doubles and three RBI in a 9–0 victory. After the game, Kevin Frandsen and Todd Greene gave him a pie in the face to celebrate. After four games (during which he hit .500), he was returned to the minors on May 30. He was recalled on June 13 when Niekro went on the disabled list again. After six games on this stint, he returned to the minors on June 21 when Frandsen was recalled. In the minor leagues that year, Ishikawa played for the Double-A Connecticut Defenders of the Eastern League. In 86 games (298 at-bats), he batted .232 with 33 runs scored, 69 hits, 10 home runs, and 42 RBI. In 12 games (24 at-bats) with the Giants, he batted .292 with one run scored, seven hits, no home runs, and four RBI. After the season, he played for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League. 2007 (minors) Ishikawa attended spring training with the Giants in 2007 but was reassigned to the minors on March 6. He spent the entire season in the minors, splitting time between Connecticut and San Jose. He began the season with Connecticut, hitting .214 with three home runs and 17 RBI in 48 games (173 at-bats) before suffering a knee injury. He was sent to San Jose on June 28 to recover from it, and he said that the Giants told him he would be promoted to Triple-A after a rehab assignment. However, he struggled and remained with San Jose for the rest of the year, batting .268 with 13 home runs, 34 RBI, and a .551 slugging percentage in 56 games (198 at-bats). He batted .241, hit two home runs, and posted five RBI in the playoffs as San Jose won another California League championship. 2008 In 2008, Ishikawa again attended spring training for the Giants and again began the season in the minors. On August 13, he was called up by the Giants to replace a slumping John Bowker as the Giants' starting first baseman, a position Ishikawa held for most of the remainder of the season. Ishikawa hit his first major league home run on August 17 at Turner Field, a two-run shot off Charlie Morton to right field in a 3–1 victory over the Atlanta Braves. He set a career high by having three hits on September 12 and 14 against the San Diego Padres. In 33 games (95