Yesterday
Here are the top 5 September 13 moments in San Francisco Giants history.
1973 at San Diego, we're 8 out on game 145, that's too many out, 6-6 in the 9th, Steve Ontiveros hits a 2 run homer off of Gary Ross, we win this one 8-6. So, there were two guys named Steve Ontiveros. We drafted this one in '69 in the 6th round out of Bakersfield High (the Phillies got Bob Boone a dozen picks prior). He was a utilityman for four seasons and was just fine, a 96 OPS+ in 910 PA. We sent him to the Cubs before the '77 season in the Murcer for Madlock deal. That's where he finished his career, as a 28 year old in 1980. The other Steve Ontiveros was a pitcher whose career began in '85 (you know those people who assume new identities and keep going to high school until they're in their 30s - this is a poorly formed version of that).
Walk off 1989 home vs. Reds, we've got a 5 game lead, it's game 146 so we are closing in on our second division title in three years. We came into the bottom of the 13th down 7-5, Greg Litton tied the score with a 2 run double and Brett Butler won it with a single off of Rosario Rodriguez. The Braves drafted Butler in the 23rd round in '79 out of Southeastern Oklahoma St (we drafted Jim Wilson, a high school catcher who didn't make it). Butler came up in '81 and after 3 years in Atlanta they sent him to Cleveland with Brook Jacoby for Len Barker. He established himself as a solid starting center fielder in four years with the Indians, we signed him as a 31 year old in '88 and he hit, a 133 OPS+ in his first Giants season, 119 overall for his Giants career in 2083 PA. He left for the Dodgers in '91 and finished his career with them in '97.
1998 home vs. Rockies, we've lost 3 straight, 13.5 games out, so we're playing out the string, down 3-1 in the 8th - Barry Bonds hits a 3 run homer off Chuck McElroy, we win it 4-3. This was #407 for Bonds. Barry hit 762 homers. What were, within the context of the game, the biggest each season?
1986- #16 Barry was a Pirate, of course, leading off and playing CF as a rookie. On September 23 the Pirates were down 5-4 in the 9th to the Phillies, Barry hit a 2 run walk off against Steve Bedrosian.
1987- #21, May 13, Pirates down 5-2 to the Padres in the 6th, Barry hits a 3 run homer off Craig Lefferts to tie the score.
1988 - #58, July 17 - Bedrock and Lefferts, of course, were future Giants, this homer's hit against us, we're tied with the Pirates 3-3 in the 8th, Joe Price on the mound, Barry pinch hitting, on the 10th pitch of the at bat he hits a 2 run homer to give Pittsburgh the lead.
1989 - #66 April 4, Barry's now a left fielder, but still leading off for the Pirates, 3-3 in the 8th, Barry puts Pittsburgh in front with a homer off Montreal's Joe Hesketh.
1990 - #105 August 9, Barry's hitting 5th against the Expos, Pirates down 5-4 in the 8th, Barry homers off Scott Ruskin to tie the game.
1991- #137 August 12, Pirates down 3-2 in the bottom of the 11th, Lee Smith on the mound for the Cards, Barry hits a 2 run homer to win the game.
1992 - #158 July 19, Pirates down to the Cubs 2-1 in the 8th, Barry homers to tie the score.
1993 - #204, hey look, Barry's with the good guys now, he hits a ton of big homers in his first San Francisco season, this one is July 23, we were down to the Phillies 1-0 in the bottom of the 9th when Barry homered off of Curt Schilling to tie it up.
1994 - #227, April 18 we're down to the Expos 1-0 in the bottom of the 9th - and like the year before Barry Bonds homers to tie the score, this time off of Jeff Shaw.
1995 - #272, June 30, home against the Padres, we're down 6-4 in the 9th when Barry hits a 3 run walk off homer against Trevor Hoffman.
1996 - #333, September 17, Barry actually homered under very similar conditions 6 days prior, it's tied in the 8th, this one is 7-7, and Barry hits a 2 run homer off of Dario Veras of the Padres.
1997 - #342, May 26, 3-3 in the 9th, Barry homers off Jose Lima to walk off the Astros.
1998 - this game, the one we just did, #407, that was his big blow in '98.
1999 - #439 August 30, 4-4 in the bottom of the 10th against Billy Brewer of the Phillies, Barry hits a 2 run walk off shot.
2000 - #469, June 5 4-4 in the 11th against the Angels, Barry homers off Shigetoshi Hasegawa to put us up 5-4.
2001 - #549, August 23, we're tied at 5 with the Expos in the 9th, Barry pinch homers off Graeme Lloyd to give us a 6-5 lead.
2002 - #572 April 5, 1-1 against the Padres in the bottom of the 10th, Barry walks it off with a 2 run homer off Alan Embree
2003 - Barry hit 3 walk offs in '03, let's pick August 21, 3-3 in the bottom of the 10th, Barry walked off the Braves two days prior and does it again, homering off of Trey Hodges for #652
2004 - #671 May 28, 2-2 in the bottom of the 9th against the Rockies, Barry hits a two run homer off of Tim Harikkala to send everyone home.
2005 - Barry was hurt most of the season, only hit 5 homers, let's pick #705 off Hung Chih Kuo of the Dodgers, we were up 4-3 in the 8th and this extends that to 5-3.
2006 - #711, April 26, we're down 7-5 to the Mets in the bottom of the 9th, Barry hits a 2 run pinch homer off Billy Wagner to tie the score.
2007 - last season for Barry, #738, April 18, Barry homers off Ryan Franklin of the Cards in the 8th inning to tie the score at 5.
2000 at Houston, it's game 145 and we have an 8.5 game lead, 28 games over .500, Livan Hernandez goes 8, 0 earned, it's 2-2 in the 9th, 2 out - Armando Rios homers off Wade Miller and we win this one 3-2. This is Rios's 19th career homer, he'll hit a total of 36, all but the final 3 with the Giants. We're off to San Diego for the weekend as we get ready for October baseball.
Walk off 2011 home vs. Padres, on August 21 we were just 1.5 back - but now it's 8.5 and the WC isn't much closer, this is game 148 so unfortunately it didn't happen for us this year. 2-2 with 2 out in the 12th, 1-2 count to Mark DeRosa - he singles home the winning run off of Brad Brach. DeRosa got 201 PA over two seasons as a utilityman with the Giants and didn't hit at all, had a 67 OPS+, but 2011 was a solid upgrade over 2010 (DeRosa gave us a 48 OPS+ in 2010, there's just no way he should have been given any 2011 PA). This was near the end of his career, in 2012 DeRosa was 37 and left for the Nationals and then finished the following season in Toronto.
See you tomorrow. Go Giants!
