History of the San Francisco Giants
Encyclopedia
The history of the San Francisco Giants begins in 1883
with the New York Gothams and has involved some of baseball's greatest players, including Willie Mays
, Juan Marichal
, and Gaylord Perry
. The team has won four National League pennants and one World Series
title since moving to San Francisco.
. During that time, the Giants won five of the franchise's six World Series wins and 17 of its 21 National League pennants while playing most of its home games in the Polo Grounds
in Upper Manhattan
.
The Giants franchise was added by the National League in response to the 1882 formation of the American Association
. Originally named the Gothams, they won consecutive National League pennants in 1888 and 1889 behind future Hall of Famers Tim Keefe
, Mickey Welch
, Roger Connor
and Buck Ewing
. From 1902 to 1931 the team was managed by John McGraw, who led them to 10 National League pennants and three World Series
championships with many great players including Christy Mathewson
, Iron Man Joe McGinnity, Bill Terry
, Jim Thorpe
, Mel Ott
, Casey Stengel
, and Red Ames
.
The post-McGraw Giants were punctuated by two famous moments, the Shot Heard 'Round the World
(1951) and The Catch by young superstar Willie Mays
(1954). In the mid-1950s, the Polo Grounds was in disrepair and the Giants began to contemplate a move from New York. The Brooklyn Dodgers were considering a move to Los Angeles
but were told it would not be allowed unless a second team moved to California as well. As a result, the Giants agreed to move to San Francisco and New York was left without a National League team until the New York Mets
in 1962.
for their first two seasons. Seals Stadium, which was located at 16th & Bryant St. across from the Wonder Bread Bakery, had been the home of the Pacific Coast League
(PCL) San Francisco Seals, a minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox
, from 1931-1957. While there was initially some sentiment in favor of changing the Giants' name to the Seals, this didn't happen.
In 1958, Latino hitter Orlando Cepeda
won Rookie of the Year honors. The next season, Willie McCovey
won the same award.
In 1960 the Giants moved to Candlestick Park
(sometimes known simply as "The Stick"), a stadium built on a point in San Francisco's southeast corner overlooking San Francisco Bay
. The new stadium quickly gained a reputation for being one of the most inhospitable in baseball, with swirling winds, cold temperatures and impenetrable evening fogs making for a torturous fan and player experience. It didn't help that the built-in radiant heating system never worked. Candlestick Park's reputation was sealed in the 9th inning of the first 1961 All-Star Game
when after a day of perfect conditions, the winds rose. A strong gust appeared to cause Giants relief pitcher Stu Miller
to slip off the pitching rubber during his delivery, resulting in a balk
(and a baseball legend that Miller was "blown off the mound").
There were also many of times that Candlestick Park was covered in fog, both inside and out, coming in from the bay. At one time, a fog horn was played inside the stadium between innings giving Candlestick another reputation. Other times, the winds would also whirl around in the parking lot, but inside the stadium it would be calm. But with all of its criticism, its reputation of being cold, windy and foggy, it stood its ground when the ground below it shook violently during the 1989 World Series. At 5:04 pm, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay Area during the pre-game ceremonies of Game 3. For fifteen seconds the stadium rocked and there was fear that the standing light fixtures above would fall onto the crowd. But the crowd rode it out and there were only small minor injuries reported and the stadium's structure was deemed safe ten days later.
on first base and two outs, Willie Mays sliced a double down the right field line. Right fielder Roger Maris
, whose 61 home run season in 1961 has historically overshadowed his great defensive work, quickly got to the ball and rifled a throw to the infield, preventing Alou from scoring the tying run.
With the speedy Mays on second, any base hit by the next batter, Willie McCovey
, would likely have won the series for the Giants. McCovey hit a screaming line drive that was snared by second baseman Bobby Richardson
, bringing the Series to a sudden end. Earlier in the inning, a failed sacrifice bunt by Felipe Alou had ultimately resulted in Matty not scoring on Mays' double, which started a lifelong dedication to fundamentals on Felipe's part. In addition, to rub salt in the wound, Richardson was not originally positioned to catch the drive - he only moved there (three steps to the left) in reaction to a foul smash by McCovey on the previous pitch.
Giants fan (and resident of nearby Santa Rosa
) Charles Schulz made a reference to the real world in one of his Peanuts
strips soon afterward. In the first three panels of the strip of December 22, Charlie Brown and Linus are sitting on a porch step, looking glum. In the last panel, Charlie cries to the heavens, "Why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just three feet higher?" Some weeks later, same scene. This time, Charlie cries, "Or why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just two feet higher?"
, who pitched a no-hitter with the Giants in 1968; Juan Marichal
, a pitcher with a memorable high-kicking delivery; McCovey, who won the National League MVP award
in 1969, and Mays, who hit his 600th career home run in 1969. A Giants highlight came in 1963 when Jesús Alou
joined the team, and along with Felipe and Matty
the Giants fielded the first all-brother outfield in Major League history.
The Giants' next appearance in the postseason was 1971. After winning their division, they were easily defeated in the League Championship Series
by the Pittsburgh Pirates
and Roberto Clemente
, who then went on to beat the Baltimore Orioles
in the World Series
. During this decade, the Giants gave up many players who became successful elsewhere. Some of them included Garry Maddox, George Foster, Bobby Bonds
, Dave Kingman
, and Gaylord Perry
. However, the Giants produced two more Rookies of the Year winners (Gary Matthews
Sr. in 1973 and John Montefusco
in 1975).
In 1976, Bob Lurie
bought the team, saving it from being moved to Toronto. A year later, Toronto was awarded an expansion team (the Blue Jays
), but San Francisco baseball fans' worries about losing their beloved Giants had not completely gone away just yet. The rest of the 1970s was a generally disappointing decade for the Giants, finishing no higher than third place in any season. That third place season was 1978. They had a young star in the likes of Jack Clark
, along with veteran first baseman Willie McCovey
, 2nd baseman Bill Madlock
, whom the Giants acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates, shortstops Johnny LeMaster & Roger Metzger
and third baseman Darrell Evans
. Veteran pitchers Vida Blue
, John Montefusco
, Ed Halicki
, and Bob Knepper
rounded out the starting rotation with Vida Blue leading the way with eighteen victories. The most memorable moment of that 1978 season occurred on May 28, 1978 when pinch hitter Mike Ivie
, who was acquired from the San Diego Padres
during the offseason, hit a towering grand slam off of Los Angeles Dodger pitching ace Don Sutton in front of Candlestick Park's highest paid attendance of 57,545. They were atop of the NL West for most of the season, but the Dodgers heated up to eventually win the West and the NL Pennant.
In 1981, the Giants became the first National League team to hire a black manager, Frank Robinson
. However, Robinson's tenure lasted less than four years and was generally unsuccessful. In that tenure, the Giants finished a game over .500 in the strike-shortened 1981 season. The next season, the Giants acquired veterans Joe Morgan
and Reggie Smith
. They were in the midst of a three-team pennant race with the Dodgers and Braves. Morgan would hit a homer against the Dodgers to make sure Atlanta won the NL West.
In 1984, the Giants hosted the All-Star Game
at Candlestick Park
. 1984 was also the sole year that their infamous ex-mascot, the Crazy Crab "graced" the field.
responded by hiring Al Rosen
as general manager. Under Rosen's tenure, the Giants promoted promising rookies such as Will Clark
and Robby Thompson
, and made canny trades to acquire such players as Kevin Mitchell
, Dave Dravecky
, Candy Maldonado
, and Rick Reuschel
.
New manager Roger Craig
served from 1985 to 1992. In Craig's first five full seasons with the Giants, the team never finished with a losing record.
Under Roger Craig's leadership (and his unique motto, "Humm Baby") the Giants won 83 games in 1986 and won the National League Western Division title in 1987. The team lost the 1987 National League Championship Series
to the St. Louis Cardinals
in seven games. The bright spot in that defeat was Giants outfielder Jeffrey Leonard
, who was named the series MVP in a losing effort.
and sluggers Kevin Mitchell (the 1989 National League MVP
) and Will Clark.
The Giants beat the Chicago Cubs
in the National League Championship Series
, four games to one. In Game 5, eventual 1989 NLCS MVP Will Clark (who hit .650, drove in eight runs, including a grand slam off Greg Maddux
in Game 1) came through in the clutch with a bases-loaded single off of the hard-throwing Mitch Williams to break a 1–1 tie in the bottom of the 8th inning. Clark took the first fastball for a strike, then fouled one away. Williams' next pitch missed the outside corner to bring the count to 1-and-2. After Clark fouled off two more pitches, he hit a screaming line drive up the middle to bring in two runs. In the top of the 9th inning, Steve Bedrosian
was shaky as he gave up a run. But ultimately, Bedrosian was able to get Ryne Sandberg
to ground-out for out #3. Fittingly, the hero of Game 5, Will Clark caught the final out from second baseman Robby Thompson. For the first time in 27 years, the San Francisco Giants were the champions of the National League.
After taking care of the Cubs, the Giants faced the Oakland Athletics
in the "Bay Bridge Series
". The series is best remembered because the Loma Prieta earthquake
on October 17, 1989 disrupted the planned Game 3 of the series at Candlestick Park. After a ten-day delay in the series, Oakland finished up its sweep of San Francisco.
in 1976, put the team up for sale. A group of investors from St. Petersburg
led by Vince Naimoli
reached an agreement to purchase the team and move them across the country. However, Major League Baseball
blocked the move, paving the way for the team to stay in San Francisco with an ownership group led by Peter Magowan
, the former CEO of Safeway
. (As compensation, MLB granted Naimoli's group an expansion franchise, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
.)
In addition to the anticipated move to downtown San Francisco, the Giants' ownership also made a major personnel move to solidify fan support. Before even hiring a new General Manager or officially being approved as the new owners, Magowan signed locally-grown superstar free agent Barry Bonds (a move which MLB initially blocked until some terms were negotiated to protect Lurie and Bonds in case the sale failed), a move that shaped the franchise's fortunes for more than a decade.
and Bill Swift
both had 20+ wins, and closer Rod Beck
was dominant with 48 saves and a 2.16 ERA. All this led the Giants to a 103–59 record in Dusty Baker
's first year as manager, which earned him the Manager of the Year award.
But despite the Giants' great record, the Atlanta Braves
— fueled by solid seasons from David Justice
, Ron Gant
, Deion Sanders
and their midseason acquisition of Fred McGriff
from the San Diego Padres
— came back from a 10-game deficit to the Giants to win the NL West by a single game. The Braves also had 20+ wins from both Tom Glavine
and Cy Young Award
winner Greg Maddux
. The hapless expansion Colorado Rockies were a despicable 0-14 against the Braves in 1993, and largely responsible for the Giants 1993 demise.
Desperately needing a win against the Dodgers in the final game of the year to force a one-game playoff with the Braves, the controversial choice of Giants rookie pitcher Salomon Torres
proved disastrous as he gave up three runs in the first four innings and the Giants went on to lose the game 12–1. After MLB's establishment of the three-division–Wild Card
playoff format following the 1993 season, New York Times
sports columnist Dave Anderson
captured the feeling of many baseball purists regarding the thrilling (and for Giants fans, heartbreaking) winner-take-all outcome as the "last pure pennant race".
in 1994. The strike cost Matt Williams a chance to beat Roger Maris
' single season home run record—he had 43 HR in 115 team games, and was thus on pace for 60 when the strike hit with 47 games left to play (Bonds had 37, on pace for 52). But the rest of the team was bad, with no other player having even 10 home runs or even 40 RBI that late into the seaon.
The Giants then came in last place in both 1995 and 1996, as key injuries and slumps hurt them. 1995 had a strange feeling about it, with fans unsure if they would come back after the strike-shortened 1994 season (something that would keep attendances notably lower for a few more years, probably until the HR chase of 1998). Bonds continued to be the team's driving force, posting decent numbers (33 HR, 104 RBI, 109 R and 120 BB in 144 games). Matt Williams and Glenallen Hill
were the only other Giants with 20+ HR, and the rest of the team had mediocre offensive numbers. The pitching staff was bad, with only Mark Leiter
having 10 wins (10–12, 3.82 ERA). Rod Beck had 33 saves, but a 4.45 ERA and a 5–6 record, including nine blown saves.
1996 was highlighted by Barry Bonds joining the 40–40 club (42 HR, 40 SB, with 129 RBI, 151 BB and .308 BA). Rookie Bill Mueller
also provided hope for the future of the club with a .330 average (66 hits in 200 AB over 55 games). Matt Williams and Glenallen Hill provided offensive support. Pitching-wise, the team was not very good. Only Mark Gardner had more than 10 wins (12–7, 4.42 ERA), and Rod Beck had 35 saves, a 3.34 ERA and nine losses on his record. The lowpoint came in late June when the Giants lost 10 straight games en route to a 68–94 record.
as their new general manager in 1997, replacing Bob Quinn
. (Sabean may have been acting as GM prior to the announcement, as he was rumored to have engineered the deal to get Kirk Rueter
from the Montreal Expos
). His tenure began with great controversy. In his first official trade as GM, he shocked Giants fans by trading Matt Williams to Cleveland for what newspapers referred to as a 'bunch of spare parts', with the negative reaction being great enough for him to have to publicly explain: "I didn't get to this point by being an idiot... I'm sitting here telling you there is a plan."
Sabean was proven right, as the players he acquired in the Williams trade — Jeff Kent
, Jose Vizcaino
, Julian Tavarez
, and Joe Roa
(plus the $1 million in cash that enabled them to sign Darryl Hamilton
)—and a subsequent trade for J.T. Snow were major contributors in leading the Giants to win their first NL West division title of the decade in 1997. Snow, Kent, and Bonds each had over 100 RBI, and pitcher Shawn Estes' 19 wins led the team. Rod Beck had 37 saves.
The Wild-card winning Florida Marlins
ended the Giants' season with a 3–0 sweep in the first round of the playoffs
, as the Marlins marched on their way to their first World Series
championship. The Marlins' victory over the Giants in the 1997 NLDS was controversial in that the series' first two games were played at Pro Player Park, despite the fact that the Giants were Division Champions and the Marlins were the Wild Card. At the time, the division series used a 2-3 format, with the first two games being played at the one park, and the last three at the other. Indeed, the 1997 postseason would be the final MLB postseason in which teams with home field "advantage" in the Divisional Series would open on the road.
(11–10, 4.41). New closer Robb Nen
had 40 saves. The Giants tied for the NL Wild card but lost a one-game playoff against the Chicago Cubs.
The next year (1999), the Giants finished second in the NL West with an 86–76 record. While Barry Bonds' production was down, other team regulars put up very good numbers. These included J.T. Snow, Jeff Kent, Rich Aurilia, and Ellis Burks, all who had 20+ HR and 80+ RBI. Marvin Benard
also had a career year in center field with 16 home runs, 64 RBIs, and a career and team high 27 stolen bases. The pitching staff was paced by Russ Ortiz
(18–9, 3.81) and Kirk Reuter (15–10, 5.41).
With the knowledge that their days in Candlestick Park were coming to an end, the 1999 season ended with a series of promotions and tributes. After the final home game of the season, which the Giants lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, home plate was ceremoniously removed and taken to the new grounds where the downtown stadium was being built.
