July 25 - Top 5 Moments in San Francisco Giants History

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Here are the top 5 July 25 moments in San Francisco Giants history.

Walk off 1978 home vs. Cardinals, we're 21 over .500 with a 2 game lead in the west (we're gonna win! we're going to the playoffs!) almost 40,000 paid on a Tuesday night at the Stick, dueling complete games by Vida Blue and Bob Forsch, we're down 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th, Mike Ivie pinch hits a 2 run homer to win the game.  It's Ivie's first Giants season, he splits time at first with McCovey, it's his second best ever year with the bat (his best is coming in '79) this is Ivie's 32nd career home run and the only walk off home run he'll ever hit.

1988 home vs. Dodgers, we're 7 games back, starting a 4 game set against the first place Dodgers, Kelly Downs throws a complete game 5 hitter and gets the win when, with the score 1-1 in the 7th, Kevin Mitchell hits a 2 run homer off Fernando Valenzuela for the final runs scored in the game.  This is Mitch's last year at third base, he moves to the outfield, really during the '88 season, which is where he spends the rest of his NL career.  This is Mitchell's 47th career homer, three of those had been off of Fernando - do you remember where Valenzuela finished his career?  St Louis.  He pitched in five games for the Cardinals in '97.

1992 at Philadelphia, this is game 96 of what looked for all the world to be the last ever season of San Francisco Giants baseball, we're a dozen games out, it's 2-2 in the 10th, Mike Felder drives home Kevin Bass with a double off of Mitch Williams - we win this one 6-2.  Felder spent 2 seasons as our 4th OF, this was his second and his more productive - with an OPS+ of 106 this is easily the best season with the bat in his 10 year career.  Felder's off to Seattle after the season and never plays a big league game after '94.

Walk off 2003 home vs. Padres, 11 game lead, 28 games over .500, we've won 8 straight, how about one more - 2-2 in the bottom of the 9th, Pedro Feliz hits a 3 run homer off of Jay Witasek to win the game.  This is the best year of Feliz's career with the bat, he has a 102 OPS+ and the last season before we jumped his number of plate appearances beyond a reasonable level.  This is his 19th career homer and the only Giants walk off he'd ever hit.

2010 at Arizona, we're 3 out of first, looking for a 4 game sweep in Phoenix, 2-2 with 2 out in the 10th, Travis Ishikawa singles home what turns out to be the winning run off of Esmerling Vasquez.  This is the last year of Ishikawa's first Giants run, he was drafted 8 years before, as an 18 year old in '02 (in the 21st round, no one else selected in that round who signed made the big leagues; for example, the guy chosen right before Ishikawa was a San Jose St third baseman who never made it above A ball.) Ishikawa came up on '06, was our primary first baseman in '09. He spends all of '11 in AAA and then we let him go and he heads to Milwaukee.  He comes back.

See you tomorrow.  Go Giants!



2010 at Arizona, we're 3 out of first, looking for a 4 game sweep in Phoenix, 2-2 with 2 out in the 10th, Travis Ishikawa singles home what turns out to be the winning run off of Esmerling Vasquez.  This is the last year of Ishikawa's first Giants run, he was drafted 8 years before, as an 18 year old in '02 (in the 21st round, no one else selected in that round who signed made the big leagues; for example, the guy chosen right before Ishikawa was a San Jose St third baseman who never made it above A ball.) Ishikawa came up on '06, was our primary first baseman in '09. He spends all of '11 in AAA and then we let him go and he heads to Milwaukee.  He comes back.

July 24 - Top 5 Moments in San Francisco Giants History

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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!

July 23 - Top 5 Moments in San Francisco Giants History

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Here are the top 5 July 23 moments in San Francisco Giants history.

1972 home vs. Mets, we're 17.5 out, just playing out the string, complete games for both starters here, Ron Bryant against Tom Seaver - we're down 2-1 with 2 out in the 5th when Bobby Bonds hits a 3 run homer off Seaver.  We win it 5-2.  Mays went hitless for the Mets. It's Bonds's 115th career homer.  Seaver normally killed Bonds, in 58 plate appearances Bobby had a .118 BA, that's 6 hits - but four of them were homers.





1988 at St Louis, we were 2.5 out just a couple weeks before, but now are 7 back after getting walked off the night before, 5-5 in the 9th inning, Candy Maldonado singles home Brett Butler off of Todd Worrell, we win it 6-5.  Candy was our primary RF from '87-89, it was Chili in '85-6 and obviously Jack Clark before that, all the way back to 1977.  It was Murcer in '75-6 and before that it was Bobby Bonds, all the way back to '69.  That's 2 decades of Giants right fielders.  The fight at second base is the day after this game.

2008 home vs. Nationals, we're 8.5 back, we're down 4-3 in the 8th, Rich Aurilia hits a 2 run double off Luis Ayala and we win this one 6-4.  The Rangers drafted Aurilia in the 24th round in '92. The only other player drafted in that round, who signed with his team and made it to the majors was Mike DeJean, who had a ten year career as a reliever.

2014 at Philadelphia, 13 games up with a 1.5 game lead in the west, we only got 5 hits in this one, it's scoreless in the 9th, bases loaded, two out, Hunter Pence clears them with a double off of Jonathan Papelbon, we win this one 3-1.  Pence took over RF from the Giants after coming over from the Phillies at the deadline in '12. Through '16 he's the 43rd greatest San Francisco Giant ever.

