San Francisco Giants (1958-Present

Also Played In:
New York Gothams 1883-1885
New York Giants 1885-1957
San Francisco Giants 1958-Present

Manager: Dusty Baker 1993-
Stadium: Pac Bell Park 2000-

Address:
24 Willie Mays Plaza
San Francisco, CA 94107
Phone: (800) 544-2687

Web:
http://www.giants.mlb.com

Nickname:
On June 3, 1885 after a rousing extra-innings victory over Philadelphia, manager Jim Murtie was so overcome with emotion that he supposedly blurted out a description of his team that immediately became the franchise's new nickname, calling them his Giants.

Team Logo:
Giants written in black block letter with and outline against a dirty baseball, typical of a ball rubbed in dirt to reduce the glare.

Team Colors:
Black, Orange, and Cream

Managerial History:
Bill Rigney 1958-1960
Tom Sheehan 1960
Alvin Dark 1961-1964
Herman Franks 1965-1968
Clyde King 1969-1970
Charlie Fox 1970-1974
Wes Westrum 1974-1975
Bill Rigney 1976
Joe Altobelli 1977-1979
Dave Bristol 1979-1980
Frank Robinson 1981-1984
Danny Ozark 1984
Jim Davenport 1985
Roger Craig 1985-1992
Dusty Baker 1993-Present

Stadium History:
Seals Stadium 1958-1959
Candlestick Park 1960-1999*
Pac Bell Park 2000-Present
*-Known as 3 Com Stadium 1995-1999

All Star Games Hosted: (2)
1961, 1984

World Champions:
None

World Series: (2)
1962, 1989

Division Champions: (5)
1971, 1987, 1989, 1997, 2000

Wild Card:
None

Retired Numbers: (8)
   3 Bill Terry 1B 1925-1936
   4 Mel Ott OF 1926-1947
11 Carl Hubbell LHP 1928-1943
24 Willie Mays OF 1951-1952, 1954-1972
27 Juan Marichal RHP 1960-1973
30 Orlando Cepeda 1B-3B 1958-1966
42 Jackie Robinson (Retired by MLB)
44 Willie McCovey 1B 1959-1973, 1977-1980
NY Christy Mathewson RHP 1900-1916
NY John McGraw MGR 1902-1932

Hall of Famers: (9)
Steve Carlton LHP 1986
Orlando Cepeda 3B-1B 1958-1966
Jaun Marichal RHP 1960-1973
Willie Mays OF 1958-1971
Willie McCovey 1B 1959-1973, 1977-1980
Joe Morgan 2B 1981-1982
Gaylord Perry RHP 1962-1971
Duke Snider OF 1964
Warren Spahn LHP 1965

All Star Game MVP: (5)
1963 Willie Mays OF
1965 Juan Marichal RHP
1968 Willie Mays OF
1969 Willie McCovey 1B
1973 Bobby Bonds OF

Manager of the Year: (3)
1993 Dusty Baker
1997 Dusty Baker
2000 Dusty Baker

Rookie of the Year: (4)
1958 Orlando Cepeda 1B
1959 Willie McCovey 1B
1973 Gary Mathews OF
1975 John Montefusco RHP

Fireman Award: (1)
1994 Rob Beck RHP

Hank Aaron Award: (1)
2001 Barry Bonds OF

Cy Young: (1)
1967 Mike McCormick LHP

MVP: (6)
1965 Willie Mays OF
1969 Willie McCovey 1B
1989 Kevin Mitchell OF
1993 Barry Bonds OF
2000 Jeff Kent 2B
2001 Barry Bonds OF

LCS MVP: (2)
1987 Jeffrey Leonard OF*
1989 Will Clark 1B
*- Played on Losing Team

World Series MVP:
None

Cycle Hitters: (6)
7/8/1970 Jim Ray Hart
4/16/1972 Dave Kingman
6/27/1985 Jeffrey Leonard
5/4/1987 Candy Maldonado
7/9/1988 Chris Speier
4/22/1991 Robby Thompson
5/3/1999 Jeff Kent