, the Giants bid a bittersweet farewell to their old home and relocated to a new, privately financed downtown stadium, a long-advocated move. Pacific Bell Park
, later renamed SBC Park
and then in February 2006 AT&T Park
, sits on the shores of China Basin (often referred to as McCovey Cove by Giants fans) at the corner of 3rd and King Streets (affectionately dubbed 24 Willie Mays Plaza). Regardless of anything that might happen on the field of play, this move represented an entirely new era for the Giants and their fans. Whereas the team used to occupy what was widely regarded as the least baseball-friendly stadium in all of Major League Baseball, a throwback to the era of suburban, multi-purpose, concrete "cookie-cutter" stadiums that so many teams moved to during the 1960s and 70s, their new home is regarded as one of the better venues in all of professional sports.
The Giants routinely sell out this nearly 43,000-seat, baseball-only stadium, whereas it was not uncommon for them to have a paid attendance of less than 10,000 in Candlestick's nearly 60,000 seating capacity, although by the 1999 season the Giants managed about 25,000 fans a game. The franchise since the move annually vies for highest MLB season attendance, in contrast to being often threatened with having the league-low figure before. While still breezy in the summer time in comparison to other MLB parks, AT&T Park has been a consensus success and has developed the reputation as a "pitcher's park". Its state-of-the-art design minimizes wind-chill, it is well served by mass transit, and it has spectacular views of the bay and the city skyline (which even Candlestick had until it was redesigned in the early 1970s to accommodate the 49ers
). AT&T Park is the centerpiece of a renaissance in San Francisco's South Beach and Mission Bay
neighborhoods. But most important to Giants fans, the new ballpark means they no longer have to worry about their team moving away from San Francisco, at least not any time soon.
Despite inaugural game festivities at the new ballpark, the Dodgers would spoil the 2000 season opener, with a three HR performance by little-known Kevin Elster. However, the Giants would rebound and put out a solid effort all season long, culminating with a division title and the best record in the Major Leagues. Jeff Kent paced the attack with clutch RBI hits (33 HR, 125 RBI) en route to winning the MVP award, despite Bonds's 49 HR, 106 RBI season. The pitching staff was decent but not great, although 5 starters had at least 10 victories. These included Liván Hernández (17–11, 3.75), Russ Ortiz (14–12, 5.01), Kirk Rueter (11–9, 3.96), Shawn Estes (15–6, 4.26), and Mark Gardner (11–7, 4.05). Robb Nen was nearly perfect, with 41 saves and a minute 1.50 ERA.
The Giants lost the 2000 division series to the New York Mets, three games to one. They had started out solid, winning game one bolstered by Liván Hernández
. However, the Mets won the next three games, despite decent performances by Shawn Estes, Russ Ortiz and Mark Gardner. Game two in particular had a tumultuous ending. Down 4–1 in the ninth, JT Snow hit a three-run home run to tie the game, but the Mets scored in the 10th to with the game.
In 2001 the Giants were eliminated from playoff contention on the second to last day of the season. Rich Aurilia put up stellar numbers (37 HR, 97 RBI, .324 BA) in support of Barry Bonds, who once again gave fans something to cheer about as he hit 73 home runs, setting a new single-season record. The pitching staff was good but not great, with Russ Ortiz (17–9, 3.29) leading a staff that also had Liván Hernández (13–15, 5.24), and Kirk Reuter (14–12, 4.42). Shawn Estes and Mark Gardner would have sub-par years, but notably Jason Schmidt (7–1, 3.39) was picked up in a mid-season acquisition from the Pittsburgh Pirates
. Robb Nen continued to be a dominant closer (45 saves, 3.01 ERA).
, bolstered by another MVP season for Bonds (46 HR, 110 RBI, .370 BA, a then record 198 walks and a .582 OBP) and Jeff Kent
(37 HR, 108 RBI and .313 BA). Additional roster support was provided by decent seasons from Benito Santiago
and Rich Aurilia
, plus new acquisitions David Bell
, Reggie Sanders
and Tsuyoshi Shinjo
. The pitching staff again proved solid (but not excellent), with 5 starters having 12 wins or more, including Jason Schmidt
, whom the Giants had acquired in 2001 from the Pittsburgh Pirates
. Closer Robb Nen
had 43 saves and a 2.20 ERA, and setup men Felix Rodriguez
and Tim Worrell
were solid coming out of the bullpen.
The Giants would make the playoffs as the NL Wild Card team. In the postseason, they defeated the Atlanta Braves
in the NLDS
three games to two, with Russ Ortiz winning Games 1 and 5 in Atlanta. Then they beat the St. Louis Cardinals
in the NLCS
four games to one, with wins by Reuter, Schmidt and two by Worrell in relief.
The Giants faced the American League's Wild Card team, the Anaheim Angels
, in the World Series
. With the Giants leading by three games to two following a 16–4 blowout win in Game 5 at Pac Bell Park and leading 5–0 in the bottom of the 7th inning of Game 6, the series' momentum changed decisively when Manager Dusty Baker
removed starter Russ Ortiz and handed him the "game" ball as he left the mound. Moments later, Scott Spiezio
hit a three-run home run for the Angels, who went on to win the game 6–5. The following night, Anaheim won Game 7, 4–1 to claim the Series. Angels third baseman Troy Glaus
was named MVP.
After the season 2002, the Giants would go through many personnel changes. Baker did not have his contract renewed, and left the team after 10 seasons to manage the Chicago Cubs. Closer Robb Nen had pitched despite a damaged shoulder, an injury which eventually ended his career. Jeff Kent was not re-signed, and instead went to play for the Houston Astros
. Position players David Bell
, Reggie Sanders
, Tsuyoshi Shinjo
and Kenny Lofton
, as well as pitchers Liván Hernández, Russ Ortiz
and relief pitcher Aaron Fultz
all played for other teams the following season.
Once again in the playoffs, and just like in 1997, the Giants faced the Florida Marlins in the NLDS
. Jason Schmidt won game one in San Francisco with a complete game victory, but the Marlins would win the series three games to one as the Giants bullpen proved unable to prevent their opponent from scoring. Both times the Marlins were the NL Wild Card and yet went on to win the World Series.
, Boof Bonser
, and Joe Nathan
for A.J. Pierzynski. Pierzynski would last only one season with the Giants.
In 2004, Barry Bonds broke his own records with 232 walks and a .609 OBP on route to his 7th and last NL MVP award (45 HR, 101 RBI, .362 BA). The team also had a solid but not stellar supporting cast including Marquis Grissom (22, 90, .279) and Pedro Feliz (22, 84, .276), along with decent showings by Ray Durham, Edgardo Alfonzo, Michael Tucker and AJ Pierzynski. Jason Schmidt was the star of the staff (18–7, 3.20 ERA, 251 SO), and the team was constantly looking for a new closer (Matt Herges and Dustin Hermanson split the role during the season). After sitting out most of the first half of the season, JT Snow led the league in hitting after the All-Star Break.
Like in 1993 and 2001, the Giants again avoided elimination from playoff contention until the final weekend of the season. The team would come close but still finished two games behind the division-winning Los Angeles Dodgers, marking the third time in four seasons the Giants would finish within 2½ games of the leader. The season ended in frustration, as San Francisco needed a three-game sweep of the Dodgers in the final weekend of the season to force a one-game playoff in San Francisco for the NL West title. After winning the first game, the Giants lost the second game 7–3 (L.A. scored seven runs in the 9th, the last four on a walkoff grand slam
by Steve Finley
) as the Dodgers clinched the division title. Houston
won the wildcard spot the next day, rendering the Giants' season finale (a victory) meaningless.
The Giants' 2005 season was the team's least successful since moving to its new stadium. Bonds missed most of the season with a knee injury, closer Armando Benitez
was injured for four months, and ace Jason Schmidt struggled after numerous injuries. However, team management has taken advantage of the off year to give playing time to numerous young players, including pitchers Noah Lowry
, Brad Hennessey
, Kevin Correia
, Scott Munter
, Matt Cain
, and Jeremy Accardo
, as well as first baseman Lance Niekro
and outfielders Jason Ellison
and Todd Linden
. The acquisition of Randy Winn
from the Seattle Mariners
also proved invaluable in the stretch run.
On May 25, the Giants held a celebration in honor of Baseball Hall of Famer Juan Marichal
. A statue of Marichal was dedicated on the plaza outside of the ballpark. Leonel Fernández
, the President of the Dominican Republic, was in attendance. In the two games which followed the ceremonies, the Giants wore uniforms with the word "Gigantes" on the front (the Spanish
word for "Giants"). On July 14, 2005, the franchise won their 10,000th contest defeating their long-time rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers
, 4–3, becoming the first professional sports franchise to win 10,000 games.
On September 28, the Giants were officially eliminated from the NL West race after losing to the division champion San Diego Padres. The team finished the season in third place, with a record of 75–87, their worst season (and first losing record) since 1996. Despite the disappointing finish, manager Felipe Alou was offered a one-year extension of his contract by Giants management.
The Giants were expected to contend in 2006, as they were bolstered by a strong starting staff. Despite a losing streak in May, and the worst batting performance by Barry Bonds in fifteen years, the Giants did contend in the less-than-stellar Western Division and by July 23 were in first place. On that day, however, during the last game of a home stand and leading San Diego going into the 9th inning, closer
Armando Benitez
blew a save by giving up a home run and the Giants lost in extra innings. That was the first loss of a horrendous three-week stretch that saw San Francisco go 3–16, losing nine games by one run.
At the end of August the Giants recovered to again contend for both the division crown and the Wild Card berth. Bonds returned to form after his legs healed (batting .400—34 for 85—in 27 games from August 21 to September 23), the starting staff pitched well enough to lead the National League in ERA among starters, and the team found an effective closer in Mike Stanton, acquired in a trade at the end of July. However on the final road trip of the season the Giants lost eight of nine games to fall out of all contention for post-season play, despite an offensive explosion by both Bonds and right-fielder Moisés Alou
. The starting staff collapsed, bombed in all nine games, and Giants pitching gave up 93 runs on the trip (by comparison, the Giants gave up 86 runs during the 19-game losing span in August), and the Giants were "officially eliminated" on September 25, and finished the season with a record of 76–85, just 1½ games better than the previous season.
On October 2, 2006, the day after the end of the regular season, the Giants announced that they would not renew the contract of manager Felipe Alou, but did extend him an offer to remain with the club in an advisory role to the general manager and to baseball operations.
s excluding Jason Schmidt who has now signed with the Dodgers for roughly $15 million a year, a new manager on board with Bruce Bochy
coming from division rival San Diego, and the loss of veteran catcher Mike Matheny
due to complications resulting from concussions sustained during his career,http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20070201&content_id=1792021&vkey=pr_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf the Giants' prospects for the 2007 season were less than favorable going into the winter off-season. Since then, the team has agreed to several deals—resigning Pedro Feliz
, Ray Durham
, Barry Bonds and old time Giants fans favorite Rich Aurilia, and picking up catcher Bengie Molina
, Ryan Klesko
, and Dave Roberts. They also signed free agent pitcher Barry Zito
to a seven year contract worth $126 million. The deal, which was the richest contract for a pitcher in baseball history, includes a $20 million player option for an eighth year. On January 9, 2007, the Giants resigned pitcher Russ Ortiz to compete for the fifth starting position in spring training. Ortiz was slotted for the position in late March due to his outstanding spring.
The Giants started the regular season slowly, scoring just 20 runs in the first nine games, of which the team lost seven. Zito also started slowly, dropping his first two decisions, allowing 10 runs in 11 innings. The starting rotation found its rhythm in Denver for a series with the Colorado Rockies, however, and with improved pitching from the bullpen the Giants went 5–0 on their next homestand to improve their record to 9–8. Bonds demonstrated that he was again healthy by playing a day game after a night game and hitting home runs in consecutive games, batting .348 after 15 games with six home runs to bring him within 15 of tying Hank Aaron. The Giants continued playing strong, and going into Los Angeles, they hoped to continue moving up in the standings. They swept the Dodgers, thanks to the pitching staff, and Armando Benitez, who recorded a save in each game without giving up any runs. The Giants found themselves in first place following the series.
Their fortunes then see-sawed down again as they went from Los Angeles to Phoenix and were swept by the Diamondbacks, characterized by a lack of situational hitting and a return of a spotty bullpen. Manager Bochy struggled to find hitters ahead of Bonds who could get on base, with Vizquel possibly showing his age in a miserable slump and Aurilia swinging poorly. The Giants also were not managing to get on base by walks, getting only 69 in their first 24 games (Bonds with a third of those) while giving up 101 to the opposition. Bonds knocked in four runners on May 2 to spark a come-from-behind win over the Rockies in the rubber match of the first series of a 10-game homestand. The next night against Philadelphia, who in the recent past had been a nightmare to the Giants, Matt Cain was shelled for seven runs in three innings, his worst outing in his Major League career to that point. Despite a five-run sixth inning for the Giants, the Phils won 9–7.
Following a mediocre 10-game homestand that saw them go 3–4 against the Phillies and Mets, the Giants went 4–6 on a ten-game road trip through Colorado
, Houston
and Oakland
. The Giants then returned home for six games, sweeping Houston in three games before being swept by Colorado. That heralded another mediocre 4–6 road trip going into June that saw them lose three times on walk-off home runs. Returning to AT&T for interleague play against the rival A's, they were again swept, going scoreless over the last 21 innings, in a seemingly unending downward spiral into last place.
The following weekend, playing the Red Sox in Boston for the first time since 1912, the Giants failed to get a hit 16 successive times with runners in scoring position, and one out of 30 overall, as Barry Zito was blasted 10–2 and Matt Cain suffered his second consecutive 1–0 loss. Swept in Boston, they then went to Milwaukee and were swept by the Brewers. Against the New York Yankees after returning home June 22, they lost their eighth in a row, but recovered to win games two and three for the series win. Despite winning three in a row, they again began to lose games in improbable fashion again, stringing together three "tough losses" to fall 12 games back in the division before the All-Star break.
Following the All Star Break, the Giants were swept in a three game series against the Dodgers before heading to Chicago to play a four game series against the Chicago Cubs. The Giants won game two of the series and in game four, Barry Bonds hit career homers 752 and 753 in a comeback effort which resulted in an 8–9 loss to the cubs. The two homers brought Bonds to within two long balls of tying Hank Aaron's career record of 755.
Bonds' proximity to the record brought heavy media attention to the San Francisco Giants. The added pressure did not seem to adversely effect the team's performance, however, with the team going on to win two out of three games versus the Milwaukee Brewers
and two out of four versus the Atlanta Braves.
On July 27, in the first inning of the Giants' three game series against the Florida Marlins, Bonds hit his 754th career home run. Also contributing to the Giants' 12–10 victory was pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney
, who moved ahead of Manny Mota
on the all time pinch hits list with a clutch RBI single in the sixth inning.
Late July would also see the offensive resurgence of players throughout the Giants' line-up. Omar Vizquel, Ray Durham, Pedro Feliz and Dave Roberts would all return to form and contribute to a four game winning streak which ended with a loss to the Marlins in the series finale on July 29.
