SAN JOSE - Jackson Flora knew exactly what kind of moment Thursday night could become at Excite Ballpark, and he delivered like a pitcher who wanted the whole place leaning over the railing.
When Stockton’s Edgar Montero stepped in as the night’s designated “Beer Batter,” the crowd made its wishes loud and clear. If Montero struck out, the beer would be half off for 15 minutes.
Flora got behind with a first-pitch ball, then started filling the zone. The anticipation built pitch by pitch.
One fastball touched 100 and missed, but Flora kept coming.
“When I got two strikes on him,” Flora said, “I figured I would let one eat.”
Montero kept fighting, spoiling one pitch and taking another out of the zone before Flora finished him with a backdoor breaking ball. That strikeout didn’t just trigger the beer deal. It capped a clean inning-ending punchout, then another out, then another flash of why the Giants are so high on the 21-year-old right-hander.
Flora worked two scoreless innings, allowed no hits, walked two and struck out four as San Jose beat the Stockton Ports 3-1 to clinch a spot in the California League Championship Series. He came off the mound with a little extra swagger, tipping his cap to the crowd after making his mark.
“To come in here and help the team win in a playoff game and be able to celebrate in the clubhouse like that just really just … motivates you even more to get up to the big leagues and help that team win and be able to celebrate on that stage,” Flora said.
The hometown angle only adds to the buzz. Flora grew up about 30 miles away in Pleasanton, and Giants fans have taken quickly to the pitcher the organization selected with the fourth overall pick. On Thursday, he looked every bit the headliner, bringing a mid-to-upper 90s fastball, breaking balls and his new kick changeup.
“He’s just very diligent about what he does,” pitching coach Dan Runzler said. “It’s really impressive to watch.
He’s very accountable for what he does. He asks a lot of questions, even as a young, new draft guy.
Obviously, the sky’s the limit. You guys see all the stuff; it is real.
I don’t think anyone thinks - even himself - he’s a finished product.”
Runzler also pointed to the simplest part of Flora’s appeal: the kid knows how to work a crowd.
“Everyone always knows when it’s the beer batter,” Runzler said. “Our funny little thing is you can get your butt kicked a little bit, but if you strike out the beer batter, the fans are going to love you.”
Flora’s night carried extra weight because it might have been his last outing of the year. San Francisco has handled him carefully after he logged a career-high 102 innings as a junior at UC Santa Barbara. He spent several weeks at the team’s minor-league facility in Scottsdale after the draft, then made his pro debut on Sept. 4 with a scoreless inning.
He would be lined up to start Game 3 of the California League Championship Series on six days’ rest if needed, though that call is not his to make. For now, Flora said he feels ready.
“Hopefully we don’t need a Game 3, and we can just take it home in two games, but if they need me to go out there, I feel healthy and I feel ready to go,” Flora said.
San Jose’s young core keeps giving the organization reasons to dream. Flora, the Giants’ No. 4 prospect per Baseball America, is joined by Josuar Gonzalez, the 18-year-old No. 1 prospect, and 17-year-old Luis Hernandez, the No. 2 prospect. Hernandez likely won’t play again this season because of a hip ailment, but Gonzalez helped start the night by lining an opposite-field double and scoring the game’s first run.
“The ability to slow the game down was unbelievable,” said San Jose manager Ydwin Villegas. “It was a big game tonight, and he was acting like he was here since day one. That’s pretty impressive to see from a kid that was making his second outing so far.”
Villegas also noted how naturally the younger players have connected.
“It looks like they’ve known each other for a long time,” Villegas said. “That’s pretty cool to see from those guys.
Being that young, they know that their future is pretty bright for them. To be able to connect together is pretty cool.”
Flora’s night ended the way plenty of young Giants fans would have loved it to: not with champagne, but apple cider. Many of his teammates are still below drinking age, including Gonzalez and Hernandez, and the scene was a reminder of just how young this group is.
Flora plans to spend most of the offseason in Santa Barbara, where he’ll keep working toward a communications degree. He still has about a year’s worth of credits left, but hopes to keep moving closer to graduation when he can. In January, he’ll head back to Arizona for a pitchers camp.
“Just continuing to get bigger and stronger and stay healthy,” Flora said. “I probably won’t take too much time off; I believe in just keeping the arm loose. I may not be off the mound for a while, but just playing catch and staying loose and keeping myself ready.”
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