No Hitters: (4)
6/15/1963 Juan Marichal
9/17/1968 Gaylord Perry
8/24/1975 Ed Halicki
9/29/1976 John Montefusco

Best Season: 1962 (103-59)
Worst Season: 1985 (62-100)

Historical Moments:
1958: Fans packed Seals Stadium from the first day of big league ball on the West Coast. On April 15th, in that historic opener, Ruben Gomez shut out the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-0, and rookie first baseman Orlando Cepeda hit a home run in his 2nd Major League at-bat. Cepeda, "the Baby Bull," went on to win Rookie of the Year honors and overshadowed the astounding Willie Mays, whom many Bay Area fans viewed as New York's star, and not their own. Although the Giants finished 12 games out, and in 3rd place, they still tallied a respectable 80-74 record. More importantly, they beat the transplanted Dodgers 16 out of 22 times, keeping alive a 75-year-old rivalry.

1959: Willie McCovey goes 4-for-4 in his Major League debut en-route to Rookie of the Year honors, as the Giants finish 3rd in a 3-way race for the NL Pennant with an 83-71 record.

1960: On April 12th, the Giants first took the field at Candlestick Park. On hand to christen the new stadium were Vice President Richard Nixon, who threw out the first pitch, and Hall of Famer Ty Cobb. Nixon declared it "the finest ballpark in America". However, it was quickly discovered that Cobb was wrong. Night games at Candlestick would become an adventure, as temperatures routinely were in the 40s, with wind chill factor, even in July, and August. As it turns out San Francisco officials knew of the weather problems at Candlestick point, but took Giants owner Horace Stoneham out to the site early in the morning when the sun was warm, and the winds were clam. Stoneham felt the site was perfect, and the stadium was built. The Giants would finish in 5th Place with a 79-75 record in their first year at "the stick".

1961: Just one year after opening their new ballpark at Candlestick Point, the Giants played host to the first All-Star Game of 1961. It was the 3rdyear of a 4-year experiment in which Major League Baseball played 2 All-Star Games each season. In the 9th Inning Stu Miller of the Giants would become a legendary part of Candlestick lore. Miller was in the stretch position because men were on base, when suddenly a gust of wind came and caused him to lose his balance, and balk called by the umpires. The game would go on to extra innings where Willie Mays would score the winning run. The Giants would go on to finish the season in 3rd Place with an 85-69 record.

1962: The Giants staged a remarkable comeback after being 4 games out of 1stplace with 7 games remaining to pull into a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers. With identical records of 101-61, the rivals met in a best-of-three playoff series. Jimmy Pierce blanked the Dodgers in Game 1 while Willie Mays drilled two clouts to provide for an 8-0 romp at Candlestick. Los Angeles returned home for the 2nd game and plated 7 runs in the e 6th and won 8-7. The Giants found themselves trailing 4-2 in the top of the 9th in Game 3. However the Giants would comeback, as 3B Jim Davenport drew a walk with the bases loaded to cap a 4-run rally that gave San Francisco a 6-4 victory in the decisive game at Los Angeles, earning a ticket to the World Series against the Yankees.

1962: The World Series against the New York Yankees would prove to be a classic 7 gamer, complete with a dramatic ending. After the Yanks took the opener, Jack Sanford tossed a 3-hitter, shutting down the Yankees, 2-0. Game 3 was scoreless until the bottom of the 7th when the Yanks put up a 3 spot. After the Yanks too Game 3 in Yankee Stadium, the Giants would tie the series up again in Game 4 thanks to stellar pitching from Juan Marichal, and Chuck Hiller's Grand Slam. Game 5 was tied at 2 until the Yankees Tom Tresh hit a 3 run homer to put the Giants on the brink. The series returned to San Francisco, but was delayed 4 days by rain. Once play got back underway, the Giants didn't disappoint, evening the Series at 3 games apiece with a 5-2 victory behind Orlando Cepeda, who went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI. This would set up a classic Game 7 pitching duel between Jack Sanford and Ralph Terry of the Yankees. Close to 44,000 fans watched Terry and Sanford take part in an awesome pitching duel. The Yankees only run scored on a double-play grounder in the 5th inning. The Giants would not threaten until the 9th inning when they had runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2-outs. Ralph Terry had talked his manager into letting him facing Willie McCovey with game on the line. A loud crack from McCovey's bat brought the Giants fans to their feet, anticipating victory. Terry threw down his glove in disgust. It wasn't until he turned around to see that Bobby Richardson had snagged the hard liner for the final out of the game did he know that the exciting series had come to an end in the Yankees' favor. The Giants, meanwhile, were shocked, and would have to live with just how close they came.

