History of the San Francisco Giants

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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, Gaylord Perry and Barry Bonds.

[edit] New York Giants history

[edit] Early days and the John McGraw era

One of the most storied of all major North American professional sports teams the Giants began life as the second baseball club founded by millionaire tobacconist John B. Day and veteran amateur baseball player Jim Mutrie. The Gothams (as the Giants were originally known) were their entry to the National League in 1883, while their other club, the Metropolitans (the original Mets) played in the American Association. Nearly half of the original Gotham players were members of the disbanded Troy Trojans, whose place in the National League the Gothams inherited. While the Metropolitans were initially the more successful club, Day and Mutrie began moving star players to the Gothams and the team won its first National League pennant in 1888, as well as a victory over the St. Louis Browns in an early incarnation of the World Series. They repeated as champions the next year with a pennant and World Series victory over the Brooklyn Bridegrooms.

It is said that after one particularly satisfying victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, Mutrie (who was also the team's manager) stormed into the dressing room and exclaimed, "My big fellows! My giants!" From then on, the club was known as the Giants.

1908–16, 1919–22, 1928–29

1923–27, 1930–31

1948–57

The Giants' original home stadium, the Polo Grounds, also dates from this early era. The first of the Polo Grounds was located north of Central Park adjacent to Fifth and Sixth Avenues and 110th and 112th Streets in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. Upon eviction from the Polo Grounds after the 1888 season, the Giants moved uptown and renamed various fields the Polo Grounds which were located between 155th and 159th Streets in the New York City neighborhoods of Harlem and Washington Heights. The Giants played at the Polo Grounds until the end of the 1957 season, when they moved to San Francisco.

The Giants remained a powerhouse during the last half of the 1880s, culminating in their first league pennant in 1889. However, in 1890, nearly all of the Giants' stars jumped to the upstart Players' League, whose New York franchise was also named the Giants. The new team even built its park next door to the National League Giants' Polo Grounds. With a decimated roster, the Giants finished a distant sixth. Attendance took a nosedive, and the financial strain affected Day's tobacco business as well. The Players' League dissolved after the season, and Day sold a minority interest to the PL Giants' principal backer, Edward Talcott. As a condition of the sale, Day had to fire Mutrie as manager. Although the Giants rebounded to third in 1891, Day was forced to sell controlling interest to Talcott at the end of the season.

Four years later, Talcott sold the Giants to Andrew Freedman, a real estate developer with ties to Tammany Hall. Freedman was one of the most detested owners in baseball history, getting into heated disputes with other owners, writers and his own players. The most famous one was with star pitcher Amos Rusie. When Freedman only offered Rusie $2,500 for 1896, Rusie sat out the entire season. Attendance fell off throughout the league due to the loss of Rusie, prompting the other owners to chip in $5,000 to get him to return for 1897. Also, out of pure spite, Freedman hired former owner Day--by now a broken man--as manager for part of 1899.

In 1902, after a series of disastrous moves that left the Giants 53½ games behind, Freedman signed John McGraw as a player-manager. McGraw would go on and manage the Giants for three decades, one of the longest tenures in professional sports. That would be Freedman's last significant move as owner of the Giants; after the season he was forced to sell his interest to John T. Brush. Under McGraw, the Giants would win ten National League pennants and three World Series championships.

The Giants already had their share of stars during its brief history at this point, such as Smiling Mickey Welch, Roger Connor, Tim Keefe, Jim O'Rourke and John Montgomery Ward, the player-lawyer who formed the renegade Players League in 1890 to protest unfair player contracts. McGraw would also cultivate his own crop of baseball heroes during his time with the Giants. Names such as Christy Mathewson, Iron Man Joe McGinnity, Bill Terry, Jim Thorpe, Mel Ott, Casey Stengel, and Red Ames are just a sample of the many players who honed their skills under McGraw.

The Giants under McGraw famously snubbed their first ever modern World Series chance in 1904—an encounter with the reigning world champion Boston Americans (now known as the "Red Sox")—because McGraw considered the new American League as little more than a minor league. His original reluctance was because the intra-city rival New York Highlanders looked like they would win the AL pennant. The Highlanders lost to Boston on the last day, but the Giants stuck by their refusal. McGraw had also managed the Highlanders in their first two seasons, when they were known as the Baltimore Orioles.

The ensuing criticism resulted in Brush leading an effort to formalize the rules and format of the World Series. The Giants won the 1905 World Series over the Philadelphia Athletics, with Christy Mathewson nearly winning the Series single-handedly. It would be the last time (as of the beginning of the 2007 season) that the Giants would best the A's in a post-season series.