The Giants would continue playing winning baseball against the Dodgers, winning two of three in Los Angeles. Prior to the first game of the series, pitcher Matt Morris, who had been having a solid year, was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates
in exchange for Rajai Davis
, a young outfielder who immediately showcased his speed in center field and on the basepaths. Bonds went homerless in all three games in Los Angeles.
In the first game of a three game series versus the Padres in San Diego, Giants pitcher Matt Cain
's tough luck continued as the Giants lost in extra innings by a score of 3-4. Bonds was hitless in the game.
Leading off in the top of the second inning of game two versus the Padres, before a sell-out crowd at PETCO Park
, Barry Bonds hit a high fastball off the facing of the upper deck in left field for his 755th career home run. The opposite-field shot tied the game at 1-1 and tied Hank Aaron for the all-time home run record. The Giants lost in extra innings, this time by a score of 2-3.
In the bottom of the 5th inning at home against the Nationals on August 7, 2007, Bonds hit his 756th home run which caused a melee in the crowd. Hank Aaron appeared on the big screen and congratulated Bonds. The Giants went on to lose the game 8 to 6.
On August 9, 2007, Mark Sweeney was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for AA second baseman Travis Denker. The trade was the first between the Giants and the Dodgers since 1985.
After the historical week at Willie Mays Plaza, the Giants embarked on a grueling road trip which included a double header in Pittsburgh (makeup games from April rainouts), a three game series in Atlanta and a four game set in Florida. These three cities are notorious for derailing the Giants late in the season. However, as miserable as 2007 had been for the club, the Giants surprised many by going 6-3, including a four game sweep of Florida, and a double header split with Pittsburgh in which Rajai Davis
(whom the Pirates traded to the Giants) got his revenge by hitting 3 for 7. He also made a game ending catch which made highlight reels across the country.
The discouraging theme of 2007 would continue with the team's return to San Francisco. Tim Lincecum
held the Chicago Cubs to two hits through eight innings on August 21, but the team scored only one run, losing to the Cubs by a score of 5-1.
On September 22, 2007, the Giants officially announced that the team would not re-sign Barry Bonds for the 2008 season. After much speculation and debate, owner Peter Magowan
announced Bonds' departure at a press conference, stressing the fact that the Giants needed to get younger and start fielding a more efficient offense.
Barry Bonds played his last game as a San Francisco Giant on September 26, 2007. He went 0 for 3, driving a ball to deep right-center field in his final at bat. Despite never officially announcing his retirement from baseball, he never played again.
outfielder Aaron Rowand
to a 5-year, $60 million contract. Barry Zito
once again got off to a poor start, losing his first eight decisions. However, the team found hope in pitcher Tim Lincecum
. After going 7–5 in his first stint in 2007 with the Giants, he exploded onto the scene this year winning four straight before losing his 1st game of the year on April 29, 2008, to the Colorado Rockies
. Lincecum was selected to the 2008 MLB All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium but was unable to pitch due to being hospitalized with flu-like symptoms. He went on to win the 2008 NL Cy Young Award
, finishing at 18–5. He was the first Giant to do so since Mike McCormick
won it in 1967. The Giants finished the season in fourth place in the NL West with a record of 72–90.
and relievers Bobby Howry and Jeremy Affeldt
. The Giants also signed infielders Edgar Renteria
and Juan Uribe
. Despite these new acquisitions however, questions still lingered about the teams offensive abilities and whether they would be able to contend. Nonetheless, the team compiled a 49–39 record by the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
, good enough for second place in the NL West.
In addition to the team's overall performance, the first half of the season provided several memorable moments for the players themselves. Highlights included Johnson earning his 300th career victory
, becoming the twenty-fourth pitcher in Major League history to do so, as well as struggling starter Jonathan Sánchez
tossing a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres
on July 10, the first Giants no-hitter since 1976 when John Montefusco
no-hit the Braves. 2009's pitching staff will go down as one of the strongest starting rotations in Giants history.
The Giants sent two of their starting pitchers to the All-Star Game. Matt Cain
, who did not pitch due to a minor elbow injury, and Tim Lincecum
, who was chosen to be the starting pitcher for the National League. It was Lincecum's 2nd straight all-star game appearance and Cain's 1st. The Giants narrowly missed sending a third player the game, as third baseman
Pablo Sandoval
was a leading contender to be the fan's vote for the final roster spot. However the vote went to Philadelphia Phillies' outfielder Shane Victorino
.
On July 10, Jonathan Sánchez
, spot starting in place of an injured Randy Johnson
and on his first start upon returning to the starting rotation after a brief demotion to the bullpen, threw a no-hitter
against the San Diego Padres
. Sánchez issued no walks (the only runner reached on an error by third baseman Juan Uribe
) and struck out a career-high eleven hitters in the game, which was also his first major league complete game
and shutout
and the first no-hitter ever thrown at AT&T Park. He threw 110 pitches to complete the game, with a final score of 8–0 for the Giants.
On July 19, the club announced that Sue Burns
, the team's senior general partner who was a virtual fixture in her seat adjacent to the Giants' dugout, died early Sunday morning of cancer. She was 58. Burns was the widow of Harmon Burns, who died in November 2006 at age 61. A financier in the San Francisco Bay Area, Harmon Burns was a key member of the investor group that purchased the Giants from Bob Lurie after the 1992 season and prevented them from moving to Tampa-St. Petersburg. On July 27, the Giants honored Burns in a pre-game ceremony in which Barry Bonds was also in attendance. In the game, ace pitcher Tim Lincecum struck out a career-high 15 batters and the Giants defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4–2.
On July 20, the Giants traded one of their top prospects, double-a pitcher Tim Alderson
, for Pittsburgh Pirates
second baseman Freddy Sanchez
. Alderson was the first round pick in the 2007 draft and was ranked the number four prospect in the Giants organization by Baseball America
, but Sanchez provided a much needed jump for the Giants offense, who ended the 2009 season batting .293 with 41 runs batted in and 22 walks.
On September 11, the Giants added another key player when they brought up Buster Posey
from the Giants triple-a affiliate Fresno Grizzlies
. Buster Posey was one of the most talked about minor league players throughout 2009, and played in seven games in the 2009 season. When playing college ball at Florida State University
, he was the only player in college ball history to play every position in a single game. After the Giants traded Bengie Molina to the Rangers in June 2010, Posey replaced him as starting catcher.
On September 23, in beating the Diamondbacks 5–2, the Giants clinched a winning season at 82–70. This was their first winning season since 2004. On September 30, the Colorado Rockies
' 10–6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers
eliminated the Giants from the Wild Card race for 2009.
The Giants completed the 2009 regular season at 88–74, 14 games above .500, winning 16 more games than the previous season. Finishing in third place in the NL West behind the Colorado Rockies and first-place Los Angeles Dodgers, the Giants moved up one spot from 2008. With the emergence of star player Pablo Sandoval alongside a dominant pitching staff, the Giants look forward to making the playoffs next year for the first time since 2003.
, the club won the championship of the Western Division for the first time since 2003 after trailing the San Diego Padres most of the season. On July 4, after losing a four-game road series in Colorado, the Giants' record stood at 41-40 at the half-way point of the season. Boosted by a 21-game hitting streak by rookie catcher Buster Posey, called up in May from AAA Fresno, the Giants then won 19 of the remaining 24 games in July. August saw a losing record of 13-15, as the club lost four series against the Braves, Padres, Phillies, and Cardinals. On August 25, despite overcoming a 10-1 deficit in the 5th inning, the Giants lost to the Reds in extra innings at home to drop 6.5 games behind San Diego. Three days later, following an 11-3 debacle at home against the Diamondbacks, Sabean and Bochy held a private meeting with the starting pitchers, who had gone 5-13 with a 5.56 ERA in August, including 14 straight starts without a win.
In August and September, the slogan for the Giants became "Fear the Beard" as they made their push for the playoffs. Brian Wilson and Sergio Romo grew out their facial hair as an intimidation factor and for fun. As their beards grew longer, it became apparent that they used black dye on their beards, although they do not admit it. AT&T Park filled with "Fear the Beard" signs as well as Giants fans with fake black beards. The "Fear the Beard" slogan took the place of the one from the previous season, "We're in this thing!".
The Padres suffered a 10-game losing streak going into September, and on the 5th the Giants beat the Dodgers 3-0 to move to within a game of first place. Despite being shut out four times in ten games, the Giants recorded an 18–8 September to move into first by three games as the pitching staff achieved a team ERA of 1.78, the lowest in the National League in a September stretch run since the 1965 Dodgers. The division title came down to the final three games of the year in October, at home against San Diego, with the Giants clinching in the last regular season game, 3-0. Jonathan Sanchez
, who had been ridiculed in August when he failed to make good a boast that the Giants would sweep the Padres, led the September charge with a 3-1 record and 1.17 ERA, and took the win in the clincher. Closer Brian Wilson finished the game for his franchise record-tying and major league-leading 48th save. In the second half of the season the Giants went 51-30. After a 9-20 first half against division opponents, the Giants won 29 of their remaining 43 division games.
, the Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves three games to one in a very competitive series, splitting at home and then sweeping them at Turner Field
. Each game was decided by one run, with Tim Lincecum
striking out 14 in a complete game 1-0 shutout, Atlanta coming from behind to win game 2 5-4 after being down 4-0 in the seventh inning, and the Giants scoring comeback victories in the final two games, both by scores of 3-2. Following game 4, both teams and Atlanta fans gave retiring manager Bobby Cox
a standing ovation.
In the ensuing National League Championship Series
, the Giants took a 3-1 advantage over the Philadelphia Phillies
, winning two games at home after splitting the first two at Philadelphia. Starting pitcher for the Giants Tim Lincecum
rematched against the Phillies' Roy Halladay
in Game 5. The Giants failed to beat Roy Halladay
, losing 4-2, forcing a return trip to Philadelphia. In Game Six, the Giants beat Philadelphia by a final score of 3–2 when Uribe hit a home run in the eighth inning, to win the NLCS 4–2 and advance to face the Texas Rangers
in the 2010 World Series
. Because the National League won the All-Star Game, the Giants had home-field advantage in the World Series
with the first two games in San Francisco, the next three games in Texas (the last if necessary), and the following two games (if necessary) back in San Francisco.
Despite falling behind 2-0 early, the Giants won the first game of the World Series, 11-7, over the Rangers, backed by Freddy Sanchez
's three doubles, setting a World Series record for the most doubles by one player in a game. The game also saw the Giants set the record for the most runs (6) ever scored in a single half-inning in a World Series since 1933. The next day, the Giants won game 2 of the World Series, crushing the Rangers 9-0 after the Rangers walked 4 in a row and allowed 7 runs to the Giants in the 8th inning. Matt Cain also had a dominant game, pitiching 7 2/3 innings without giving up a single run. The Giants went on to lose Game 3 in Arlington, Texas 4-2 after a 3-run homerun from Ranger's rookie, Mitch Moreland, in the second inning and a solo homerun by Josh Hamilton in the fifth. Game 4 belonged to the Giants, as Madison Bumgarner
shut out the Rangers, 4-0, with home runs by Huff and Posey. The Giants, along with Tim Lincecum, won Game 5 by a score of 3-1. Lincecum outduelled Cliff Lee in an every-pitch-matters matchup that was scoreless until Renteria hit a stunning three-run homer with two outs in the seventh inning. Nelson Cruz homered in the bottom half, but Lincecum returned to his wicked self and preserved the lead, and when Brian Wilson struck out Cruz to end the 9th, the Giants brought about a series of first championships, not just for the Giants, but also for the city of San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay Area
. Renteria would be named World Series MVP as he hit .412 with two home runs and six runs batted in.
The firsts with the championship were:
In summing up the firsts, Larry Baer, the president of the Giants and a fourth generation resident of San Francisco, said that the team dedicated the championship to everyone who has worn a Giants uniform, and all Giants fans since the team's move to San Francisco, honoring 53 years of baseball in the city.
Overall the Giants have won 6 World championships (5 as the New York Giants, 1 as the San Francisco Giants), 21 pennants, 7 Western Division titles and 1 wild-card berth in the team's multiple post-season appearances. The San Francisco team has appeared in the post-season nine times in 53 years, going to the World Series four times.
1883 in baseball
-Champions:*National League: Boston Beaneaters*American Association: Philadelphia Athletics*Inter-State League: Brooklyn Atlantics*Northwestern League: Toledo Blue StockingsInter-league playoff: Philadelphia declined to play Boston...
with the New York Gothams and has involved some of baseball's greatest players, including Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
, Juan Marichal
Juan Marichal
Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Playing for the San Francisco Giants most of his career, Marichal was known for his high leg kick, pinpoint control and intimidation tactics, which included aiming pitches directly at the opposing batters'...
, and Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Jackson Perry is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1962-1983 for eight different teams in his career. During a 22-year baseball career, Perry compiled 314 wins, 3,534 strikeouts, and a 3.11 earned run average...
. The team has won four National League pennants and one World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
title since moving to San Francisco.
New York Giants history
From 1883 to 1957, the Giants franchise played games for New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. During that time, the Giants won five of the franchise's six World Series wins and 17 of its 21 National League pennants while playing most of its home games in the Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
in Upper Manhattan
Upper Manhattan
Upper Manhattan denotes the more northerly region of the New York City Borough of Manhattan. Its southern boundary may be defined anywhere between 59th Street and 155th Street. Between these two extremes lies the most common definitions of Upper Manhattan as Manhattan above 96th Street...
.
The Giants franchise was added by the National League in response to the 1882 formation of the American Association
American Association (19th century)
The American Association was a Major League Baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball...
. Originally named the Gothams, they won consecutive National League pennants in 1888 and 1889 behind future Hall of Famers Tim Keefe
Tim Keefe
Timothy John "Tim" Keefe , nicknamed "Smiling Tim" and "Sir Timothy", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was one of the most dominating pitchers of the 19th century and posted impressive statistics in one category or another for almost every season he pitched...
, Mickey Welch
Mickey Welch
Michael Francis Welch Born as Michael Francis Walsh , nicknamed "Smiling Mickey", was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the third pitcher to accumulate 300 career victories. Welch was born in Brooklyn, New York, and played 13 seasons in the major leagues, three with the Troy Trojans, and 10...
, Roger Connor
Roger Connor
Roger Connor was a 19th century Major League Baseball player, born in Waterbury, Connecticut. Known for being the player whom Babe Ruth succeeded as the all-time home run champion, Connor hit 138 home runs during his 18-year career, and his career home run record stood for 23 years after his...
and Buck Ewing
Buck Ewing
William "Buck" Ewing was a Major League Baseball player and manager, and is widely regarded as the best catcher of his era and is often argued to be the best player of the 19th century...
. From 1902 to 1931 the team was managed by John McGraw, who led them to 10 National League pennants and three World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
championships with many great players including Christy Mathewson
Christy Mathewson
Christopher "Christy" Mathewson , nicknamed "Big Six", "The Christian Gentleman", or "Matty", was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire career in what is known as the dead-ball era...
, Iron Man Joe McGinnity, Bill Terry
Bill Terry
William Harold Terry was a Major League Baseball first baseman and manager. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Terry was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954. In 1999, he ranked number 59 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee...
, Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
, Mel Ott
Mel Ott
Melvin Thomas Ott , nicknamed "Master Melvin", was a Major League Baseball right fielder. He played his entire career for the New York Giants . Ott was born in Gretna, Louisiana. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
, Casey Stengel
Casey Stengel
Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel , nicknamed "The Old Perfessor", was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in ....
, and Red Ames
Red Ames
Leon Kessling "Red" Ames was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Giants, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies.-Major league career:...
.
The post-McGraw Giants were punctuated by two famous moments, the Shot Heard 'Round the World
Shot Heard 'Round the World (baseball)
In baseball, the "Shot Heard 'round the World" is the term given to the walk-off home run hit by New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca at the Polo Grounds to win the National League pennant at 3:58 p.m...
(1951) and The Catch by young superstar Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
(1954). In the mid-1950s, the Polo Grounds was in disrepair and the Giants began to contemplate a move from New York. The Brooklyn Dodgers were considering a move to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
but were told it would not be allowed unless a second team moved to California as well. As a result, the Giants agreed to move to San Francisco and New York was left without a National League team until the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
in 1962.
1958–61: Seals Stadium and Candlestick Park
When the Giants moved to San Francisco, they played in Seals StadiumSeals Stadium
Seals Stadium was a minor league baseball stadium that stood in San Francisco from 1931 through 1959.Built during the depression, Seals Stadium opened on April 7, 1931, It cost $600,000 to construct, and Seals President "Doc" Strub described how laborers would leap onto the running boards of his...
for their first two seasons. Seals Stadium, which was located at 16th & Bryant St. across from the Wonder Bread Bakery, had been the home of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
(PCL) San Francisco Seals, a minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, from 1931-1957. While there was initially some sentiment in favor of changing the Giants' name to the Seals, this didn't happen.
In 1958, Latino hitter Orlando Cepeda
Orlando Cepeda
Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes is a former Puerto Rican Major League Baseball first baseman.Cepeda was born to a poor family. His father, Pedro Cepeda, was a baseball player in Puerto Rico, which influenced his interest in the sport from a young age. His first contact with professional baseball was...
won Rookie of the Year honors. The next season, Willie McCovey
Willie McCovey
Willie Lee McCovey , nicknamed "Mac", "Big Mac", and "Stretch", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played nineteen seasons for the San Francisco Giants, and three more for the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics, between and...
won the same award.
In 1960 the Giants moved to Candlestick Park
Monster Park
Candlestick Park is an outdoor sports and entertainment stadium located in San Francisco, California, in the Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally built as the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 until moving into Pacific Bell Park in 2000...
(sometimes known simply as "The Stick"), a stadium built on a point in San Francisco's southeast corner overlooking San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. The new stadium quickly gained a reputation for being one of the most inhospitable in baseball, with swirling winds, cold temperatures and impenetrable evening fogs making for a torturous fan and player experience. It didn't help that the built-in radiant heating system never worked. Candlestick Park's reputation was sealed in the 9th inning of the first 1961 All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
when after a day of perfect conditions, the winds rose. A strong gust appeared to cause Giants relief pitcher Stu Miller
Stu Miller
Stuart Leonard Miller , is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals , Philadelphia Phillies , New York & San Francisco Giants , Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves...
to slip off the pitching rubber during his delivery, resulting in a balk
Balk
In baseball, a pitcher can commit a number of illegal motions or actions that constitute a balk. In games played under the Official Baseball Rules, a balk results in a dead ball or delayed dead ball. In certain other circumstances, a balk may be wholly or partially disregarded...
(and a baseball legend that Miller was "blown off the mound").
There were also many of times that Candlestick Park was covered in fog, both inside and out, coming in from the bay. At one time, a fog horn was played inside the stadium between innings giving Candlestick another reputation. Other times, the winds would also whirl around in the parking lot, but inside the stadium it would be calm. But with all of its criticism, its reputation of being cold, windy and foggy, it stood its ground when the ground below it shook violently during the 1989 World Series. At 5:04 pm, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay Area during the pre-game ceremonies of Game 3. For fifteen seconds the stadium rocked and there was fear that the standing light fixtures above would fall onto the crowd. But the crowd rode it out and there were only small minor injuries reported and the stadium's structure was deemed safe ten days later.
1962 World Series
In 1962, after another memorable pennant chase with the Dodgers which resulted in a playoff series which the Giants won, the Giants brought a World Series to San Francisco. However, the Giants lost the series four games to three to the New York Yankees. The seventh game went to the bottom of the ninth with the Yankees ahead 1–0. With Matty AlouMatty Alou
Mateo Rojas "Matty" Alou was a Dominican outfielder who spent fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball with the San Francisco Giants , Pittsburgh Pirates , St. Louis Cardinals , Oakland Athletics , New York Yankees and San Diego Padres...
on first base and two outs, Willie Mays sliced a double down the right field line. Right fielder Roger Maris
Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
, whose 61 home run season in 1961 has historically overshadowed his great defensive work, quickly got to the ball and rifled a throw to the infield, preventing Alou from scoring the tying run.
With the speedy Mays on second, any base hit by the next batter, Willie McCovey
Willie McCovey
Willie Lee McCovey , nicknamed "Mac", "Big Mac", and "Stretch", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played nineteen seasons for the San Francisco Giants, and three more for the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics, between and...
, would likely have won the series for the Giants. McCovey hit a screaming line drive that was snared by second baseman Bobby Richardson
Bobby Richardson
Robert Clinton "Bobby" Richardson is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees from through . Batting and throwing right-handed, he was a superb defensive infielder, as well as something of a clutch hitter, who played no small role in the Yankee baseball...
, bringing the Series to a sudden end. Earlier in the inning, a failed sacrifice bunt by Felipe Alou had ultimately resulted in Matty not scoring on Mays' double, which started a lifelong dedication to fundamentals on Felipe's part. In addition, to rub salt in the wound, Richardson was not originally positioned to catch the drive - he only moved there (three steps to the left) in reaction to a foul smash by McCovey on the previous pitch.
Giants fan (and resident of nearby Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
) Charles Schulz made a reference to the real world in one of his Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
strips soon afterward. In the first three panels of the strip of December 22, Charlie Brown and Linus are sitting on a porch step, looking glum. In the last panel, Charlie cries to the heavens, "Why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just three feet higher?" Some weeks later, same scene. This time, Charlie cries, "Or why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just two feet higher?"
1963–84: Always a bridesmaid, never the bride
Although the Giants didn't make another World Series until 1989, the Giants of the 1960s continued to be pennant contenders thanks to several future Hall-of-Famers, including Gaylord PerryGaylord Perry
Gaylord Jackson Perry is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1962-1983 for eight different teams in his career. During a 22-year baseball career, Perry compiled 314 wins, 3,534 strikeouts, and a 3.11 earned run average...
, who pitched a no-hitter with the Giants in 1968; Juan Marichal
Juan Marichal
Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Playing for the San Francisco Giants most of his career, Marichal was known for his high leg kick, pinpoint control and intimidation tactics, which included aiming pitches directly at the opposing batters'...
, a pitcher with a memorable high-kicking delivery; McCovey, who won the National League MVP award
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...
in 1969, and Mays, who hit his 600th career home run in 1969. A Giants highlight came in 1963 when Jesús Alou
Jesús Alou
Jesús María Rojas Alou is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. During a 17-year baseball career, he played for the San Francisco Giants , Houston Astros , Oakland Athletics , and New York Mets...
joined the team, and along with Felipe and Matty
Matty Alou
Mateo Rojas "Matty" Alou was a Dominican outfielder who spent fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball with the San Francisco Giants , Pittsburgh Pirates , St. Louis Cardinals , Oakland Athletics , New York Yankees and San Diego Padres...
the Giants fielded the first all-brother outfield in Major League history.
The Giants' next appearance in the postseason was 1971. After winning their division, they were easily defeated in the League Championship Series
1971 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 2, 1971 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, CaliforniaWith aces Gaylord Perry and Steve Blass taking the mound for their respective teams, Game 1 looked to be a pitchers duel. It sort of was for four innings; the Pirates struck for two in the top of the third when Dave...
by the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
, who then went on to beat the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
in the World Series
1971 World Series
The 1971 World Series matched the defending champion Baltimore Orioles against the Pittsburgh Pirates, with the Pirates winning in seven games. Game 4, played in Pittsburgh, was the first-ever World Series game scheduled to be played at night....
. During this decade, the Giants gave up many players who became successful elsewhere. Some of them included Garry Maddox, George Foster, Bobby Bonds
Bobby Bonds
Bobby Lee Bonds was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball from to , primarily with the San Francisco Giants...
, Dave Kingman
Dave Kingman
David Arthur Kingman , nicknamed "Kong" and "Sky King", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder, first baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter. The towering 6' 6" Kingman was one of the most feared sluggers of the 1970s and 1980s...
, and Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Jackson Perry is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1962-1983 for eight different teams in his career. During a 22-year baseball career, Perry compiled 314 wins, 3,534 strikeouts, and a 3.11 earned run average...
. However, the Giants produced two more Rookies of the Year winners (Gary Matthews
Gary Matthews
Gary Nathaniel Matthews Sr. , nicknamed Sarge, is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball. He now serves as a color commentator for the Philadelphia Phillies. From through , Matthews played for the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Seattle...
Sr. in 1973 and John Montefusco
John Montefusco
John Joseph Montefusco Jr. is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1974 to 1986 for the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and New York Yankees. Named the National League Rookie of the Year in 1975, Montefusco's nickname was "The Count", a pun on his last name which...
in 1975).
In 1976, Bob Lurie
Bob Lurie
Robert Alfred Lurie is a real estate magnate, philanthropist, and former owner of the San Francisco Giants franchise of Major League Baseball from March 2, 1976 until January 12, 1993.-Giants Ownership:...
bought the team, saving it from being moved to Toronto. A year later, Toronto was awarded an expansion team (the Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
), but San Francisco baseball fans' worries about losing their beloved Giants had not completely gone away just yet. The rest of the 1970s was a generally disappointing decade for the Giants, finishing no higher than third place in any season. That third place season was 1978. They had a young star in the likes of Jack Clark
Jack Clark (baseball)
Jack Anthony Clark , also known as "Jack the Ripper," is a former Major League Baseball player. From 1975 through 1992, Clark played for the San Francisco Giants , St. Louis Cardinals , New York Yankees , San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox...
, along with veteran first baseman Willie McCovey
Willie McCovey
Willie Lee McCovey , nicknamed "Mac", "Big Mac", and "Stretch", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played nineteen seasons for the San Francisco Giants, and three more for the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics, between and...
, 2nd baseman Bill Madlock
Bill Madlock
Bill "Mad Dog" Madlock, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball player. From 1973 to 1987, Madlock was a right-handed hitter who won several National League batting titles. His record of four batting titles as a third baseman would be eclipsed in 1988 by Wade Boggs. Since 1970, only Tony Gwynn has...
, whom the Giants acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates, shortstops Johnny LeMaster & Roger Metzger
Roger Metzger
Roger Henry Metzger was a Shortstop for the Chicago Cubs , Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants . A light-hitting shortstop, he was known for his strong defense and good running speed.- Career :Metzger won the 1973 Gold Glove Award at Shortstop...
and third baseman Darrell Evans
Darrell Evans
Darrell Wayne Evans is a former third baseman and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1969 to 1989 with the Atlanta Braves , San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers . He is also the former manager and director of player personnel for the Victoria Seals of the Golden Baseball...
. Veteran pitchers Vida Blue
Vida Blue
Vida Rochelle Blue Jr. is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 17-year career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , and Kansas City Royals He won the American League Cy Young award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971...
, John Montefusco
John Montefusco
John Joseph Montefusco Jr. is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1974 to 1986 for the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and New York Yankees. Named the National League Rookie of the Year in 1975, Montefusco's nickname was "The Count", a pun on his last name which...
, Ed Halicki
Ed Halicki
Ed Halicki , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1974-1980. On August 24, 1975, Halicki threw a no-hitter for the San Francisco Giants against the New York Mets in a 6-0 victory...
, and Bob Knepper
Bob Knepper
Robert Wesley Knepper is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball with a 15-year career from 1976 to 1990. He played for the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros, both of the National League....
rounded out the starting rotation with Vida Blue leading the way with eighteen victories. The most memorable moment of that 1978 season occurred on May 28, 1978 when pinch hitter Mike Ivie
Mike Ivie
Michael Wilson Ivie , is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Detroit Tigers during his career from 1971 to 1983...
, who was acquired from the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
during the offseason, hit a towering grand slam off of Los Angeles Dodger pitching ace Don Sutton in front of Candlestick Park's highest paid attendance of 57,545. They were atop of the NL West for most of the season, but the Dodgers heated up to eventually win the West and the NL Pennant.
In 1981, the Giants became the first National League team to hire a black manager, Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956–1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues...
. However, Robinson's tenure lasted less than four years and was generally unsuccessful. In that tenure, the Giants finished a game over .500 in the strike-shortened 1981 season. The next season, the Giants acquired veterans Joe Morgan
Joe Morgan
Joe Leonard Morgan is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the...
and Reggie Smith
Reggie Smith
Carl Reginald Smith is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, coach and front office executive. During a 17-year big league career , Smith appeared in 1,987 games, hit 314 home runs and batted .287. He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed. In his prime, he had one of the strongest...
. They were in the midst of a three-team pennant race with the Dodgers and Braves. Morgan would hit a homer against the Dodgers to make sure Atlanta won the NL West.
In 1984, the Giants hosted the All-Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
at Candlestick Park
Monster Park
Candlestick Park is an outdoor sports and entertainment stadium located in San Francisco, California, in the Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally built as the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 until moving into Pacific Bell Park in 2000...
. 1984 was also the sole year that their infamous ex-mascot, the Crazy Crab "graced" the field.
1985–89: Nadir and resurrection
In 1985, a year which saw the Giants lose 100 games (the most in franchise history), owner Bob LurieBob Lurie
Robert Alfred Lurie is a real estate magnate, philanthropist, and former owner of the San Francisco Giants franchise of Major League Baseball from March 2, 1976 until January 12, 1993.-Giants Ownership:...
responded by hiring Al Rosen
Al Rosen
Albert Leonard Rosen , nicknamed "Al", "Flip", and the "Hebrew Hammer", is a former American professional baseball player who was a third baseman and right-handed slugger in the Major Leagues for ten seasons in tthe 1940s and 1950s.He played his entire 10-year career with the Cleveland Indians in...
as general manager. Under Rosen's tenure, the Giants promoted promising rookies such as Will Clark
Will Clark
William Nuschler Clark, Jr. is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball best known for his years with the San Francisco Giants from to .Will was known by the nickname of "Will the Thrill"...
and Robby Thompson
Robby Thompson
Robert Randall "Robby" Thompson is an American professional baseball coach and former college and professional player. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as the second baseman for the San Francisco Giants from to . Thompson is the current bench coach for the Seattle Mariners...
, and made canny trades to acquire such players as Kevin Mitchell
Kevin Mitchell (baseball player)
Kevin Darnell Mitchell is a former American Major League Baseball left fielder. He became widely known not only for his occasional brilliance on the field, but also for his unpredictable and sometimes volatile behavior off the field.-New York Mets:In Amazin, Peter Golenbock's oral history of the...
