Yesterday
Here are the top 5 September 12 moments in San Francisco Giants history.
1965 home vs. Cubs, half a game lead headed to a Sunday doubleheader against the Cubs - we've won 8 straight to move 22 over .500, this is game 142 on the season, down 2-1 in the 6th, bases loaded, 1 out, Jim Ray Hart grounds to third, they get the force at 2nd, Glenn Beckert tries to turn the double play and throws it away, scoring 2 runs and we go on and win it 4-3 We also take the back half, that's 10 wins in a row to build a 2 game lead with 19 to go. We head to Houston for four beginning the following day.
1997 at Florida, it is game 147 and we are tied with the Dodgers for first in the West, its a Friday night in Miami. We get a sac fly in the 4th to go up 1-0 and then hold on, Julian Tavarez gets Craig Counsell to ground into a bases loaded double play that ends the 6th and 2 innings later, Roberto Hernandez gets Bobby Bonilla to ground into a double play to leave us 4 outs left to get. Hernandez strikes out Darren Daulton to finish the inning and Rod Beck gets them in order in the 9th. We take a 1 game lead with 15 to play. Tavarez was part of the Kent/Williams trade, he was okay in 3 years in our pen, a 96 ERA+ in 228 IP. We got Hernandez in a big deadline deal with the White Sox along with Wilson Alvarez and Danny Darwin. Hernandez only threw 32 innings for us but he killed it, a 168 ERA+. This was his 20th Giants appearance. I did not attend this game - I did however catch the following day when we lost to Kevin Brown.
2004 at Arizona, it's game 144, we're 6 out in the West, so while that's not over, you can see over from here, but we're tied with the Cubs for the WC so it's a pennant race in mid September. Jason Schmidt comes up big - a complete game 4 hitter, 9 strikeouts, 2 earned. This was is decided in the 8th, 2-2 with 1 out - Deivi Cruz singles home the go ahead run off of Mike Koplove - Barry adds his 41st of the season in the 9th, we win it 5-2. This is Barry's 699th career home run, he's got 4 more to hit this season. The game before he broke the record for walks in a season. We cut the deficit to 5 and move into sole possession of the WC lead. Tuesday we go to Milwaukee.
2010 at San Diego, okay, we're 1 out in the West, the Padres are in first, this is game 144 on the season and we're 1.5 out in the WC, so with 19 games left on the season, every day is crucial. Tim Lincecum goes 7, strikes out 9, gives up 1 earned, Giants nemesis Mat Latos went for the Padres, Buster Posey hit a 2 run first inning homer, and we cruised to a 6-1 win to move into a first place tie. Tuesday we go home for 3 against the Dodgers. Lincecum won the Cy Young the previous two seasons and gave back a lot this year, with a 114 ERA+ in 212 IP.
2014 home vs. Dodgers, okay - we're 2 out in the West, the Dodgers are in first, this is game 147 on the season - but we're 4 games clear in the WC, so it isn't exactly 1962 in terms of importance, but still a fun game at this point in September. Madison Bumgarner for the good guys on a sold out Friday night, he goes 7, gives up just 3 hits and strikes out 9 as we shut them out. They had one chance to get into the game, we're up 4-0 in the 5th, bases loaded, two out - Adrian Gonzalez hits a ball to the track - but no further. We win 9-0 and cut the deficit to 1 - but that's as close as we'll get in the division race. Bumgarner was good but not great in '14, a 116 ERA+ in 217 IP.
See you tomorrow. Go Giants!