1963: On June 15th, Juan Marichal etched his name in the history books by pitching the only no-hitter of his career. Not only was he the first player to spin a no-no in San Francisco, the "Dominican Dandy" was the first Latin Born player to do so in the Major Leagues. Three months later another group of Dominicans made history for the Giants, as Jesus, Matty and Felipe Alou comprised the first all-brother outfield in Major League history. The Giants would go on to finish the season in 3rd Pace with an 88-74 record.

1964: With the collapse of the Philadelphia Phillies the Giants are thrown into a pennant race in the final weeks of the season. However, the Giants had too much ground to overcome, and finished in 4th Place with a 90-72 record, only 3 games out of 1st Place.

1965: Led by MVP Willie Mays, the Giants are in a tight race with Los Angeles Dodgers until the final week of the season. However, the Giants would fall 2 games short with a 92-70 record.

1966: The Giants battle the Los Angeles Dodgers again until the last week for the pennant and fall tantalizingly short with a 93-68 record.

1967: Lefty Mike McCormick wins the franchise's first Cy Young Award as well as Comeback Player of the Year. Despite the stellar pitching of McCormick, Willie McCovey's 31 homers, and 91 wins, the Giants finish 10 1/2 games behind the remarkable St. Louis Cardinals, who were led by former Giant Orlando Cepeda who won the MVP.

1968: While the team again settles for a runner-up finish with an 88-74 record, several Giants enjoy dramatic personal achievement, including Gaylord Perry's no-hitter, Juan Marichal's 26 wins and Bobby Bonds' brilliant debut.

1969: In the first year of divisional play Willie McCovey wins the MVP Award, leading the league in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage. However, the Giants finish in 2nd for the 5th year in a row, with a 90-72 record.

1970: In the midst of a 3rd Place 86-76 season, Willie Mays hits his 600th career HR. He would end his career with 660 homers, which is good enough for third place on the all-time list..

1971: In a year known as "The Year of the Fox." manager Charlie Fox, led a team made up of aging stars and rising youngsters to a Western Division title with a 90-72 record. The Giants got off to a fast start, winning 18 of their first 23 games. The energy and raw talents of youngsters like OFs Bobby Bonds, Gary Matthews and Garry Maddox and SS Chris Speier melded nicely with the experience and wisdom of veterans Juan Marichal, Willie McCovey and Willie Mays. Bonds smashed 33 HR and 102 RBI. Meanwhile, pitching ace Marichal continued his domination over batters, notching 18 wins. In addition Willie Mays who was now 40-years old slugged 4 home runs in his first 4games. His production didn't let up as he went on to set a National League career record for runs scored in June. Despite such steady play, the team began to wear down near the end of the season. They saw their 9-game lead on September 4th dwindle to 1 game by the 25th. It wasn't until the final game of the season that the Giants clinched the Division title on Marichal's 5-1 gem over the San Diego Padres.

1971: The Giants salivated at the chance to face the Pittsburgh Pirates in the best-of-five NLCS. They had beaten the Pirates 9 times out of 12 and seemed likely candidates to win the pennant. The Giants jumped out of the gate full-steam ahead. In the series opener, beating the Pirates, 5-4, in front of 40,977 fans at Candlestick Park. Willie McCovey and Tito Fuentes fueled the attack, ripping 2-run homers in the 5th inning. However, the Giants wouldn't lose the next 3 games, as the Pirates would advance to the World Series in 4 games.

1972: In a stunning move that ended an era the Giants dealt Willie Mays to the New York Mets on May 11th for Charlie Williams, and cash. Mays would hit a game-winning homer in his very first game against the Giants. The Giants would go on to finish the season in 5th Place with an 69-86 record.

