What is this all about?
Yesterday
Here are the top 5 July 5 moments in San Francisco Giants history.
Walk off 1958 home vs. Cardinals, we walked off the Cubs the day before, we come in 2.5 out of first place in our inaugural campaign, Mike McCormick throws a complete game 6 hitter in this one, a Ray Jablonski triple in the 9th tied the game, now, the bases are loaded, it's 4-4 with 2 out, Willie Kirkland draws a walk (to walk off) off of Larry Jackson to score Bob Speake with the winning run. McCormick came up with New York in '56, threw a half dozen innings as a 17 year old. He comes west, is part of the rotation this year as a 19 year old - he's okay, wins 11 games, ERA+ of 84 - but two years later he leads MLB with a 2.70 ERA. It's his career year, worth more than 6 WAR and, through 2016, is the 53rd greatest year for any starting pitcher in franchise history. He's gone at the end of the '62 season, to the Orioles along with Stu Miller and John Orsino for what turned out to be not very much. In '67 he comes back in a deal with Washington and wins 22 games and the Cy Young Award. This stint lasts until midway through the '70 season when we send McCormick to the Yankees. We take a flyer on him one more time, in '72, more than a quarter century after he was first signed to the organization, but he doesn't get out of the minors.
1963 home vs. Cardinals, 3 games out of first, we play a 3 and a half hour Friday night game at the Stick, down 5-4 in the 9th Harvey Kuenn ties it up with a single off Ron Taylor scoring Matty Alou.
Ranking the Alous (Giants playing career only)
1. Felipe
2. Moises
3. Matty
4. Jesus
Walk off 1963 home vs. Cardinals, same game, in the 11th Chuck Hiller singles home Jose Pagan off of Ed Bauta to break a 5-5 tie and send everyone home. It's the 22nd extra innings walk off hit in San Francisco history.
Walk off 1978 home vs. Padres, we're 16 games over .500 with a 2 game lead in the west, this is game 81 on the season, we tied it up in the 9th on a McCovey homer off of Rollie Fingers, the bases are loaded with 1 out in the bottom of the 10th, Clark's at third after a double - Fingers is still in the game - but a Jim Dwyer sac fly scores Jack to end it. Dwyer had an 18 year big league career, 73 games of which were as a Giant, we got him from the Cards 3 weeks earlier and sold him to Boston before the '79 season. Dwyer had 22 RBI with San Francisco
2001 at Los Angeles, we're 7.5 out and trying not to get swept in a 4 game series at Dodger Stadium. 2-2 in the 9th, with two outs 39 year old Eric Davis came on to pinch hit a single, moved to second on an error, and then scored what turned out to be the winning run on a Rich Aurilia base hit. This is Davis's 17th and final big league season and the only year he spent in San Francisco. We signed him prior to the year, he didn't have much left, played in 74 games, hit just .205.
See you tomorrow. Go Giants!
