What is this all about?
Here are the top 5 moments on April 8 in San Francisco Giants history. Lot of walk offs if you're looking for a good omen.
1974 home vs Reds, 9th inning, up 4-3, bases loaded, two out, Randy Moffitt gets Johnny Bench to fly out to right. Fewer than 5,000 paid for the fourth game of the season at the Stick. In a ten year career Moffitt started one game, that would come later this season. This game happened on the same day Hank Aaron his 715.
Walk off: 2005 home vs Rockies, 9th inning, down 8-7, Marquis Grissom hits a 3 run homer off Scott Dohmann to win the game 10-8 for the good guys. Grissom would only hit 1 more homer the rest of his career.
Walk off: 2008 home vs. Padres, the Giants were 1-6 coming into the game, it's only April 8 and we're already slumping (if you're looking for a 2017 analogue) 11th inning, 2-2, Bengie Molina hits the game winning homer off Cla Meredith and we win 3-2. Molina had 95 RBI in '08, his career best.
Walk off: 2011 home vs. Cards, the day we raised the flag for the first San Francisco World Championship, we had already come back in the 9th to tie the score, now it's the 12th inning, 4-4, bases loaded, two out, Aaron Rowand singles off Brian Tallet to score Schierholtz to win the game. This was Rowand's last year in the bigs; he parlayed a 124 OPS+ in '07 (his only good year with the bat since '04) into a 46 million dollar deal with the Giants.
Walk off: 2016 home vs. Dodgers, an 8th inning Trevor Brown homer tied the score, now it's the 10th, 2-2, Brandon Crawford leads off with a homer off Joe Blanton to beat LA, beat LA, beat LA. Through 2016, Crawford is 13th on the all time franchise list for shortstop plate appearances. He should crack the top 10 in 2017.
See you tomorrow. Go Giants!