, Dave Dravecky
Dave Dravecky
David Francis Dravecky is a Christian motivational speaker, author, and former Major League Baseball player for the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants...
, Candy Maldonado
Candy Maldonado
Candido Maldonado Guadarrama is a former Major League Baseball outfielder from to for the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, and Texas Rangers. Chris Berman, a fellow ESPN analyst, called him the "Candyman"...
, and Rick Reuschel
Rick Reuschel
Rickey Eugene Reuschel is a former professional baseball pitcher from the early 1970s into the early 1990s. His nickname was "Big Daddy" because of his portly physique...
.
New manager Roger Craig
Roger Craig (baseball)
Roger Craig may refer to:*Roger Craig , former NFL running back*Roger Craig , former pitcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball...
served from 1985 to 1992. In Craig's first five full seasons with the Giants, the team never finished with a losing record.
Under Roger Craig's leadership (and his unique motto, "Humm Baby") the Giants won 83 games in 1986 and won the National League Western Division title in 1987. The team lost the 1987 National League Championship Series
1987 National League Championship Series
- Game 1 :Tuesday, October 6, 1987 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriThe Giants struck first on an RBI groundout by Candy Maldonado, but the Cardinals tied it in the third on Vince Coleman's RBI single...
to the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in seven games. The bright spot in that defeat was Giants outfielder Jeffrey Leonard
Jeffrey Leonard
Jeffrey N. Leonard is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball with a 14-year career from to...
, who was named the series MVP in a losing effort.
1989: The "Thrill" and the earthquake
Although the team used 15 different starting pitchers, the 1989 Giants won the National League pennant. They were led by pitchers Rick Reuschel and Scott GarreltsScott Garrelts
Scott William Garrelts , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the San Francisco Giants from 1982 to 1991...
and sluggers Kevin Mitchell (the 1989 National League MVP
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...
) and Will Clark.
The Giants beat the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
in the National League Championship Series
1989 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 4, 1989 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IllinoisThe Giants entered the series as slight favorites due to the MVP season of Kevin Mitchell, the solid play of Will Clark, and the best ERA in baseball by pitcher Scott Garrelts...
, four games to one. In Game 5, eventual 1989 NLCS MVP Will Clark (who hit .650, drove in eight runs, including a grand slam off Greg Maddux
Greg Maddux
Gregory Alan Maddux , nicknamed "Mad Dog" and "The Professor", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the first pitcher in major league history to win the Cy Young Award for four consecutive years , a feat matched only by Randy Johnson...
in Game 1) came through in the clutch with a bases-loaded single off of the hard-throwing Mitch Williams to break a 1–1 tie in the bottom of the 8th inning. Clark took the first fastball for a strike, then fouled one away. Williams' next pitch missed the outside corner to bring the count to 1-and-2. After Clark fouled off two more pitches, he hit a screaming line drive up the middle to bring in two runs. In the top of the 9th inning, Steve Bedrosian
Steve Bedrosian
Stephen Wayne Bedrosian, is an American former baseball player. Nicknamed "Bedrock", he played from 1981 to 1995 with the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants and Minnesota Twins...
was shaky as he gave up a run. But ultimately, Bedrosian was able to get Ryne Sandberg
Ryne Sandberg
Ryne Dee Sandberg , nicknamed "Ryno" is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. During a 16-year baseball career, he played from 1981–1994 and 1996–97, spending nearly his entire career with the Chicago Cubs. He was named after relief pitcher Ryne Duren, and is recognized as one of the best...
to ground-out for out #3. Fittingly, the hero of Game 5, Will Clark caught the final out from second baseman Robby Thompson. For the first time in 27 years, the San Francisco Giants were the champions of the National League.
After taking care of the Cubs, the Giants faced the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
in the "Bay Bridge Series
1989 World Series
†: Game 3 was originally slated for October 17 at 5:35 pm; however, it was postponed when an earthquake occurred at 5:04 pm.-Game 1:Saturday, October 14, 1989 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California...
". The series is best remembered because the Loma Prieta earthquake
Loma Prieta earthquake
The Loma Prieta earthquake, also known as the Quake of '89 and the World Series Earthquake, was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. local time...
on October 17, 1989 disrupted the planned Game 3 of the series at Candlestick Park. After a ten-day delay in the series, Oakland finished up its sweep of San Francisco.
1992 season
Following the '89 World Series defeat, a local ballot initiative to fund a new stadium in San Francisco failed, threatening the franchise's future in the city. After the 1992 season, owner Bob Lurie, who had previously saved the franchise from moving to TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in 1976, put the team up for sale. A group of investors from St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
led by Vince Naimoli
Vince Naimoli
Vincent J. Naimoli is a businessman, and the first owner of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. -Biography:...
reached an agreement to purchase the team and move them across the country. However, Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
blocked the move, paving the way for the team to stay in San Francisco with an ownership group led by Peter Magowan
Peter Magowan
Peter A. Magowan is the former managing general partner of the San Francisco Giants Major League Baseball franchise.-Early life and career:...
, the former CEO of Safeway
Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
. (As compensation, MLB granted Naimoli's group an expansion franchise, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
.)
In addition to the anticipated move to downtown San Francisco, the Giants' ownership also made a major personnel move to solidify fan support. Before even hiring a new General Manager or officially being approved as the new owners, Magowan signed locally-grown superstar free agent Barry Bonds (a move which MLB initially blocked until some terms were negotiated to protect Lurie and Bonds in case the sale failed), a move that shaped the franchise's fortunes for more than a decade.
1993: "The last pure pennant race"
The Barry Bonds era started auspiciously as Bonds put up the numbers for the third MVP of his career: 46 homers, 129 runs and 123 RBI, (.336 BA, .458 OBP, .677 SLG, for a total of 1.135 OBP+SLG), all career highs. Matt Williams was solid again (38 HR, 110 RBI, .294 BA), with Robby Thompson and Will Clark (in his last season with the Giants) providing offensive support. John BurkettJohn Burkett
John David Burkett is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He compiled 166 wins, 1,766 strikeouts, and a 4.31 earned run average. He pitched from 1987–2003, with the San Francisco Giants, Florida Marlins, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. His best season came in 1993 when he...
and Bill Swift
Bill Swift
William Charles Swift is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher.After graduating South Portland High School, Swift attended the University of Maine. Swift pitched for the 1984 U.S. Olympic team and was a first-round draft pick by the Seattle Mariners following his senior year at Maine...
both had 20+ wins, and closer Rod Beck
Rod Beck
Rodney Roy "Rod" Beck nicknamed "Shooter", was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the San Francisco Giants , Chicago Cubs , Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres...
was dominant with 48 saves and a 2.16 ERA. All this led the Giants to a 103–59 record in Dusty Baker
Dusty Baker
Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr. is a former player and current manager in Major League Baseball, currently the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, mostly with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers...
's first year as manager, which earned him the Manager of the Year award.
But despite the Giants' great record, the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
— fueled by solid seasons from David Justice
David Justice
David Christopher Justice is a former outfielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves , Cleveland Indians , New York Yankees , and Oakland Athletics .-Early life:David was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Robert and Nettie Justice...
, Ron Gant
Ron Gant
Ronald Edwin "Ron" Gant is a former American Major League outfielder and second baseman earlier on who played for the Atlanta Braves , Cincinnati Reds , St...
, Deion Sanders
Deion Sanders
Deion Luwynn Sanders , nicknamed "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is a former National Football League cornerback and Major League Baseball outfielder who currently works as an NFL Network analyst...
and their midseason acquisition of Fred McGriff
Fred McGriff
Frederick Stanley McGriff is a left-handed former Major League Baseball player who starred for several teams from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s. A power-hitting first baseman with a tall, lanky build, the five-time All-Star became, in , the first player since the dead-ball era to lead both...
from the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
— came back from a 10-game deficit to the Giants to win the NL West by a single game. The Braves also had 20+ wins from both Tom Glavine
Tom Glavine
Thomas Michael Glavine is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher.With 164 victories during the 1990s, Glavine was the second winningest pitcher in the National League, second only to teammate Greg Maddux's 176...
and Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
winner Greg Maddux
Greg Maddux
Gregory Alan Maddux , nicknamed "Mad Dog" and "The Professor", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the first pitcher in major league history to win the Cy Young Award for four consecutive years , a feat matched only by Randy Johnson...
. The hapless expansion Colorado Rockies were a despicable 0-14 against the Braves in 1993, and largely responsible for the Giants 1993 demise.
Desperately needing a win against the Dodgers in the final game of the year to force a one-game playoff with the Braves, the controversial choice of Giants rookie pitcher Salomon Torres
Salomón Torres
Salomón Torres Ramirez is a former Major League Baseball player. He began his career in with the San Francisco Giants, and also played for the Seattle Mariners, Montreal Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Milwaukee Brewers.-San Francisco Giants:Torres is best known for starting the last game of the...
proved disastrous as he gave up three runs in the first four innings and the Giants went on to lose the game 12–1. After MLB's establishment of the three-division–Wild Card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
playoff format following the 1993 season, New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
sports columnist Dave Anderson
Dave Anderson (sportswriter)
Dave Anderson is an American sportswriter based in New York City. After graduating in 1947 from Xavier High School - an elite Jesuit preparatory school in New York City - Anderson attended the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, graduating in 1951.Anderson has written for a number of New...
captured the feeling of many baseball purists regarding the thrilling (and for Giants fans, heartbreaking) winner-take-all outcome as the "last pure pennant race".
1994–96
The period of 1994 to 1996 were not good years for the Giants, punctuated by the strike that canceled the World Series1994 World Series
The 1994 World Series was canceled on September 14 of that year due to an ongoing strike by the Major League Baseball Players Association, which had begun on August 12...
in 1994. The strike cost Matt Williams a chance to beat Roger Maris
Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
' single season home run record—he had 43 HR in 115 team games, and was thus on pace for 60 when the strike hit with 47 games left to play (Bonds had 37, on pace for 52). But the rest of the team was bad, with no other player having even 10 home runs or even 40 RBI that late into the seaon.
The Giants then came in last place in both 1995 and 1996, as key injuries and slumps hurt them. 1995 had a strange feeling about it, with fans unsure if they would come back after the strike-shortened 1994 season (something that would keep attendances notably lower for a few more years, probably until the HR chase of 1998). Bonds continued to be the team's driving force, posting decent numbers (33 HR, 104 RBI, 109 R and 120 BB in 144 games). Matt Williams and Glenallen Hill
Glenallen Hill
Glenallen Hill is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for 13 seasons. Hill played with the Toronto Blue Jays , Cleveland Indians , Chicago Cubs San Francisco Giants , Seattle Mariners , New York Yankees , and Anaheim Angels...
were the only other Giants with 20+ HR, and the rest of the team had mediocre offensive numbers. The pitching staff was bad, with only Mark Leiter
Mark Leiter
Mark Edward Leiter is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who had an 11-year career from -, . Leiter grew up in Toms River, New Jersey.-Career:...
having 10 wins (10–12, 3.82 ERA). Rod Beck had 33 saves, but a 4.45 ERA and a 5–6 record, including nine blown saves.
Bill Mueller
William Richard Mueller is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. Mueller's playing career was spent with the San Francisco Giants , Chicago Cubs , Boston Red Sox , and Los Angeles Dodgers . He won the American League batting title in 2003, and helped the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series...
also provided hope for the future of the club with a .330 average (66 hits in 200 AB over 55 games). Matt Williams and Glenallen Hill provided offensive support. Pitching-wise, the team was not very good. Only Mark Gardner had more than 10 wins (12–7, 4.42 ERA), and Rod Beck had 35 saves, a 3.34 ERA and nine losses on his record. The lowpoint came in late June when the Giants lost 10 straight games en route to a 68–94 record.
1997
These bad times led the Giants to name Brian SabeanBrian Sabean
Brian R. Sabean is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the San Francisco Giants, a Major League Baseball franchise. He has held the job since 1997, when he replaced former General Manager Bob Quinn...
as their new general manager in 1997, replacing Bob Quinn
Bob Quinn (baseball grandson)
Bob Quinn is a former Major League Baseball general manager. He served as general manager of the Cincinnati Reds from to and of the San Francisco Giants from to . He had previously served as general manager of the New York Yankees. His grandfather, also named Bob Quinn, was also a baseball...
. (Sabean may have been acting as GM prior to the announcement, as he was rumored to have engineered the deal to get Kirk Rueter
Kirk Rueter
Kirk Wesley Rueter is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, and is the winningest left-hander in San Francisco Giants history. Rueter played for the Montreal Expos and the Giants and made most of his career appearances as a starter. Rueter attended and played for Murray State...
from the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
). His tenure began with great controversy. In his first official trade as GM, he shocked Giants fans by trading Matt Williams to Cleveland for what newspapers referred to as a 'bunch of spare parts', with the negative reaction being great enough for him to have to publicly explain: "I didn't get to this point by being an idiot... I'm sitting here telling you there is a plan."
Sabean was proven right, as the players he acquired in the Williams trade — Jeff Kent
Jeff Kent
Jeffrey Franklin Kent is a retired Major League Baseball second baseman. Kent won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, and is the all-time leader in home runs among second basemen...
, Jose Vizcaino
José Vizcaíno
José Luis Vizcaíno Pimental is a former Major League Baseball player. He was a backup infielder for most of his MLB career. In , he played a significant role with the Chicago Cubs, having 551 at-bats and being 9th in the National League with 131 singles as well as second in the NL with 9 sacrifice...
, Julian Tavarez
Julián Tavárez
Julián Tavárez Carmen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.-Minor leagues :...
, and Joe Roa
Joe Roa
Joseph Rodger Roa , nicknamed "The Roa Constrictor", is former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Roa is a graduate of Hazel Park High School and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 18th round of the 1989 amateur draft...
(plus the $1 million in cash that enabled them to sign Darryl Hamilton
Darryl Hamilton
Darryl Quinn Hamilton is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Milwaukee Brewers , Texas Rangers , San Francisco Giants , Colorado Rockies and New York Mets . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
)—and a subsequent trade for J.T. Snow were major contributors in leading the Giants to win their first NL West division title of the decade in 1997. Snow, Kent, and Bonds each had over 100 RBI, and pitcher Shawn Estes' 19 wins led the team. Rod Beck had 37 saves.
The Wild-card winning Florida Marlins
1997 Florida Marlins season
The 1997 Florida Marlins season started off with the team trying to improve on their record from 1996. Their manager was Jim Leyland. They played home games at Pro Player Stadium...
ended the Giants' season with a 3–0 sweep in the first round of the playoffs
1997 National League Division Series
-Houston Astros vs. Atlanta Braves:-San Francisco vs. Florida:The San Francisco Giants made it back to the postseason for the first time since the 1989 World Series. The Florida Marlins were in the postseason for the first time ever.-Game 1, September 30:...
, as the Marlins marched on their way to their first World Series
1997 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 18, 1997 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, FloridaThe first World Series game in the state of Florida, Game 1 featured a youngster and a veteran facing each other on the mound...
championship. The Marlins' victory over the Giants in the 1997 NLDS was controversial in that the series' first two games were played at Pro Player Park, despite the fact that the Giants were Division Champions and the Marlins were the Wild Card. At the time, the division series used a 2-3 format, with the first two games being played at the one park, and the last three at the other. Indeed, the 1997 postseason would be the final MLB postseason in which teams with home field "advantage" in the Divisional Series would open on the road.
