RBI. Those numbers probably don't mean a whole lot right now.
Clay Timpner, who made his Major League debut Friday night, was sent back to Fresno to make room for Bowker.