The Giants then had several frustrating years. In 1908 they finished in a tie with the Chicago Cubs and had a one-game playoff at the Polo Grounds. The game was a replay of a tied game that resulted from the Merkle Boner. They lost the rematch to the Cubs, who would go on to win their second World Series. That post-season game was further darkened by a story that someone on the Giants had attempted to bribe umpire Bill Klem. This could have been a disastrous scandal for baseball, but because Klem was honest and the Giants lost, it faded over time.

The Giants experienced some hard luck in the early 1910s, losing three straight World Series to the A's, the Red Sox, then the A's again. (The Giants and the A's both won pennants in 1913; two seasons later, both teams finished in last place). After losing the 1917 Series to the Chicago White Sox (the White Sox's last World Series win until 2005), the Giants played in four straight World Series in the early 1920s, winning the first two over their tenants, the Yankees, then losing to the Yankees in 1923 when Yankee Stadium opened. They also lost in 1924, when the Washington Senators won their only World Series in their history (prior to their move to Minnesota).

[edit] 1930–57: Five pennants in 28 seasons

McGraw handed over the team to Bill Terry in 1932, and Terry played for and managed the Giants for ten years. During this time the Giants won three pennants, defeating the Senators in the 1933 World Series and losing to the Yankees in 1936 and 1937. Aside from Terry himself, the other stars of the era were Ott and Carl Hubbell, one of the very few pitchers in baseball history to master the screwball (along with Mathewson and Fernando Valenzuela). Known as "King Carl" and "The Meal Ticket", Hubbell gained fame during the 1934 All-Star Game, when he struck out five Hall of Famers in a row: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin.

Mel Ott succeeded Terry as manager in 1942, but the war years proved to be difficult for the Giants. Midway during the 1948 season Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher left the Dodgers to became manager of the Giants. This hire was not without controversy. Not only was the mid-season switch unusual, but Durocher had been accused of gambling in 1947 and subsequently suspended for the entire 1947 season by Baseball Commissioner Albert "Happy" Chandler. Durocher remained at the helm of the Giants through the 1955 season, and those eight years proved to be some of the most memorable for Giants fans, particularly because of the arrival of Willie Mays and arguably the two most famous plays in Giants' history.

Bobby Thomson hits the "Shot Heard 'Round the World".

[edit] 1951: The "Shot Heard 'Round the World"

Main article: Shot Heard 'Round the World (baseball)

One of the more famous episodes in major league baseball history, and possibly one of the greatest moments in sports history, the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" is the name given to Bobby Thomson's walk-off home run that clinched the National League pennant for the Giants over their rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers. This game was the third of a three-game playoff series resulting from one of baseball's most memorable pennant races. The Giants had been thirteen and a half games behind the league-leading Dodgers in August, but under Durocher's guidance and with the aid of a sixteen-game winning streak, caught the Dodgers to tie for the lead on the last day of the season.

The Catch: Willie Mays hauls in Vic Wertz's drive at the warning track in the 1954 World Series.

[edit] Mays' catch and the 1954 Series

Main article: The Catch (baseball)

In game one of the 1954 World Series at the Polo Grounds, Willie Mays made "The Catch"—a dramatic over-the-shoulder catch off a line drive by Vic Wertz to deep center field. At the time the game had been tied 2-2 in the eighth inning. With men on first and second and nobody out, an extra-base hit could have blown the game wide open, and given the Cleveland Indians the momentum to win not only Game One, but perhaps the World Series itself. Instead, Mays caught the ball 450 feet from the plate, whirled and threw the ball to the infield, keeping the lead runner—Larry Doby—from scoring.

The underdog Giants went on to sweep the series in four straight, despite the Cleveland Indians having won a thenAmerican League record 111 games that year. As of 2007, this was the last World Series victory for the Giants, subsequently losing in 1962, 1989, and 2002. It would be their last appearance as the New York Giants, as the team moved to San Francisco prior to 1958 season.

[edit] Memorable Giants of the 1950s

In addition to Bobby Thomson and Willie Mays, other memorable members of the Giants teams during the 1950s include: Hall of Fame manager Leo Durocher, Hall of Fame outfielder Monte Irvin, outfielder and runnerup for the 1954 NL batting championship (won by Willie Mays) Don Mueller, Hall of Fame knuckleball relief pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm, starting pitchers Larry Jansen, Sal Maglie, Jim Hearn, Marv Grissom, Rubén Gómez, and Johnny Antonelli, catcher Wes Westrum, shortstop Alvin Dark, third baseman Hank Thompson, first baseman Whitey Lockman, second Baseman Davey Williams, and utility players: Bill Rigney, Daryl Spencer, Bobby Hoffman, and Dusty Rhodes among others. In the late 1950s two Hall of Fame First Basemen Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey joined the team.