1998–99
In 1998, the Giants were fueled by good seasons from Jeff Kent and Barry Bonds, both with 30+ HR and 100+ RBI. Also having good seasons were pitchers Kirk Reuter (16–9 W-L record, 4.36 ERA), Mark Gardner (13–6, 4.33) and newly acquired Orel HershiserOrel Hershiser
Orel Leonard Hershiser IV is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently an analyst for Baseball Tonight and Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN and a professional poker player for...
(11–10, 4.41). New closer Robb Nen
Robb Nen
Robert Allen Nen is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He spent most of his career as a closer. He is the son of former major league first baseman Dick Nen. He currently works in the Giants' front office as a special assistant to General Manager Brian Sabean.Nen is best...
had 40 saves. The Giants tied for the NL Wild card but lost a one-game playoff against the Chicago Cubs.
The next year (1999), the Giants finished second in the NL West with an 86–76 record. While Barry Bonds' production was down, other team regulars put up very good numbers. These included J.T. Snow, Jeff Kent, Rich Aurilia, and Ellis Burks, all who had 20+ HR and 80+ RBI. Marvin Benard
Marvin Benard
Marvin Larry Benard [buh-NARD] is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who batted and threw left-handed....
also had a career year in center field with 16 home runs, 64 RBIs, and a career and team high 27 stolen bases. The pitching staff was paced by Russ Ortiz
Russ Ortiz
Russell Reid Ortiz is a retired Major League baseball pitcher. Ortiz played for the Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers...
(18–9, 3.81) and Kirk Reuter (15–10, 5.41).
With the knowledge that their days in Candlestick Park were coming to an end, the 1999 season ended with a series of promotions and tributes. After the final home game of the season, which the Giants lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, home plate was ceremoniously removed and taken to the new grounds where the downtown stadium was being built.
2000–2001: Downtown baseball
In 2000, after 40 years at Candlestick ParkMonster Park
Candlestick Park is an outdoor sports and entertainment stadium located in San Francisco, California, in the Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally built as the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 until moving into Pacific Bell Park in 2000...
, the Giants bid a bittersweet farewell to their old home and relocated to a new, privately financed downtown stadium, a long-advocated move. Pacific Bell Park
AT&T Park
AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
, later renamed SBC Park
AT&T Park
AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
and then in February 2006 AT&T Park
AT&T Park
AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
, sits on the shores of China Basin (often referred to as McCovey Cove by Giants fans) at the corner of 3rd and King Streets (affectionately dubbed 24 Willie Mays Plaza). Regardless of anything that might happen on the field of play, this move represented an entirely new era for the Giants and their fans. Whereas the team used to occupy what was widely regarded as the least baseball-friendly stadium in all of Major League Baseball, a throwback to the era of suburban, multi-purpose, concrete "cookie-cutter" stadiums that so many teams moved to during the 1960s and 70s, their new home is regarded as one of the better venues in all of professional sports.
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
). AT&T Park is the centerpiece of a renaissance in San Francisco's South Beach and Mission Bay
Mission Bay, San Francisco, California
Mission Bay is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California.-Location:Mission Bay is roughly bounded by Townsend Street on the north, Third Street and San Francisco Bay on the east, Mariposa Street on the south, and 7th Street and Interstate 280 on the west.-History:It was created in 1998 by the...
neighborhoods. But most important to Giants fans, the new ballpark means they no longer have to worry about their team moving away from San Francisco, at least not any time soon.
Despite inaugural game festivities at the new ballpark, the Dodgers would spoil the 2000 season opener, with a three HR performance by little-known Kevin Elster. However, the Giants would rebound and put out a solid effort all season long, culminating with a division title and the best record in the Major Leagues. Jeff Kent paced the attack with clutch RBI hits (33 HR, 125 RBI) en route to winning the MVP award, despite Bonds's 49 HR, 106 RBI season. The pitching staff was decent but not great, although 5 starters had at least 10 victories. These included Liván Hernández (17–11, 3.75), Russ Ortiz (14–12, 5.01), Kirk Rueter (11–9, 3.96), Shawn Estes (15–6, 4.26), and Mark Gardner (11–7, 4.05). Robb Nen was nearly perfect, with 41 saves and a minute 1.50 ERA.
The Giants lost the 2000 division series to the New York Mets, three games to one. They had started out solid, winning game one bolstered by Liván Hernández
Liván Hernández
Eisler Liván Hernández Carrera is a Cuban professional baseball pitcher. He is the half-brother of pitcher Orlando "El Duque" Hernández.-Playing career:...
. However, the Mets won the next three games, despite decent performances by Shawn Estes, Russ Ortiz and Mark Gardner. Game two in particular had a tumultuous ending. Down 4–1 in the ninth, JT Snow hit a three-run home run to tie the game, but the Mets scored in the 10th to with the game.
In 2001 the Giants were eliminated from playoff contention on the second to last day of the season. Rich Aurilia put up stellar numbers (37 HR, 97 RBI, .324 BA) in support of Barry Bonds, who once again gave fans something to cheer about as he hit 73 home runs, setting a new single-season record. The pitching staff was good but not great, with Russ Ortiz (17–9, 3.29) leading a staff that also had Liván Hernández (13–15, 5.24), and Kirk Reuter (14–12, 4.42). Shawn Estes and Mark Gardner would have sub-par years, but notably Jason Schmidt (7–1, 3.39) was picked up in a mid-season acquisition from the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. Robb Nen continued to be a dominant closer (45 saves, 3.01 ERA).
2002: National League champions
In the 2002 season, the Giants finished 2nd in the NL West behind the Arizona DiamondbacksArizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
, bolstered by another MVP season for Bonds (46 HR, 110 RBI, .370 BA, a then record 198 walks and a .582 OBP) and Jeff Kent
Jeff Kent
Jeffrey Franklin Kent is a retired Major League Baseball second baseman. Kent won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, and is the all-time leader in home runs among second basemen...
(37 HR, 108 RBI and .313 BA). Additional roster support was provided by decent seasons from Benito Santiago
Benito Santiago
Benito Santiago Rivera is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player. He played for twenty seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball from to , most notably for the San Diego Padres...
and Rich Aurilia
Rich Aurilia
Richard Santo Aurilia is a former Major League Baseball player, mainly as a shortstop. He bats and throws right-handed.The 24th round pick of the Texas Rangers in the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft, Aurilia worked in the Rangers minor league system before being traded with first baseman Desi...
, plus new acquisitions David Bell
David Bell (baseball)
David Michael Bell is a former Major League Baseball third baseman who is currently the manager of the Triple-A Louisville Bats...
, Reggie Sanders
Reggie Sanders
Reginald Laverne Sanders is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed. Sanders was 24 years old when he made his major league debut on August 22, , after being selected in the 7th round of the amateur draft by the Cincinnati Reds...
and Tsuyoshi Shinjo
Tsuyoshi Shinjo
is a former Japanese professional baseball outfielder.-Career:Born in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan and raised in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, he played for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan from until , then for Major League Baseball's New York Mets and San Francisco Giants...
. The pitching staff again proved solid (but not excellent), with 5 starters having 12 wins or more, including Jason Schmidt
Jason Schmidt
Jason David Schmidt , is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher.Schmidt was born in Lewiston, Idaho. In his career he has played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , San Francisco Giants , Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves , by whom he had been drafted in the eighth round, 206th overall, of...
, whom the Giants had acquired in 2001 from the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. Closer Robb Nen
Robb Nen
Robert Allen Nen is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He spent most of his career as a closer. He is the son of former major league first baseman Dick Nen. He currently works in the Giants' front office as a special assistant to General Manager Brian Sabean.Nen is best...
had 43 saves and a 2.20 ERA, and setup men Felix Rodriguez
Félix Rodríguez (baseball)
Félix Antonio Rodríguez is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Camden Riversharks....
and Tim Worrell
Tim Worrell
Timothy Howard Worrell is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. During his fourteen-year Major League career, Worrell has pitched for nine teams, including the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, San...
were solid coming out of the bullpen.
The Giants would make the playoffs as the NL Wild Card team. In the postseason, they defeated the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in the NLDS
2002 National League Division Series
-Arizona Diamondbacks vs. St. Louis Cardinals:-Atlanta vs. San Francisco:The Atlanta Braves had won their eleventh straight division title. The San Francisco Giants were making their third appearance in the postseason since 1997...
three games to two, with Russ Ortiz winning Games 1 and 5 in Atlanta. Then they beat the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in the NLCS
2002 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 9, 2002 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri-Game 2:Thursday, October 10, 2002 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri-Game 3:Saturday, October 12, 2002 at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco, California-Game 4:...
four games to one, with wins by Reuter, Schmidt and two by Worrell in relief.
The Giants faced the American League's Wild Card team, the Anaheim Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
, in the World Series
2002 World Series
The 2002 World Series was a best-of-seven playoff series to determine the champion of Major League Baseball for the 2002 season. It was the 98th such contest between the champions of the American League and National League , and featured the AL champion Anaheim Angels against the NL champion San...
. With the Giants leading by three games to two following a 16–4 blowout win in Game 5 at Pac Bell Park and leading 5–0 in the bottom of the 7th inning of Game 6, the series' momentum changed decisively when Manager Dusty Baker
Dusty Baker
Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr. is a former player and current manager in Major League Baseball, currently the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, mostly with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers...
removed starter Russ Ortiz and handed him the "game" ball as he left the mound. Moments later, Scott Spiezio
Scott Spiezio
Scott Edward Spiezio is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He is currently an infielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League . He is well known for his time as a member of the Anaheim Angels, when he hit a 3-run home run in Game Six of the 2002 World Series against the...
hit a three-run home run for the Angels, who went on to win the game 6–5. The following night, Anaheim won Game 7, 4–1 to claim the Series. Angels third baseman Troy Glaus
Troy Glaus
Troy Edward Glaus is a Major League Baseball first baseman and third baseman who is currently a free agent. Previously, Glaus played with the Anaheim Angels , Arizona Diamondbacks , Toronto Blue Jays , St. Louis Cardinals , and the Atlanta Braves . Glaus lettered in baseball while attending UCLA...
was named MVP.
After the season 2002, the Giants would go through many personnel changes. Baker did not have his contract renewed, and left the team after 10 seasons to manage the Chicago Cubs. Closer Robb Nen had pitched despite a damaged shoulder, an injury which eventually ended his career. Jeff Kent was not re-signed, and instead went to play for the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
. Position players David Bell
David Bell (baseball)
David Michael Bell is a former Major League Baseball third baseman who is currently the manager of the Triple-A Louisville Bats...
, Reggie Sanders
Reggie Sanders
Reginald Laverne Sanders is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed. Sanders was 24 years old when he made his major league debut on August 22, , after being selected in the 7th round of the amateur draft by the Cincinnati Reds...
, Tsuyoshi Shinjo
Tsuyoshi Shinjo
is a former Japanese professional baseball outfielder.-Career:Born in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan and raised in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, he played for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan from until , then for Major League Baseball's New York Mets and San Francisco Giants...
and Kenny Lofton
Kenny Lofton
Kenneth Lofton is a former Major League Baseball outfielder known for his great speed on the base paths as well as in the field, award-winning defensive play , timely hitting, and playful spirit. He batted and threw left-handed...
, as well as pitchers Liván Hernández, Russ Ortiz
Russ Ortiz
Russell Reid Ortiz is a retired Major League baseball pitcher. Ortiz played for the Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers...
and relief pitcher Aaron Fultz
Aaron Fultz
Richard Aaron Fultz is a retired Major League Baseball relief pitcher.Drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 6th round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft, Fultz spent the first three seasons of his Major League career with them , compiling a 10-5 record in 167 games played...
all played for other teams the following season.
2003: Wire to wire
After two consecutive close second place finishes, the Giants under new manager Felipe Alou, recorded 100 victories for the seventh time in franchise history and the third time in San Francisco, winning their division for the third time in seven seasons. The team spent every day of the season in first place, just the ninth team to do so in baseball history. Their offense was paced by yet another MVP season from Bonds (45 HR, 90 RBI, .341 BA, 148 BB, and an OBP of .529). Decent offensive support was provided by Rich Aurilia, Marquis Grissom, Jose Cruz Jr., Edgardo Alfonzo, Benito Santiago, Pedro Feliz and Andres Galarraga. The pitching staff was led by Jason Schmidt (17–5, 2.34 ERA) and Kirk Reuter (10–5, 4.53), but had a dropoff after that, as no other starter had 10 wins.Once again in the playoffs, and just like in 1997, the Giants faced the Florida Marlins in the NLDS
2003 National League Division Series
-San Francisco Giants vs. Florida Marlins:-Game 1, September 30:Turner Field in Atlanta, GeorgiaIn Game 1, Kerry Wood faced Russ Ortiz. Both pitchers were on their game and in the bottom of the third the Braves struck first when Marcus Giles homered to make it 1–0 Braves. The score remained 1–0...
. Jason Schmidt won game one in San Francisco with a complete game victory, but the Marlins would win the series three games to one as the Giants bullpen proved unable to prevent their opponent from scoring. Both times the Marlins were the NL Wild Card and yet went on to win the World Series.
2004–06: Playoff drought
On November 13, 2003, Brian Sabean engineered what is considered by many to be the worst trade in Giants history. He traded Francisco LirianoFrancisco Liriano
Francisco Liriano y Casillas is a left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins.-Professional career:...
, Boof Bonser
Boof Bonser
Boof Bonser is a professional American baseball player. He is currently a pitcher in the New York Mets organization of Major League Baseball.-High school career:...
, and Joe Nathan
Joe Nathan
Joseph Michael Nathan is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball . Nathan started out his baseball career as a shortstop in high school but converted to a pitcher after being drafted by the San Francisco Giants...
for A.J. Pierzynski. Pierzynski would last only one season with the Giants.
In 2004, Barry Bonds broke his own records with 232 walks and a .609 OBP on route to his 7th and last NL MVP award (45 HR, 101 RBI, .362 BA). The team also had a solid but not stellar supporting cast including Marquis Grissom (22, 90, .279) and Pedro Feliz (22, 84, .276), along with decent showings by Ray Durham, Edgardo Alfonzo, Michael Tucker and AJ Pierzynski. Jason Schmidt was the star of the staff (18–7, 3.20 ERA, 251 SO), and the team was constantly looking for a new closer (Matt Herges and Dustin Hermanson split the role during the season). After sitting out most of the first half of the season, JT Snow led the league in hitting after the All-Star Break.
Like in 1993 and 2001, the Giants again avoided elimination from playoff contention until the final weekend of the season. The team would come close but still finished two games behind the division-winning Los Angeles Dodgers, marking the third time in four seasons the Giants would finish within 2½ games of the leader. The season ended in frustration, as San Francisco needed a three-game sweep of the Dodgers in the final weekend of the season to force a one-game playoff in San Francisco for the NL West title. After winning the first game, the Giants lost the second game 7–3 (L.A. scored seven runs in the 9th, the last four on a walkoff grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
by Steve Finley
Steve Finley
Steven Allen Finley is a former Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:Finley, who grew up in Paducah, Kentucky, attended Paducah Tilghman High School and Southern Illinois University, where he earned a degree in physiology and played for the baseball team from 1984–87.-College, Team USA,...