1973: Although the team finishes 11 games out of first place with an 88-74 record, three players win major honors. Bobby Bonds, who misses becoming baseball's first 40-40 man by one home run, is named The Sporting News' Player of the Year, as southpaw Ron "Bear" Bryant is named Pitcher of the Year by "The Sporting News" after winning 24 games, the most ever by a San Francisco lefty. Meanwhile, OF Gary Matthews wins Rookie of the Year honors as one of three Giants to hit .300 or better.

1975: After bidding farewell to stars Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal and mired in a string of sub-.500 seasons, the Giants enjoy two refreshing pitching performances, John Montefusco's colorful Rookie of the Year performance and Ed Halicki's no-hitter.

1976: The Giants struggles continued to deepen and their was even talk of the Giants heading off to Toronto. Candlestick Park had been remodeled a few years earlier for the 49ers, and fans were still avoiding games especially night games because of the high winds, and bitter cold temperatures even in the summer. The Giants are only saved when they are purchased by Bob Luirie who keeps the team in the city by the bay.

1977: Willie McCovey returns to the Giants and wins the Comeback Player of the Year Award with a team-best 28 home runs at the age of 39. Despite the return of McCovey, the losing ways continue with a 4th Place 75-87 season.

1978: Willie McCovey s hits his 500th career HR, as the Giants end a string of bad season by finishing in 3rd Place with a solid 89-73 record.

1981: Frank Robinson becomes the first black manager in the National League when he is named to head the Giants. The Giants would struggle before the strike, and were well out of the playoff picture. However, after the strike the Giants come with in three and half games of a 22nd half title with a 29-23 record.

1982: The Giants entered the final weekend of the series in a tight 3-team race for the division, with the Atlanta Braves, and Los Angeles Dodgers. The hated Dodgers would eliminate the Giants on the next to last day of the season. However the Giants would get a measure of revenge by eliminating the Dodgers the very next day thanks to a Homer Run by Joe Morgan.

1984: In a 96-loss last place season that would see the Giants crash into the Western Division's cellar, Frank Robinson is fired, and replaced by Danny Ozark. In an attempt to get fans to go to games and stay for 9 Innings, the team hands out pins to fans that stay and watch a 9 inning game at Candlestick Park that say, "I survived 9 inning at the Stick".

1985: Bad goes to worst as the Giants falter to the100-loss season in franchise history. Reliever Scott Garrelts leads the staff with a measly nine wins, as the team bats a league-worst .233.

1986: New Manager Roger Craig and GM Al Rosen begin a remarkable turnaround with their crew of "You Gotta Like These Kids" players. Rookies Will Clark and Robby Thompson jump over the Triple-A level to earn starting jobs. Clark gets off to a fast start by cracking a home run off Nolan Ryan in his first big-league at-bat. Pitcher Mike Krukow wins 20 games and earns an All-Star bid. The Giants would fold late, after challenging most of the season for the division, finishing 3rd but winning 83 games for 21 game improvement over the year before.

1987: Just two years after a wretched 100-loss season, the Giants would win 90 and the Western Division thanks to late-season pitching acquisitions by GM Al Rosen. The Giants would go on to face the Cardinals in the NLCS. After losing Game 1 the Giants would bounce back to win Game 2 thanks to Dave Draveky's 2-hit shutout. After losing Game 3 the Giants would bounce back again thanks in part to Jeffrey Leonard's 4th HR in as many games. Each HR would see Leonard round the bases with one arm dragging by his side. He called it "one flap down", and it proved only to anger Cardinals pitchers. The Giants would win Game 5 to head back to St. Louis only needing 1 win for the first World Series birth in 25 years. However in St. Louis the Giants would be shut out twice, and would fall in 7 games. Despite losing the series the Jeffrey Leonard was named LCS MVP.

1988: The Giants suffer through an injury-plagued season, and finish in 4th Place with an 83-79 record.

