Yesterday
Here are the top 5 July 24 moments in San Francisco Giants history. 5 different decades.
Walk off 1959 home vs. Cubs, it's game 96 for the second San Francisco squad, we're up 1.5 in the NL, this is really long game for 1959 standards, nearly 4 hours, Jim Davenport breaks the 5-5 tie in the bottom of the 10th, singling home Hobie Landrith off of Don Elston for the walk off win. It's the 13th walk off hit in San Francisco history.
Walk off 1963 home vs. Mets, it's game 100, we're 8.5 out, so the situation is not great, and the situation here isn't great - we get 3 hit by Al Jackson, the third coming when we trailed 3-2 in the 9th inning, Jim Davenport doubles home 2 runs to win the game. It's his 4th career walk off hit.
Walk off 1977 home vs. Expos, the season's done, we're 15.5 out, but we won the first half of this double header, we go a dozen in over 3 and a half hours in game 2, it took a Darrell Evans homer to tie it in the 8th, now it's the 12th, 4-4, Jack Clark sends everyone home with a solo shot off of Will McEnaney. It's Clarks 12th career homer and first walk off (he hits 8 in his career, one was against us in '87 off of Lefferts)
1994 at New York, on July 5 we were 9.5 back but then ripped off 9 straight and are now 2.5 back - you gotta like gaining 7 games in 19 days, we don't know that there won't be a World Series this year, we're on a run, daddy. We're down 6-5 in the 8th, bases loaded, 2 out, John Franco pitching to...Barry Bonds, on his 30th birthday, he drives home 2 with a base hit, we win the game 8-6. The day before we had a 3 and a half hour rain delay. Bonds finished 4th in the NL MVP race, which was his worst finish in 5 years. The Pirates drafted Barry 6th overall in '85, picked just before him was Kurt Brown, a high school catcher taken by the White Sox. He never made the big leagues and only got one year in AA.
2003 home vs. Diamonbacks, everything's coming up Giants in late July of '03, we're 27 over .500, we're 10 games up in the west, we've won 7 straight - it's an unstoppable juggernaut - sold out on a Thursday afternoon at Pac Bell, we only get 5 hits, it's 2-2 in the bottom of the 9th, Mike Myers facing....Barry Bonds, on his 39th birthday, he homers to keep that win streak going. It's homer #646 for Barry, his 7th career walk off, his 5th as a Giant. It's his 470th career homer as a Giant, sending him past McCovey on our all time list. Barry, of course, his #762 homers - how many of them were against the Giants?
15.
He got Roger Mason in '86.
Jeff Robinson in '87
Krukow, Downs, and Joe Price in '88
Bedrosian and Don Robinson (got him twice) in '89
Mark Thurmond, Reuschel and Garrelts in '90
Burkett in '91
Francisco Oliveras, Bud Black, and Burkett again in '92
See you tomorrow. Go Giants!