) as the Dodgers clinched the division title. Houston
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
won the wildcard spot the next day, rendering the Giants' season finale (a victory) meaningless.
The Giants' 2005 season was the team's least successful since moving to its new stadium. Bonds missed most of the season with a knee injury, closer Armando Benitez
Armando Benítez
Armando Germán Benítez is a relief pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Baltimore Orioles:...
was injured for four months, and ace Jason Schmidt struggled after numerous injuries. However, team management has taken advantage of the off year to give playing time to numerous young players, including pitchers Noah Lowry
Noah Lowry
Noah Ryan Lowry is a free agent left-handed starting pitcher formerly of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball.-College and the MLB Draft:...
, Brad Hennessey
Brad Hennessey
Brad Martin Hennessey is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He attended Whitmer High School.-Professional career:...
, Kevin Correia
Kevin Correia
Kevin John Correia is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates.-Early life:...
, Scott Munter
Scott Munter
Scott Michael Munter is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently playing in the San Diego Padres organization. He attended St. James/Seton grade school and Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Nebraska...
, Matt Cain
Matt Cain
Matthew Thomas Cain is an American Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants...
, and Jeremy Accardo
Jeremy Accardo
Jeremy Lee Accardo is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.-San Francisco Giants:...
, as well as first baseman Lance Niekro
Lance Niekro
Lance William Niekro is a former Major League Baseball player, nephew of Phil Niekro, and son of Joe Niekro. Niekro currently serves as an assistant coach at Florida Southern College....
and outfielders Jason Ellison
Jason Ellison
Jason Jerome Ellison is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He attended Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston, Idaho, and made his major league debut on May 9, ....
and Todd Linden
Todd Linden
Todd Anthony "Moose" Linden is an outfielder in the North American League for the Edmonton Capitals organization.-Early life:...
. The acquisition of Randy Winn
Randy Winn
Dwight Randolph Winn is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder. Winn was a switch hitter, and threw right-handed. He played college baseball at Santa Clara University and made his Major League debut in 1998 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays...
from the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
also proved invaluable in the stretch run.
On May 25, the Giants held a celebration in honor of Baseball Hall of Famer Juan Marichal
Juan Marichal
Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Playing for the San Francisco Giants most of his career, Marichal was known for his high leg kick, pinpoint control and intimidation tactics, which included aiming pitches directly at the opposing batters'...
. A statue of Marichal was dedicated on the plaza outside of the ballpark. Leonel Fernández
Leonel Fernández
Leonel Antonio Fernández Reyna is a Dominican lawyer, academic, and the current President of the Dominican Republic since 2004. He held the same office from 1996 to 2000...
, the President of the Dominican Republic, was in attendance. In the two games which followed the ceremonies, the Giants wore uniforms with the word "Gigantes" on the front (the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
word for "Giants"). On July 14, 2005, the franchise won their 10,000th contest defeating their long-time rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, 4–3, becoming the first professional sports franchise to win 10,000 games.
On September 28, the Giants were officially eliminated from the NL West race after losing to the division champion San Diego Padres. The team finished the season in third place, with a record of 75–87, their worst season (and first losing record) since 1996. Despite the disappointing finish, manager Felipe Alou was offered a one-year extension of his contract by Giants management.
The Giants were expected to contend in 2006, as they were bolstered by a strong starting staff. Despite a losing streak in May, and the worst batting performance by Barry Bonds in fifteen years, the Giants did contend in the less-than-stellar Western Division and by July 23 were in first place. On that day, however, during the last game of a home stand and leading San Diego going into the 9th inning, closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
Armando Benitez
Armando Benítez
Armando Germán Benítez is a relief pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Baltimore Orioles:...
blew a save by giving up a home run and the Giants lost in extra innings. That was the first loss of a horrendous three-week stretch that saw San Francisco go 3–16, losing nine games by one run.
At the end of August the Giants recovered to again contend for both the division crown and the Wild Card berth. Bonds returned to form after his legs healed (batting .400—34 for 85—in 27 games from August 21 to September 23), the starting staff pitched well enough to lead the National League in ERA among starters, and the team found an effective closer in Mike Stanton, acquired in a trade at the end of July. However on the final road trip of the season the Giants lost eight of nine games to fall out of all contention for post-season play, despite an offensive explosion by both Bonds and right-fielder Moisés Alou
Moisés Alou
Moisés Rojas Alou |Spanish:]] ; born July 3, 1966 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former American outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for 17 seasons in the National League. In 1,942 career games, Alou had a batting average of .303 with 2,134 hits, 421 doubles, 332 home runs, and 1,287 runs...
. The starting staff collapsed, bombed in all nine games, and Giants pitching gave up 93 runs on the trip (by comparison, the Giants gave up 86 runs during the 19-game losing span in August), and the Giants were "officially eliminated" on September 25, and finished the season with a record of 76–85, just 1½ games better than the previous season.
On October 2, 2006, the day after the end of the regular season, the Giants announced that they would not renew the contract of manager Felipe Alou, but did extend him an offer to remain with the club in an advisory role to the general manager and to baseball operations.
2007: End of the Bonds era
With 11 free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
s excluding Jason Schmidt who has now signed with the Dodgers for roughly $15 million a year, a new manager on board with Bruce Bochy
Bruce Bochy
Bruce Douglas Bochy is the manager of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to joining the Giants, Bochy had been the manager of the San Diego Padres for twelve seasons. Bochy is the only former Padres player to serve as the team's manager. He has participated in all five postseason appearances in...
coming from division rival San Diego, and the loss of veteran catcher Mike Matheny
Mike Matheny
Michael Scott Matheny is the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. He is also a former baseball catcher, playing for four different teams during his thirteen years in the major leagues...
due to complications resulting from concussions sustained during his career,http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20070201&content_id=1792021&vkey=pr_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf the Giants' prospects for the 2007 season were less than favorable going into the winter off-season. Since then, the team has agreed to several deals—resigning Pedro Feliz
Pedro Feliz
Pedro Julio Feliz is a Dominican Republic minor league baseball third baseman for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball. Feliz has hit 20 or more home runs in four of his first five seasons as a starting third baseman and is an above average fielder at third base...
, Ray Durham
Ray Durham
Ray Durham , nicknamed The Sugarman, is a former Major League Baseball second baseman.A two-time All-Star, Durham in his prime was one of the premier offensive catalysts in all of baseball, providing prototypical lead-off hitting with power...
, Barry Bonds and old time Giants fans favorite Rich Aurilia, and picking up catcher Bengie Molina
Bengie Molina
Benjamin José "Bengie" Molina , nicknamed "Big Money", is a former Major League Baseball catcher.He is the older brother of major league catchers José Molina and Yadier Molina....
, Ryan Klesko
Ryan Klesko
Ryan Anthony Klesko , is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and corner outfielder, who played for the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and the San Francisco Giants...
, and Dave Roberts. They also signed free agent pitcher Barry Zito
Barry Zito
Barry Zito is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. He previously played seven seasons with the Oakland Athletics, where he won the 2002 American League Cy Young Award and made three All-Star teams....
to a seven year contract worth $126 million. The deal, which was the richest contract for a pitcher in baseball history, includes a $20 million player option for an eighth year. On January 9, 2007, the Giants resigned pitcher Russ Ortiz to compete for the fifth starting position in spring training. Ortiz was slotted for the position in late March due to his outstanding spring.
Their fortunes then see-sawed down again as they went from Los Angeles to Phoenix and were swept by the Diamondbacks, characterized by a lack of situational hitting and a return of a spotty bullpen. Manager Bochy struggled to find hitters ahead of Bonds who could get on base, with Vizquel possibly showing his age in a miserable slump and Aurilia swinging poorly. The Giants also were not managing to get on base by walks, getting only 69 in their first 24 games (Bonds with a third of those) while giving up 101 to the opposition. Bonds knocked in four runners on May 2 to spark a come-from-behind win over the Rockies in the rubber match of the first series of a 10-game homestand. The next night against Philadelphia, who in the recent past had been a nightmare to the Giants, Matt Cain was shelled for seven runs in three innings, his worst outing in his Major League career to that point. Despite a five-run sixth inning for the Giants, the Phils won 9–7.
Following a mediocre 10-game homestand that saw them go 3–4 against the Phillies and Mets, the Giants went 4–6 on a ten-game road trip through Colorado
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
, Houston
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
and Oakland
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
. The Giants then returned home for six games, sweeping Houston in three games before being swept by Colorado. That heralded another mediocre 4–6 road trip going into June that saw them lose three times on walk-off home runs. Returning to AT&T for interleague play against the rival A's, they were again swept, going scoreless over the last 21 innings, in a seemingly unending downward spiral into last place.
The following weekend, playing the Red Sox in Boston for the first time since 1912, the Giants failed to get a hit 16 successive times with runners in scoring position, and one out of 30 overall, as Barry Zito was blasted 10–2 and Matt Cain suffered his second consecutive 1–0 loss. Swept in Boston, they then went to Milwaukee and were swept by the Brewers. Against the New York Yankees after returning home June 22, they lost their eighth in a row, but recovered to win games two and three for the series win. Despite winning three in a row, they again began to lose games in improbable fashion again, stringing together three "tough losses" to fall 12 games back in the division before the All-Star break.
Following the All Star Break, the Giants were swept in a three game series against the Dodgers before heading to Chicago to play a four game series against the Chicago Cubs. The Giants won game two of the series and in game four, Barry Bonds hit career homers 752 and 753 in a comeback effort which resulted in an 8–9 loss to the cubs. The two homers brought Bonds to within two long balls of tying Hank Aaron's career record of 755.
Bonds' proximity to the record brought heavy media attention to the San Francisco Giants. The added pressure did not seem to adversely effect the team's performance, however, with the team going on to win two out of three games versus the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and two out of four versus the Atlanta Braves.
On July 27, in the first inning of the Giants' three game series against the Florida Marlins, Bonds hit his 754th career home run. Also contributing to the Giants' 12–10 victory was pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney
Mark Sweeney
Mark Patrick Sweeney is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. He is best known for his skill as a pinch hitter, where he ranks second in career pinch hits with 175 and first in career pinch hit runs batted in with 102....
, who moved ahead of Manny Mota
Manny Mota
Manuel Rafael Mota Geronimo, more commonly known as Manny Mota was a Major League Baseball Outfielder for the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Montreal Expos and most notably the Los Angeles Dodgers, best known for his pinch hitting abilities...
on the all time pinch hits list with a clutch RBI single in the sixth inning.
Late July would also see the offensive resurgence of players throughout the Giants' line-up. Omar Vizquel, Ray Durham, Pedro Feliz and Dave Roberts would all return to form and contribute to a four game winning streak which ended with a loss to the Marlins in the series finale on July 29.
The Giants would continue playing winning baseball against the Dodgers, winning two of three in Los Angeles. Prior to the first game of the series, pitcher Matt Morris, who had been having a solid year, was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
in exchange for Rajai Davis
Rajai Davis
Rajai Davis [RAH-jay] is an American professional baseball center fielder with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball....
, a young outfielder who immediately showcased his speed in center field and on the basepaths. Bonds went homerless in all three games in Los Angeles.
In the first game of a three game series versus the Padres in San Diego, Giants pitcher Matt Cain
Matt Cain
Matthew Thomas Cain is an American Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants...
's tough luck continued as the Giants lost in extra innings by a score of 3-4. Bonds was hitless in the game.
Leading off in the top of the second inning of game two versus the Padres, before a sell-out crowd at PETCO Park
PETCO Park
Petco Park is an open-air ballpark in downtown San Diego, California, USA. It opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the home park of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. Before then, the Padres shared Qualcomm Stadium with the NFL's San Diego Chargers...
, Barry Bonds hit a high fastball off the facing of the upper deck in left field for his 755th career home run. The opposite-field shot tied the game at 1-1 and tied Hank Aaron for the all-time home run record. The Giants lost in extra innings, this time by a score of 2-3.
In the bottom of the 5th inning at home against the Nationals on August 7, 2007, Bonds hit his 756th home run which caused a melee in the crowd. Hank Aaron appeared on the big screen and congratulated Bonds. The Giants went on to lose the game 8 to 6.
On August 9, 2007, Mark Sweeney was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for AA second baseman Travis Denker. The trade was the first between the Giants and the Dodgers since 1985.
After the historical week at Willie Mays Plaza, the Giants embarked on a grueling road trip which included a double header in Pittsburgh (makeup games from April rainouts), a three game series in Atlanta and a four game set in Florida. These three cities are notorious for derailing the Giants late in the season. However, as miserable as 2007 had been for the club, the Giants surprised many by going 6-3, including a four game sweep of Florida, and a double header split with Pittsburgh in which Rajai Davis
Rajai Davis
Rajai Davis [RAH-jay] is an American professional baseball center fielder with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball....
(whom the Pirates traded to the Giants) got his revenge by hitting 3 for 7. He also made a game ending catch which made highlight reels across the country.
The discouraging theme of 2007 would continue with the team's return to San Francisco. Tim Lincecum
Tim Lincecum
Timothy Leroy Lincecum is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He was nicknamed "The Freak" and "Big Time Timmy Jim" and "The Franchise." He throws right-handed and bats left-handed....
held the Chicago Cubs to two hits through eight innings on August 21, but the team scored only one run, losing to the Cubs by a score of 5-1.
On September 22, 2007, the Giants officially announced that the team would not re-sign Barry Bonds for the 2008 season. After much speculation and debate, owner Peter Magowan
Peter Magowan
Peter A. Magowan is the former managing general partner of the San Francisco Giants Major League Baseball franchise.-Early life and career:...
announced Bonds' departure at a press conference, stressing the fact that the Giants needed to get younger and start fielding a more efficient offense.
Barry Bonds played his last game as a San Francisco Giant on September 26, 2007. He went 0 for 3, driving a ball to deep right-center field in his final at bat. Despite never officially announcing his retirement from baseball, he never played again.
2008: Without Bonds
The 2008 season marked the first year that Barry Bonds was not a member of the team since first signing with them in 1992. The Giants signed former Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
outfielder Aaron Rowand
Aaron Rowand
Aaron Ryan Rowand is an outfielder in Major League Baseball who has played for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies. He was released by the Giants in September 2011.-Early life and college career:...
to a 5-year, $60 million contract. Barry Zito
Barry Zito
Barry Zito is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. He previously played seven seasons with the Oakland Athletics, where he won the 2002 American League Cy Young Award and made three All-Star teams....
once again got off to a poor start, losing his first eight decisions. However, the team found hope in pitcher Tim Lincecum
Tim Lincecum
Timothy Leroy Lincecum is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He was nicknamed "The Freak" and "Big Time Timmy Jim" and "The Franchise." He throws right-handed and bats left-handed....
. After going 7–5 in his first stint in 2007 with the Giants, he exploded onto the scene this year winning four straight before losing his 1st game of the year on April 29, 2008, to the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
. Lincecum was selected to the 2008 MLB All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium but was unable to pitch due to being hospitalized with flu-like symptoms. He went on to win the 2008 NL Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
, finishing at 18–5. He was the first Giant to do so since Mike McCormick
Mike McCormick (pitcher)
Michael Francis McCormick is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the New York Giants from 1956 to 1958, then the San Francisco Giants from 1958 to 1970...
won it in 1967. The Giants finished the season in fourth place in the NL West with a record of 72–90.
