What is this all about?
Yesterday
Here are the top 5 September 10 moments in San Francisco Giants History.
1965 home vs. Cubs, we're 20 over .500, half a game up over Reds and Dodgers here on game 140, we've won a half dozen straight 1-1 with an out in the 6th, Willie McCovey hits a grand slam off of Ted Abernathy, we win the game 5-2 and maintain a half game lead with 21 to go. McCovey hit 18 grand slams, all came with the Giants, this was his third. We play 3 more against the Cubs, including a Sunday doubleheader.
Walk off 1990 home vs. Braves, the defending NL Champs are 7.5 out with 22 to go, the Stick is empty on a Monday night, 6-6 in the bottom of the 10th, bases loaded with 1 out, Robby Thompson squeezes home Kevin Mitchell with the winning run off of Kent Mercker. Who doesn't love a walk off bunt? You know the year before, Robby led MLB in both triples and getting hit by pitches? We've won 3 straight and have two more against the Braves.
Walk off 1997 home vs. Cardinals, we're 1.5 out in the West with 18 to go, but our WC lead is also 1.5 games as we try to make the postseason for the first time since '89. A 9th inning Stan Javier homer (speaking of '89) off of Dennis Eckersley took the game into extras, and in the 10th (speaking of '89) a Damon Berryhill pinch single drove home the winning run off of Lance Painter to give us the 7-6 victory. We signed Berryhill in the offseason for the final 73 games of his big league career, he was okay, an 84 OPS+ in 188 PA. We move half a game out in the West.
Walk off 2008 home vs. Diamondbacks, we're 9.5 out with 19 left, so it's done, here's a fun ending to a game, down 3-2 with 2 out in the 9th, Brandon Lyon has an 0-2 count on Eugenio Velez - and Velez beats him with a triple that scores two runs to win the game. Velez spent the first 4 years of his 5 year career as a Giants utilityman, he had a 71 OPS+ in 678 PA. He played the final 34 games of his career with the Dodgers.
2010 at San Diego, on the 28th we were 6 back in the West, but as we come into game 142 we are just 1 behind the first place Padres (and half a game out of the WC). 6 Giants pitchers give up a total of 3 hits, the big moment is the bottom of the 9th, 1 on, 2 out, Max Venable, a son of a former Giant, at the plate - Brian Wilson strikes him out to end the game and move the Giants into a tie for first with 20 to go.
See you tomorrow. Go Giants!