[edit] 1957: The move to California

The Giants' final three years in New York City were unmemorable. They stumbled to third place the year after their World Series win and attendance fell off precipitously. While seeking a new stadium to replace the crumbling Polo Grounds, the Giants began to contemplate a move from New York, initially considering Metropolitan Stadium in Minneapolis-St. Paul, which was home to their top farm team, the Minneapolis Millers. Under the rules of the time, the Giants' ownership of the Millers gave them priority rights to a major league team in the area.

At this time, the Giants were approached by San Francisco mayor George Christopher. Despite objections from shareholders such as Joan Whitney Payson, majority owner Horace Stoneham entered into negotiations with San Francisco officials around the same time that Dodgers' owner Walter O'Malley was courting the city of Los Angeles. O'Malley had been told that the Dodgers would not be allowed to move to Los Angeles unless a second team moved to California as well. He pushed Stoneham toward relocation. In the summer of 1957, both the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers announced their moves to California, and the golden age of baseball in the New York area ended.

New York would remain a one-team town with the New York Yankees until 1962 when Joan Whitney Payson founded the New York Mets and brought National League baseball back to the city. Payson and M. Donald Grant, who became the Mets' chairman, had been the only Giants board members to vote against the Giants' move to California. The "NY" script on the Giants' caps and the orange trim on their uniforms, along with the blue background used by the Dodgers, would be adopted by the Mets.

[edit] San Francisco Giants history

Like the New York years, the Giants' fortunes in San Francisco have been mixed. Though recently the club has enjoyed relatively sustained success, there have also been prolonged stretches of mediocrity, along with two instances when the club's ownership threatened to move it out of San Francisco. Most disappointingly for the large fan base that they have maintained ever since their arrival in the city, the Giants have as yet failed to win a World Series title for San Francisco.

1958–76	1977–82	1983–93	1994–99
1994–present	2000–present

[edit] 1958–61: Seals Stadium and Candlestick Park

When the Giants moved to San Francisco, they played in Seals Stadium 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. 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 15 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 10 days later.

[edit] 1962 World Series

Main article: 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 4 games to 3 to the New York Yankees. The seventh game went to the bottom of the ninth with the Yankees ahead 1–0. With Matty Alou 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?"

[edit] 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 Perry, 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 Jesus 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, 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 18 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.^[1] 1984 was also the sole year that their infamous ex-mascot, the Crazy Crab "graced" the field.

[edit] 1985–89: Nadir and resurrection

In 1985, a year which saw the Giants lose 100 games (the most in franchise history), owner Bob Lurie 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.

[edit] 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 Garrelts 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.

[edit] 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 Toronto 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.

[edit] 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 Burkett and Bill Swift both had 20+ wins, and closer Rod Beck was dominant with 48 saves and a 2.16 ERA.^[2] 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.^[3] 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".

[edit] 1994–96

The period of 1994 to 1996 were not good years for the Giants, punctuated by the strike that canceled the World Series 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.^[4]

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.^[5]

3Com Park

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.^[6] The lowpoint came in late June when the Giants lost 10 straight games en route to a 68–94 record.

[edit] 1997

These bad times led the Giants to name Brian Sabean 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.^[7]

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.

[edit] 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 Hershiser (11–10, 4.41).^[8] 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).^[9]

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 game of the season, home plate was ceremoniously removed and taken to the new grounds where the downtown stadium was being built.

[edit] 2000–2001: Downtown baseball

In 2000, after 40 years at Candlestick Park, 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.

AT&T Park

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.^[10]

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.^[11]

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).^[12]

[edit] 2002: National League champions

Main articles: 2002 National League Division Series, 2002 National League Championship Series, and 2002 World Series

In the 2002 season, the Giants finished 2nd in the NL West behind the Arizona Diamondbacks, 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).^[13] 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.^[14] 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.^[15]

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.

[edit] 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.^[16]

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.^[17]

[edit] 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 Liriano, 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).^[18] 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 have five digits in its winning total.

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 about 15 years^[19] (which led to the general observation that age had eroded his skills) 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.^[20]

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 Moises 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.

[edit] 2007: End of the Bonds era

Main article: 2007 San Francisco Giants season

With 11 free agents 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[1], 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 2007 team during spring training

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' close 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 29th.

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 L.A.

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.^[21]

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 the Marlins, and a double header split with the Pirates 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 21st, 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.^[22]

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.

[edit] References