1989: On August 10th Dave Dravecky completes a miraculous recovery from surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his pitching arm and defeats the Cincinnati Reds in front of a teary-eyed Candlestick crowd. However, in his next start, his arm snaps while delivering a pitch. He would not pitch again, and two years later, his arm was amputated after the cancer reappeared. The Giants would fare much better taking the division with a 92-70 record, thanks to the bats of MVP Kevin Mitchell and Will Clark. The dynamic duo of Mitchell and Clark would finish 1 and 2 in the MVP voting. In the NLCS the Giants crushed the over matched Chicago Cubs in 5 games to earn their first World Series birth in 27 years.

1989: The Giants would move on to face the Oakland Athletics in what would be called the Bay bridge series in honor of the bridge that separated the two cities. The A's would take the first 2 games in Oakland with ease, and the Giants looked forward to the first World Series game in Candlestick Park in 27 years. Fans all over the bay were waiting to see just how the Giants would respond in the games played at home. However that would all have to wait. ABC was just beginning their pre-game show a half hour before the first pitch when at 5:04 pm PST, when the mood surrounding the series would suddenly change. A 7.1 earthquake shook the stands and rattled the entire bay area to its core. Eventually ABC would gets in single back and use their blimp to show the shock and horror the bay area just received. The Bay Bridge the very symbol of the series had a collapsed section, and millions watched horrified as a car drove over the edge. It was clear the quake was bad one as fires began to spread all over the city heavily damaging the marina district. The most horrifying damage came on the 2-tiered Cypress structure of Interstate 880 in Oakland where the structure collapsed trapping hundreds of people heading home during rush hour. Had the World Series not caused many people to head home early to catch the game chances are the damage could have been even worse. In the end 59 people were killed many of them in the Cypress Structure, and the series would be delayed for 10 days. When the series resumed the Giants hearts were not in it and they would end going down after 2 blow out losses at home, to complete the sweep.

1990: The Giants follow up their trip to the fall classic with a 3rd Place 85-77 record.

1992: Talk began to circulate about a possible move, as the Giants were struggling again in front of cold and shivering fans again. Bob Lurie who 16 years earlier saved the Giants sold the team to a group who ere all set to move the team to Tampa. However Major League Baseball was not in favor of the move, and arranged it so a local investment group, led by Peter Magowan, saved the franchise and kept them in the city by the bay. To get fans excited about Giants baseball again one of Magowan's first moves was to sign Barry Bonds 2-time NL MVP, and son of legendary Giant Bobby Bonds. Magowan would also begin working on building the Giants a new ballpark in a warmer party of the city.

1993: Barry Bonds wins his 3rd MVP Award, while Dusty Baker is named Manager of the Year in his rookie season, as the Giants are in 1st Plaice most of the season. However, the red-hot play of the Atlanta Braves in the 2nd half forces the Giants to settle for a runner-up finish, despite 103 wins.

1994: When the strike hit on August 12th the Giants were struggling, and were playing sub .500 ball despite that the Giants were with in shouting distance in 1st in the now weakened NL West, only three and half games out of 1st. However perhaps what is most disappointing of the strike ending the season was that slugging 3B Matt Williams was well on pace to break Roger Maris' record for HR in a season.

1995: Coming off the strike the Giants struggle with injuries and poor pitching, and finish in last place with a 67-77 record.

1996: 23 years after Bobby Bonds just barely missed becoming the first player to have 40 HR 40 SB season, his son Barry becomes the first player to do it in the NL and2nd overall, to accomplish the feat. Despite the 40-40 performance from Bonds, the Giants finish in Last Place with an awful 68-94 record.

1997: Sporting the slogan "It's Giants baseball; anything can happen," the team charged out to a 16-5 record at the start of the season, en route to a 6-game advantage over the Los Angeles Dodgers at the All-Star break. In the span of just 3 weeks, their lead evaporated (thanks to an 8-13 post-break performance) and they were tied with the Dodgers. For the next six weeks, the teams battled back and forth, with neither club able to lead by more than 2 1/2 games. In one of the most memorable series in Giants history, capped by Brian Johnson's 12th-inning, game-winning homer, they swept LA to again pull into a tie. The Giants took the division lead the next day with a win against the San Diego Padres, and although they lost the next day, the Dodgers were in the midst of losing 3 straight to the Colorado Rockies. With 2 more wins over the Padres and a split of two games against the Rockies, the Giants enjoyed a 2 1/2 game lead as they headed home for their final 3-game set of the season. "Dustiny" could not be denied; one win by the Giants would seal the title. However the Giants would lose in 3 straight to the Florida Marlins in the NLDS. The Giants would not quite recover from having to start the series in Florida where they lost the first 2 games in the Marlins final at-bats. This would later cause a change of the playoff format no longer would the higher seed be forced to play the first to Division Series games on the road.

