San Francisco Giants History

The San Francisco have a rich and storied history thatSt.Louis Cardinals to a seventh game in the National
is filled with many great moments and players, as theyLeague Championship series before succumbing, in
have five World Championships to their credit and1989 the San Francisco Giants had a powerhouse
have had such greats as Carl Hubbell, Bobbysquad led by NL MVP Kevin Mitchell who belted 47
Thomson, Wille McCovey, and Juan Marichal.HRS and 125 RBI and powered the San Francisco
The San Francisco Giants can arguably say that theyGiants past the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS and into
have had the two best all around players to ever playthe World Series against Bay Area rival the Oakland
the game with the great Willie Mays and theAthletics, who boasted a virtual all-star with AL MVP
incomparable Barry Bonds of the San FranciscoJose Canseco and slugger Mark McGwire to go along
Giants, Mays belted 660 home runs in his illustriouswith an award winning pitching staff, the San Francisco
career and is thought of by many to be the bestGiants were no match for the Oakland Athletics and
player to ever play due to his ability to be able to playwere beaten in four straight games.
every aspect of the game at a high level andThe San Francisco Giants would make the playoffs in
possessing no weaknesses, as for Barry Bonds of the1997 and 2000 but lose in the opening round to the
San Francisco Giants all hes done is his award winningFlorida Marlins and New York Mets respectively,in
career is win the National League Most Valuable2002 they would once again qualify for the National
Player award seven times, win eight gold gloves,League playoffs, this time behind the mighty bat of
twelve silver slugger awards, be voted to the NationalBarry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants who batted
League all-star team thirteen times, and belt 708 home.370 with 46 home runs, 110 runs batted in, 198 walks,
runs which is only 47 shy of Henry Aaron's all timeand a on base percentage of .582, the San Francisco
mark of 755.Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves three games to
In the 1930s the San Francisco Giants wouldtwo in the divisonal playoffs and went on to defeat the
participate in three World Series, winning the 1933St.Louis Cardinals in the NLCS and earn the right to
World Championship, with NL MVP Carl Hubbell of theface the upstart Anaheim Angels.
San Francisco Giants leading the way in an upset ofThe 2002 World Series was one for the ages as the
the powerful Washington Senators, the San FranciscoSan Francisco Giants and Anaheim Angels dueled and
Giants pitching staff totally thwart the Washingtonbattled to a seventh game, where the Anaheim
Senators vaunted offense as they allow only eightAngels narrowly defeated the San Francisco Giants to
earned runs all series long en route to a four games towin their World Series.
one rout.The 2006 San Francisco Giants will be a National
It would take until 1951 for the San Francisco Giants toLeague powerhouse with Barry Bonds and pitcher
return to prominence, as they qualified for the fallJason Schmidt returning to health and newcomer OF
classic again but were denied by New York Yankees,Steve Finley adding punch to an already potent lineup,
but in 1954 against the Cleveland Indians the Santhe off-season acqusition of P Matt Morris from the
Francisco Giants with Willie Mays of the San FranciscoSt.Louis Cardinals will be a major boost, one that could
returning from his tour of duty with the US Army routgive the San Francisco Giants the dege in the National
the heavily favored Clevealand Indians who won 111League West with many san francisco giants tickets
games in the regular season, one play perhapsbeing sold.
changed the entire complexion of the '54 World Series,Great moment in team history
as Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants madeAfter trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by 13 1/2
perhaps the greatest defensive play ever, tied with thegames on Aug. 11, manager Leo Durocher's troops
Cleveland Indians a 2 in the eighth inning of Game 1 atrattled off 16 straight victories and won 37 of their final
the Polo Grounds and two Indians runners on base, the44 regular-season contests to force a tie with
Hall of Fame center fielder made an over-the-shoulderBrooklyn. The two teams met in a three game
catch of a 460-foot smash off the bat of theelimination to see who go on to the playoffs, the San
Cleveland Indians Vic Wertz, the San Francisco GiantsFrancisco Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers split the first
went on to win 5-2 in ten innings, and the series turnedtwo games setting a winner take all game 3 at the
into a runaway for the San Francisco Giants.polo grounds, the San Francisco Ginats trailed the
The San Francisco Giants made a World SeriesBrooklyn Dodgers 4-2 with two on and one out in the
appearance in 1962 but were defeated by the Newninth inning when Bobby Thomson of the San
York Yankees in six games, and would not make theFrancisco Giants stepped to the plate, the rest is
playoffs again until 1971 a year in which the Sanhistory, Thomson drilled an 0-1 pitch off reliever Ralph
Francisco Giants did not have a pitcher who won 20Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers to left field and
games or batter with a .300 average and werejumped onto home plate to put an exclamation on
eliminated by the Pittsburgh Pirates, their would be a"The Miracle of Coogan's Bluff," as called by legendary
drought of 16 years before the San Francisco GiantsGiants announcer Russ Hodges.
would again make the playoffs, in 1987 they took the