What is this all about?
Here are the top 5 September 14 moments in San Francisco Giants history.
1965 at Houston, we moved into a tie for first place on the 7th and have bumped that to a 2.5 game lead over the past week, we were down 5-3 with 2 out in the 9th, Willie Mays tied it with a 2 run homer off Claude Raymond (career number 501) and then Jim Davenport won it in the 10th with a run scoring single off Mike Cuellar. That's 12 wins in a row and with 17 games remaining we had a 3.5 games lead. Mays hit third in 65, as he did in every season he played in San Francisco save one, more of that just below.
1969 home vs. Reds, 4 days ago we were in 1st, now we're 1.5 games out on game 146, the Braves are in first and between us is Cincinnati, they're a game out (and we're tied with the Dodgers, that's 4 teams within 1.5 games of the lead with 17 left, goddamn right this is a pennant race). Sunday afternoon at the Stick, 3-3 with 2 out in the 7th, hey, we're the ones who have Willie Mays, he singles home the go ahead run off of Jim Merritt, and we win it 5-3. We stay a game and a half out and the Braves come in tomorrow. Mays hit third in this one, here's every 3 hitter in San Francisco history. The run of Ms is hard to miss.
58-62,64-71 Mays
63-McCovey
72-Speier
73-4 Maddox
75-Murcer
76-Matthews
77-Madlock
78-81 JClark
82-85 Davis
86-Brown
87-Leonard
88-93 WClark
94-02 Bonds
03-04 Grissom
05-Snow
06-Hillenbrand (he had a 74OPS+, by all means hit him third)
07-08 Winn
09, 11, 13 Sandoval
10-Huff
12-Cabrera
14-Posey
15-Duffy
16-Posey/Belt
1982 home vs. Reds, we were 13.5 out in late July, this is game 144 and that number is down to 6. So, look, down 6 with 19 left is just too many, but since it's been 11 years since our last playoff appearance, you can forgive a little bit of hope here. Such a small Candlestick crowd, fewer than 4,000 paid on a Tuesday night. We only get 3 hits, the important one coming with 2 out in the bottom of the 7th, down 1-0, Dave Bergman hits a 2 run homer off Bruce Berenyi and that score holds up. Bergman hit 14 Giants homers, including a walk off in late '83. 18 games left. 6 back. But 1982 isn't over yet.
Walk off 1987 home vs. Padres, it's game 144 and we come in with a 6 game lead, 3-3 with an out in the 9th - Jose Uribe hits a walk off homer off Lance McCullers. Uribe hit 19 career home runs, this was the only walk off. With 18 games to go we have a 6.5 game lead in the West and are closing in our first postseason appearance since '71.
Walk off 1989 home vs. Reds, we walked off the Reds the night before and get them again here as we steam toward the playoffs. It's game 147, we're 5 up in the West, looking for our second division title in three years. 3-3 in the 12th, Bob Brenly singles home the winning run off of Norm Charlton, we move 6 games up with 15 to go. Brenly left after '88, went to Toronto, they released him, he comes back in September to finish his career. This is his 9th game back with the Giants.
See you tomorrow. Go Giants!