2009: A mix of the Old and the New
During the off season, the Giants strengthened their pitching staff by acquiring veteran starting pitcher Randy JohnsonRandy Johnson
Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams....
and relievers Bobby Howry and Jeremy Affeldt
Jeremy Affeldt
Jeremy David Affeldt is an American baseball professional pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He throws and bats left-handed. Previously, he has played for the Kansas City Royals, the Colorado Rockies, and the Cincinnati Reds....
. The Giants also signed infielders Edgar Renteria
Edgar Rentería
Edgar Enrique Rentería Herazo , nicknamed "The Barranquilla Baby," is a Colombian professional baseball shortstop. He throws and bats right-handed. Previously, he has played for the Florida Marlins, the St...
and Juan Uribe
Juan Uribe
Juan C. Uribe Tena is a Dominican Republic professional baseball infielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. He began his career in 1997 when he was signed to the Colorado Rockies, and played with the team until December 3, 2003 when he was traded to the Chicago White Sox...
. Despite these new acquisitions however, questions still lingered about the teams offensive abilities and whether they would be able to contend. Nonetheless, the team compiled a 49–39 record by the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 80th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 14, 2009, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, the home of the...
, good enough for second place in the NL West.
In addition to the team's overall performance, the first half of the season provided several memorable moments for the players themselves. Highlights included Johnson earning his 300th career victory
300 win club
In Major League Baseball, the 300 win club refers to the group of pitchers—24 as of 2011—who have won 300 or more games. While the "300 club" is an informal group, becoming a member is among the highest accomplishments a starting pitcher can achieve. Several members retired soon after winning their...
, becoming the twenty-fourth pitcher in Major League history to do so, as well as struggling starter Jonathan Sánchez
Jonathan Sanchez
Jonathan O. Sánchez is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals....
tossing a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
on July 10, the first Giants no-hitter since 1976 when John Montefusco
John Montefusco
John Joseph Montefusco Jr. is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1974 to 1986 for the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and New York Yankees. Named the National League Rookie of the Year in 1975, Montefusco's nickname was "The Count", a pun on his last name which...
no-hit the Braves. 2009's pitching staff will go down as one of the strongest starting rotations in Giants history.
The Giants sent two of their starting pitchers to the All-Star Game. Matt Cain
Matt Cain
Matthew Thomas Cain is an American Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants...
, who did not pitch due to a minor elbow injury, and Tim Lincecum
Tim Lincecum
Timothy Leroy Lincecum is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He was nicknamed "The Freak" and "Big Time Timmy Jim" and "The Franchise." He throws right-handed and bats left-handed....
, who was chosen to be the starting pitcher for the National League. It was Lincecum's 2nd straight all-star game appearance and Cain's 1st. The Giants narrowly missed sending a third player the game, as third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
Pablo Sandoval
Pablo Sandoval
Pablo E. Sandoval , nicknamed Kung Fu Panda, is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. Sandoval is a 5'11", 237 pound switch hitter. He was born left handed, but did not want to have to play outfield all of his career. He therefore...
was a leading contender to be the fan's vote for the final roster spot. However the vote went to Philadelphia Phillies' outfielder Shane Victorino
Shane Victorino
Shane Patrick Victorino is an outfielder in Major League Baseball who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. He is a switch-hitter and throws right-handed.-Career:...
.
On July 10, Jonathan Sánchez
Jonathan Sanchez
Jonathan O. Sánchez is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals....
, spot starting in place of an injured Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson
Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams....
and on his first start upon returning to the starting rotation after a brief demotion to the bullpen, threw a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
against the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
. Sánchez issued no walks (the only runner reached on an error by third baseman Juan Uribe
Juan Uribe
Juan C. Uribe Tena is a Dominican Republic professional baseball infielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. He began his career in 1997 when he was signed to the Colorado Rockies, and played with the team until December 3, 2003 when he was traded to the Chicago White Sox...
) and struck out a career-high eleven hitters in the game, which was also his first major league complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
and shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
and the first no-hitter ever thrown at AT&T Park. He threw 110 pitches to complete the game, with a final score of 8–0 for the Giants.
On July 19, the club announced that Sue Burns
Sue Burns
Sue Burns was an American businesswoman who was the senior general partner of the San Francisco Giants baseball franchise.-Early life:...
, the team's senior general partner who was a virtual fixture in her seat adjacent to the Giants' dugout, died early Sunday morning of cancer. She was 58. Burns was the widow of Harmon Burns, who died in November 2006 at age 61. A financier in the San Francisco Bay Area, Harmon Burns was a key member of the investor group that purchased the Giants from Bob Lurie after the 1992 season and prevented them from moving to Tampa-St. Petersburg. On July 27, the Giants honored Burns in a pre-game ceremony in which Barry Bonds was also in attendance. In the game, ace pitcher Tim Lincecum struck out a career-high 15 batters and the Giants defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4–2.
On July 20, the Giants traded one of their top prospects, double-a pitcher Tim Alderson
Tim Alderson
Timothy Alderson is a pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.-Baseball career:Alderson was drafted by the San Francisco Giants 22nd overall in the first round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft...
, for Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
second baseman Freddy Sanchez
Freddy Sanchez
Frederick Phillip "Freddy" Sanchez, Jr. is a Major League Baseball second baseman for the San Francisco Giants. Sanchez has previously played for the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants...
. Alderson was the first round pick in the 2007 draft and was ranked the number four prospect in the Giants organization by Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
, but Sanchez provided a much needed jump for the Giants offense, who ended the 2009 season batting .293 with 41 runs batted in and 22 walks.
On September 11, the Giants added another key player when they brought up Buster Posey
Buster Posey
Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III is a catcher for the San Francisco Giants. He was drafted by the Giants fifth overall in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft....
from the Giants triple-a affiliate Fresno Grizzlies
Fresno Grizzlies
The Fresno Grizzlies are a minor league baseball team based in Fresno, California. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League , is the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club. The Grizzlies play in Chukchansi Park , located in downtown Fresno and built in 2002...
. Buster Posey was one of the most talked about minor league players throughout 2009, and played in seven games in the 2009 season. When playing college ball at Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
, he was the only player in college ball history to play every position in a single game. After the Giants traded Bengie Molina to the Rangers in June 2010, Posey replaced him as starting catcher.
On September 23, in beating the Diamondbacks 5–2, the Giants clinched a winning season at 82–70. This was their first winning season since 2004. On September 30, the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
' 10–6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
eliminated the Giants from the Wild Card race for 2009.
The Giants completed the 2009 regular season at 88–74, 14 games above .500, winning 16 more games than the previous season. Finishing in third place in the NL West behind the Colorado Rockies and first-place Los Angeles Dodgers, the Giants moved up one spot from 2008. With the emergence of star player Pablo Sandoval alongside a dominant pitching staff, the Giants look forward to making the playoffs next year for the first time since 2003.
2010-present: Torture and Triumph
In 2010, in a season described with the slogan "Giants' Baseball: Torture" by broadcaster Duane KuiperDuane Kuiper
Duane Eugene Kuiper is a former Major League Baseball second baseman, and is currently a five-time Emmy award-winning radio and television sportscaster for the San Francisco Giants...
, the club won the championship of the Western Division for the first time since 2003 after trailing the San Diego Padres most of the season. On July 4, after losing a four-game road series in Colorado, the Giants' record stood at 41-40 at the half-way point of the season. Boosted by a 21-game hitting streak by rookie catcher Buster Posey, called up in May from AAA Fresno, the Giants then won 19 of the remaining 24 games in July. August saw a losing record of 13-15, as the club lost four series against the Braves, Padres, Phillies, and Cardinals. On August 25, despite overcoming a 10-1 deficit in the 5th inning, the Giants lost to the Reds in extra innings at home to drop 6.5 games behind San Diego. Three days later, following an 11-3 debacle at home against the Diamondbacks, Sabean and Bochy held a private meeting with the starting pitchers, who had gone 5-13 with a 5.56 ERA in August, including 14 straight starts without a win.
In August and September, the slogan for the Giants became "Fear the Beard" as they made their push for the playoffs. Brian Wilson and Sergio Romo grew out their facial hair as an intimidation factor and for fun. As their beards grew longer, it became apparent that they used black dye on their beards, although they do not admit it. AT&T Park filled with "Fear the Beard" signs as well as Giants fans with fake black beards. The "Fear the Beard" slogan took the place of the one from the previous season, "We're in this thing!".
The Padres suffered a 10-game losing streak going into September, and on the 5th the Giants beat the Dodgers 3-0 to move to within a game of first place. Despite being shut out four times in ten games, the Giants recorded an 18–8 September to move into first by three games as the pitching staff achieved a team ERA of 1.78, the lowest in the National League in a September stretch run since the 1965 Dodgers. The division title came down to the final three games of the year in October, at home against San Diego, with the Giants clinching in the last regular season game, 3-0. Jonathan Sanchez
Jonathan Sanchez
Jonathan O. Sánchez is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals....
, who had been ridiculed in August when he failed to make good a boast that the Giants would sweep the Padres, led the September charge with a 3-1 record and 1.17 ERA, and took the win in the clincher. Closer Brian Wilson finished the game for his franchise record-tying and major league-leading 48th save. In the second half of the season the Giants went 51-30. After a 9-20 first half against division opponents, the Giants won 29 of their remaining 43 division games.
2010 World Series Champions
In the 2010 National League Division Series2010 National League Division Series
The 2010 National League Division Series were two best-of-five game series to determine the participating teams in the 2010 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners and a fourth team—a "Wild Card"—played in two series from October 6 to 11...
, the Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves three games to one in a very competitive series, splitting at home and then sweeping them at Turner Field
Turner Field
Turner Field is a stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, home to Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves since 1997. Turner Field was originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium, it was completed in 1996 to serve as the centerpiece of the 1996 Summer Olympics...
. Each game was decided by one run, with Tim Lincecum
Tim Lincecum
Timothy Leroy Lincecum is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He was nicknamed "The Freak" and "Big Time Timmy Jim" and "The Franchise." He throws right-handed and bats left-handed....
striking out 14 in a complete game 1-0 shutout, Atlanta coming from behind to win game 2 5-4 after being down 4-0 in the seventh inning, and the Giants scoring comeback victories in the final two games, both by scores of 3-2. Following game 4, both teams and Atlanta fans gave retiring manager Bobby Cox
Bobby Cox
Robert Joseph "Bobby" Cox is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and manager. He first led the Atlanta Braves from 1978 to 1981, and then managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985. He later rejoined the Braves in 1985 as a general manager...
a standing ovation.
In the ensuing National League Championship Series
2010 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 16, 2010 — 7:30 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaIn one of the most touted postseason pitching matchups in recent history, two former Cy Young Award winners faced off: Roy Halladay for the Phillies and Tim Lincecum for the Giants...
, the Giants took a 3-1 advantage over the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, winning two games at home after splitting the first two at Philadelphia. Starting pitcher for the Giants Tim Lincecum
Tim Lincecum
Timothy Leroy Lincecum is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He was nicknamed "The Freak" and "Big Time Timmy Jim" and "The Franchise." He throws right-handed and bats left-handed....
rematched against the Phillies' Roy Halladay
Roy Halladay
Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III , nicknamed "Doc", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies...
in Game 5. The Giants failed to beat Roy Halladay
Roy Halladay
Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III , nicknamed "Doc", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies...
, losing 4-2, forcing a return trip to Philadelphia. In Game Six, the Giants beat Philadelphia by a final score of 3–2 when Uribe hit a home run in the eighth inning, to win the NLCS 4–2 and advance to face the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
in the 2010 World Series
2010 World Series
The 2010 World Series was the 106th occurrence of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff, played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion San Francisco Giants, began on Wednesday, , and ended on Monday, , with the Giants...
. Because the National League won the All-Star Game, the Giants had home-field advantage in the World Series
2010 World Series
The 2010 World Series was the 106th occurrence of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff, played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion San Francisco Giants, began on Wednesday, , and ended on Monday, , with the Giants...
with the first two games in San Francisco, the next three games in Texas (the last if necessary), and the following two games (if necessary) back in San Francisco.
Despite falling behind 2-0 early, the Giants won the first game of the World Series, 11-7, over the Rangers, backed by Freddy Sanchez
Freddy Sanchez
Frederick Phillip "Freddy" Sanchez, Jr. is a Major League Baseball second baseman for the San Francisco Giants. Sanchez has previously played for the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants...
's three doubles, setting a World Series record for the most doubles by one player in a game. The game also saw the Giants set the record for the most runs (6) ever scored in a single half-inning in a World Series since 1933. The next day, the Giants won game 2 of the World Series, crushing the Rangers 9-0 after the Rangers walked 4 in a row and allowed 7 runs to the Giants in the 8th inning. Matt Cain also had a dominant game, pitiching 7 2/3 innings without giving up a single run. The Giants went on to lose Game 3 in Arlington, Texas 4-2 after a 3-run homerun from Ranger's rookie, Mitch Moreland, in the second inning and a solo homerun by Josh Hamilton in the fifth. Game 4 belonged to the Giants, as Madison Bumgarner
Madison Bumgarner
Madison Bumgarner is an American baseball pitcher with the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. Bumgarner is listed 6'5" and 225 pounds and has a 90–95 MPH fastball...
shut out the Rangers, 4-0, with home runs by Huff and Posey. The Giants, along with Tim Lincecum, won Game 5 by a score of 3-1. Lincecum outduelled Cliff Lee in an every-pitch-matters matchup that was scoreless until Renteria hit a stunning three-run homer with two outs in the seventh inning. Nelson Cruz homered in the bottom half, but Lincecum returned to his wicked self and preserved the lead, and when Brian Wilson struck out Cruz to end the 9th, the Giants brought about a series of first championships, not just for the Giants, but also for the city of San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. Renteria would be named World Series MVP as he hit .412 with two home runs and six runs batted in.
The firsts with the championship were:
- Giants:
- Championship since , when in New York.
- Championship since moving to San Francisco.
- City and County of San Francisco:
- World Series championship.
- Major sports championship since the 49ersSan Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
won Super Bowl XXIXSuper Bowl XXIXSuper Bowl XXIX was an American football game played on January 29, 1995 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1994 regular season...
in 1995.
- San Francisco Bay Area:
- World Series championship since the Oakland AthleticsOakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
swept the Giants in . - Major sports championship since the 49ers win in Super Bowl XXIX.
- World Series championship since the Oakland Athletics
In summing up the firsts, Larry Baer, the president of the Giants and a fourth generation resident of San Francisco, said that the team dedicated the championship to everyone who has worn a Giants uniform, and all Giants fans since the team's move to San Francisco, honoring 53 years of baseball in the city.
Overall the Giants have won 6 World championships (5 as the New York Giants, 1 as the San Francisco Giants), 21 pennants, 7 Western Division titles and 1 wild-card berth in the team's multiple post-season appearances. The San Francisco team has appeared in the post-season nine times in 53 years, going to the World Series four times.