1998: Although they trail the Western Champion San Diego Padres by 9 games at season's end, the Wild Card gives the Giants hope for postseason play. They make up a 5-game deficit in the final 10 games of the season to force a 1-game playoff with the Chicago Cubs. However the Giants fell behind early in the playoff game played at Wrigley Field, and would lose 5-3 despite a 9th inning 3 run rally.

1999: Injuries to Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent and Ellis Burks slow the Giants, who finish 14 games back with an 86-76 record. However, 5 players bash 20-plus homers and drive in at least 80 RBI. With the team out of contention, , the focus is on the end of the Giants' stay at Candlestick Park, now known as 3Com Park.

2000: The Giants christen the spectacular Pacific Bell Park in inauspicious fashion, losing the first six games in the new yard and 11 of their first 15 games overall. However, with the support of 3.3 million fans that sell out every game at the rookie park, the Giants win 97 games and its 2nddivision title in 4 years. While Jeff Kent wins the NL MVP, Dusty Baker captures his 3rd Manager of the Year Award. By season's end the Giants are considered heavy favorites to make the World Series. In fact the Giants get off to a flying start winning the first game of the NLDS easily over the New York Mets. In the 2nd game the Giants used a shocking 3-run homer by J.T. Snow to send the game to the extra innings, but the Mets would bounce back and even the series. The Giants would seemingly bounce back in Game 3 leading 2-1 in the 8th before Edgardo Alfonzo tied the game off closer Rob Nen. The Giants would be further stunned by Benny Agbayani's dramatic 13th inning Homer. The Giants would not recover losing Game 4, and while being held to just 1 hit.

2001: Barry Bonds would put together one of the greatest offensive seasons in baseball history. Bonds would break out early hiiting his 500th Career HR in early April, and he would set a pace that would give him a shot at Mark McGwire's single season HR record of 70. Along the way Bonds would have an incredible .863 slugging percentage. As the season wound down pitchers would routinely walk around Bonds, seemingly not wanting him to break the record. Binds quest for the record was furthered jeopardized when baseball stopped the season for a week following the September 11th terrorist attacks. However, when baseball resumed Bonds kept rolling. While he got closer to the record Bonds was walked even more gathering 177 free passes on the season while gathering a .515 on base percentage. Bonds would finally tie the record on October 4th, going home for a season ending 3 game series with Los Angeles Dodgers. In the first inning of a game on October 5th Bonds smashed a Chan Ho Park pitch into the stands for his record breaking 71st HR. Binds would go on to hit number 72, in the same game before ending the season with a new single season record of 73 Home Runs. While Bonds was going after the record the Giants were locked in a pennant race with Arizona Diamondbacks. However, the D-Backs held the Giants off by keeping a 2 game lead for the final 6 weeks over the 90-72 Giants.

Odds and Ends:
Team Mascot: Lou Seal

On The Air:
Television: KTVU (Channel 2), Fox Sports Net Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680 AM
Broadcasters: Duane Kuiper, Mike Krukow, Tim McCarver, and Jon Miller

Ford C. Frick Recipients*: (2)
Russ Hodges 1958-1970
Lindsey Nelson 1979-1981
*-Award grants entrance in the broadcasters wing of the Hall of Fame

Spring Training History:
Phoenix, AZ 1958-1983
Scottsdake, AZ 1984-Present

On The Farm:
AAA: Fresno Grizzlies
AA: Shreveport Swamp Dragons
A: San Jose Giants
A: Hagerstown Suns
A: Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
Rookie: Arizona Giants