| Baseball has
a much storied history with the city of San Jose. As
early as 1874, organized baseball was played in San
Jose and since the opening of Municipal Stadium in 1942,
baseball has been a mainstay to the city of San Jose
as minor league affiliates from nine different major
league clubs have sent their finest prospects through
“Muni”.
Past affiliations from 1942 to the present include
the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles/California
Angels, Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians, Seattle
Mariners, Montreal Expos, Baltimore Orioles and San
Francisco Giants. In 1940, the San Jose City council
unanimously approved plans to build a 2,900 seat baseball
stadium at the corner of Alma Avenue and Senter Road.
The council hoped of bringing a minor league team to
San Jose and also inducing a major league club to use
Municipal Stadium as its spring training site. Built
as part of Franklin Roosevelt’s Works Progress
Administration (WPA), Municipal Stadium was built for
a total cost of $80,000 in 1942. On March 8, 1942 San
Jose Municipal Stadium seated 2,036 fans on Opening
Day as the San Francisco Seals defeated the Portland
Beavers 15-8. It marked the first time in over a decade
that baseball teams of a Class AA caliber played within
the city limits.
Since its erection, Municipal Stadium has received
a few improvements to create what is now home for the
San Francisco Giants Class A minor league affiliate,
the San Jose Giants. One of the biggest additions at
“Muni” is Turkey Mike’s Barbecue located
immediately down the third base line. With over 70 picnic
tables and field-side seating, Turkey Mike’s is
a fan favorite for families, birthday parties and group
outings. In addition to the availability of restaurant
style food, the Municipal Stadium “down-home”
atmosphere is enhanced by painted murals located around
the entire stadium. Included is a timeline of baseball
in San Jose which is accompanied with every former San
Jose alumni to make it to the major leagues.
The 2004 season represents the 17th anniversary of
the San Francisco Giants affiliation with San Jose Giants.
In that span, the San Jose Giants have been a training
ground for over 70 major leaguers.
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