Yesterday
Here are the top 5 August 9 moments in San Francisco Giants history.
Walk off 1959 home vs. Reds, this second San Francisco season is fun, close all year, this is game 110 back when it was still a 154 game schedule. We're a half game up. Jack Sanford and Don Newcombe both throw complete games; it's 3-3 in the 10th, Orlando Cepeda homers off of Newcombe to win the game. A 134 OPS+ for the 21 year old Cepeda in '59. It's the 34th best season for a first baseman in San Francisco history through 2016. This is Cepeda's 48th career homer and second walk off. Cepeda hits 6 career walk offs, all but one with the Giants.
Walk off 1961 home vs. Cubs, we're 9 games out of first place, 5-5 in the 9th, Matty Alou leads off with a homer off of Barney Schultz, Alou's 22, this is his rookie season, it's his 5th career homer (he hits 31 total) it's his first of 3 career walk offs, they all came with the Giants despite his being a much better player in Pittsburgh.
1986 at Atlanta, we were 2 up on July 17...and now we're 5 back. We came into the ninth down 2-1, Mike Aldrete homered (he also tripled earlier) - and then in the tenth Candy Maldonado homered (both off Jeff Dedmon, who, I've been led to believe, should not have worn plaid) and we win it 4-3. It'll be 30 years before another game where we homer in both the 9th and 10th. It's Candy's first year as a Giant, he had a 113 OPS+ as our 4th OF.
Let's analyze all 3 west coast Giants/Dodgers trades.
1968: Dodgers send Ron Hunt/Nate Oliver to Giants for Tom Haller/Frank Kasheta
1985: Dodgers send Candy Maldonado to Giants for Alex Trevino
2007: Dodgers send Mark Sweeney to Giants Travis Denker
Hunt 10 WAR, Oliver -.7
Haller 10.1 WAR, Kasheta never made it
That's obviously super close, but the Dodgers got the better end.
Candy 5.8 WAR
Trevino 2.15 WAR
We got that deal.
Sweeney .6 WAR
Denker never played for the Dodgers.
So, we won 2 of 3, and also got the better end of the aggregate transactions. This is why they don't trade with us.
1993 home v. Reds, we're up 8.5, cruising through this season, we haven't had a lead smaller than 7 since mid June, we're down 7-6 with 2 out in the 6th, Will Clark triples home 2 off of Johnny Ruffin, we're gonna win this one 10-7. Clark had 47 career triples, 37 of them as a Giant and this is the last one, he has only 25 games left in his Giants career.
1994 at Chicago, we're only 4 games out, having snapped a 6 game losing streak, which would be great, except this turns out to be the second to the last day of the season. Down 2-1 in the 9th, bases loaded, 2 out, Darren Lewis singles home 2 off of Rodney Myers and we're gonna win this game 3-2. 5 Giants seasons for D-Lew after we got him from the A's for Ernie Riles prior to the '91 season, 4 of which as our starting CF. He had a 77 OPS+ as a Giant, which, if you think is insufficient for a starting CF (who most often bat leadoff) then welcome to the life of a Giants fan in the 90s.
Giant CF OPS+ 1990s
1990 Butler 121
1991 McGee 119
1992 Lewis 66/Felder 106
1993 Lewis 71
1994 Lewis 87
1995 Lewis 67/Sanders 112
1996 Benard 80
1997 Hamilton 91
1998 Hamilton 106/Burks 128
1999 Benard 111
