Sacramento native John Bowker joined select company when he made his Major League debut with the Giants last month. The 2001 Rio Americano High School grad got a nice ovation from the San Francisco fans when he singled off of St. Louis pitcher Todd Wellemeyer in his first trip to the plate, but he really got everyone’s attention at AT&T Park when he launched a shot in his next at-bat into the right field arcade for his first homer as a Giant.

For Bowker, the memories of that first game on April 13 will be embedded in his mind for the rest of his life.

“I just told myself that it’s the same game I’ve always played,” he said to The Union before a recent game. “I just tried to relax. I didn’t know much about Wellemeyer other than the little videotape I had seen of him before the game. I just went up there with a good plan and got some good pitches to hit. It was incredible to be able to come out here and get off to a good start, but everything happened kinda quick. I was called up, and then I was in the lineup.”

Elite Company
Finishing with three hits in his first game earned Bowker a couple of standing ovations and reminded longtime Giants’ fans of other players who debuted in auspicious fashion. Hall of Famer Willie McCovey had a pair of singles and two triples in his big league debut against future Hall of Famer Robin Roberts back in 1959. Nine years later at Candlestick Park in a game against the rival Dodgers, outfielder Bobby Bonds smashed a grand slam in his first game in “the show.” And who can forget Will Clark’s first at bat, when he pounded a lead-off homer over the centerfield fence at the Astrodome off of the great Nolan Ryan on the opening of the 1986 season?

While Bowker has a long way to go before he comes close to playing at the All-Star level of such former Giants, he seems to have the confidence and raw talent to make it happen. A natural athlete who played baseball, football and basketball in high school, Bowker was partial to baseball because it was in his blood. His uncle, who played college ball, introduced him to the game, while his father Brad coached him during his formative years.

From Little League to the Bigs
Bowker grew up in Arden Park and played Little League and then American Legion ball during the summer months of his early youth. He also has some fond recollections of his days at Rio Americano, where he was one of the school’s star athletes.

“It was a good experience,” he said. “We had a bunch of good players at Rio Americano, the coaches were good guys and I made a lot of friends there.”

Not long afterward, Bowker headed south after catching the eye of Long Beach State Coach Troy Buckley. In his sophomore season there, the strapping 6-foot-2-inch, 200-pound outfielder and first baseman batted a school-record .463 and that got the Giants’ notice as they chose him in the third round of the 2004 draft. Last year at Double-A Connecticut, Bowker was highly visible on Giants General Manager Brian Sabean’s radar after clubbing 22 homers and knocking in 90 runs.

While Bowker may not be getting a chance to play every day, Manager Bruce Bochy is giving him and the rest of his younger teammates plenty of opportunities. Bowker has found the adjustment of hitting Major League pitching a sometimes difficult experience, but he doesn’t seem at all daunted by playing his home games in a park that is not hitter friendly. 

“I’m used to playing in big parks,” Bowker said. “This park definitely plays big but it’s not something I haven’t had to deal with. Long Beach had a big yard, and so did the park in Connecticut.”

Paying His Dues
While it’s going to be tough for Bowker to get much playing time in the outfield – since Fred Lewis, Aaron Rowand and Randy Winn are starting most games – he’s continuing to spot a start at first while sharing time there with Dan Ortmeier.

Bowker also says the low expectations that the media and fans have for this 2008 Giants ballclub isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“It gives you a little more incentive when people are doubting you,” he said. “You want to go out there and prove them wrong. But you still have to go out there and work hard and play well.”

So far, Bowker has done plenty of both, and that’s why he’s been winning over plenty of new fans in the big city just 90 minutes from his old home.