Yesterday
What is this all about?
Here are the top 5 June 14 moments in San Francisco Giants history.
1966 home vs. Cubs, 13 over ,500 and a game up in the National League, fewer than 7000 paid on a Tuesday afternoon, 7-7 in the bottom of the 7th, Willie McCovey hits a two run homer off of Billy Hoeft, we win the game 11-7. This was McCovey's best year with the bat to that date, he had a 163 OPS+. It's the third best season of his career - through 2016 it's the 12th best season for a first baseman in franchise history. It's McCovey's 177th career homer. We hit 5 homers on the day.
1985 home vs. Padres, we're 12.5 out of first, 4-4 in the top of the 10th, they've loaded the bases with one out, Terry Kennedy (future Giant) facing Mark Davis (future Padre) Davis gets him to go 6-4-3 to end the threat. The year before Davis had an ERA+ of 66 and lost 17 games - to keep sending him out to the mound, 174 innings pitched, with that kind of ERA+ is malpractice. Things get better for Davis, he wins the Cy Young in '89 as the Padres closer. Mark Davis killed Terry Kennedy, Kennedy was 1-21 lifetime, that's a .048 BA and a .182 OPS. Kennedy's one hit off Davis was 6 days later, he hit a 2 run double and got thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.
Walk off 1985 home vs. Padres, same game, now 4-4 in the 11th, David Green homers off Luis DeLeon to send everyone home. It's Green's first home run of the season, he had a .535 OPS at the time. Only 4 more homers to come in his Giants career.
1991 home vs. Pirates, a dozen games out of first place, 2-2 in the 8th, Willie McGee homers off off of Zane Smith, that 3-2 margin is the final score. This was McGee's first year (and his best) as a Giant, he was a 3 win player, had a 119 OPS+. Everyone remembers where McGee came from (the Cardinals, got him as a free agent) do you remember where he went? Boston. Signed there after the '94 season. This is the subjective view of someone way too close to it, but McGee never really felt like a Giant, right? Funny thing - he was born in San Francisco. If I were going to ask for another outfielder from the same time who also didn't feel like a Giant, you wouldn't have to think too hard before you came up with Kevin Bass - and he was born in Redwood City.
1995 at Cubs, we're 2 back in the west, 3-3 in the 13th, 2 on, 2 out, Mike Benjamin singles home Robby Thompson off of Anthony Young. 4-3 is the final score. Drafted in '87, up in '89, Benjamin spent 7 years as a Giant utility player, he had a career OPS+ of 61. Some players had career years, Benjamin had a career half week. In this game he had 6 hits, each of the prior two games he had 4. It broke the MLB three game record for hits. One June 10 he had a .150 batting average - after this game he was hitting .447. Right here, this moment - the height of Mike Benjamin's life.
See you tomorrow. Go Giants!