2016 at Yankees, we went into the Break with the best record in baseball, 24 games over .500 with a 6.5 game lead in the west.  We haven't won since, dropping 6 straight and our lead is down to 4.  It takes another 12 innings and 4 and a half hours here before we stop that slide, 1-1 in the 12th, Mac Williamson singles home Trevor Brown off of Anthony Swarzak and that 2-1 lead holds up.  We drafted Williamson as a 22 year old in the third round in 2012 (as of this writing, not much value has come out of that round, Andrew Toles has been good in very limited time with the Dodgers) Williamson's time has also been limited, a couple hundred replacement level plate appearances in portions of three seasons beginning in 2015.  He just hasn't hit enough to stay in the lineup despite some opportunities in the Giants outfield.

See you tomorrow.  Go Giants!

July 22 - Top 5 Moments in San Francisco Giants History.

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Yesterday

Here are the Top 5 July 22 moments in San Francisco Giants history.

1964 home vs. Cubs, it's game 95, just a week before we were up a game - but now we're one out of first place, it's 3-3 in the 6th (we scored those three on a Hal Lanier homer in the 5th) Orlando Cepeda hits a two run homer off Larry Jackson, we're gonna win this one 7-3, but we can never make up that game and get back into first.  It's Cepeda's 208th career homer, he only hits 17 more as a Giant.

1983 at Pittsburgh, game 94, 11 games out, down 3-2 in the 8th, Joel Youngblood drives in two with a pinch base hit off of Kent Tekulve, we're gonna win it 5-3. Jack Clark had five hits on the day. It's Youngblood's first year of 6 in San Francisco and easily his best, he had a 138 OPS+

Walk off 1996 home vs. Cubs, we're 9.5 games out, Kim Batiste pinch homered in the 7th to tie the score at one, and in the bottom of the 9th Rich Aurilia singled with one out - Kirt Manwaring tried to bunt him over but got hit by the pitch, a batter later the Cubs tried to pick Aurilia off second, but the catcher's throw hit him, with 2 outs and Aurilia on third a Marvin Benard ground ball went under Ryne Sandberg's glove to score the game winning run.  It's Batiste's only season in San Francisco, he played 54 games as a Giant and didn't hit at all, having an OPS+ of 49 as a utility guy.  It's hit 26th game as a Giant, his 9th hit and his second of 3 home runs.

1997 home vs. Phillies, it's game 100, the first time we've hit that number on this daily look at great Giants moments, we're 3 up in the NL West, Bonds homered to tie the game in the 5th, but we were down 4-3 in the 7th when Jeff Kent hit a 2 run over off of Jerry Spradlin (Kent's second homer) and we're gonna win it 8-5.  This is Kent's first season in San Francisco after the Matt Williams trade with Cleveland, he was okay, it's really '98 as a 30 year old that he starts the march to his Hall of Fame level career.

2014 at Philadelphia, up 1.5 in the West, we play a near 6 hour game on a Tuesday night at the Vet, 5-5 with 2 out and the bases loaded in the top of the 14th - Brandon Crawford doubles off Jeff Manship, clearing the bases, and we win it 9-6.  Buster Posey had a game tying homer in the 9th. We drafted Crawford as 21 year old in '08 (in the 4th round, Jason Kipnis and Dee Gordon also taken in that round; '08 was also the Posey draft, so a nice haul) he came up in '11 and took the starting shortstop job in 2012.  He's been good every year, particularly so in 2015 and then 2016, although as of this writing has fallen off the table entirely in 2017 in a nearly inexplicable collapse.

See you tomorrow.  Go Giants!

Edit - Walk off 2017 home vs. Padres, game 99 of an historically bad Giants season, we come in 29.5 behind the first place Dodgers, further beind than any Giants team has ever been to any Dodgers team in the entire history of both organizations. 4-4 with 2 out in the bottom of the 12th, Nick Hundley singles home Kelby Tomlinson with the winning run off of Kevin Quackenbush. It's the tenth year of Hundley's career, he signed as a free agent in the offseason after a couple of years in Colorado.  He produces well enough to be your backup catcher, as of this date he's got an 87 OPS+ in 2017. Hundley was taken 28th in the 2nd round by the Padres in 2008 (they took Chase Headley 10 spots prior, he and Yunel Escobar have been the two best players from that round; we lost our pick to the Cardinals in the Mike Matheny signing, they took a Texas high school pitcher who never made it).

See you today.  Go Giants!

July 21 - Top 5 Moments in San Francisco Giants History

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Yesterday

Here are the top 5 July 21 moments in San Francisco Giants history

Walk off 1965 home vs. Cincinnati, we're 5.5 out of first, 4-4 in the 11th, Bob Schroder pinch singles home Jim Ray Hart off of Roger Craig, Schroder was a Pureblood, the Giants were his only big league club - he was a defensive replacement for 4 totally unproductive seasons, his career OPS+ was 57.  This is his first season, he plays in 31 games but only gets 10 plate appearances.  This is his 14th big league game and his 2nd big league hit.

1971 at Pittsburgh, it's game 98 and we're up 7 in the west, that's a nice lead, we came into the 9th down 4-2, but tied it up, and now the bases are loaded, it's two out - and Willie McCovey hits a grand slam off of Dave Giusti.  McCovey hit 18 grand slams (16 with the Giants) this is the 13th.  It's the only one he ever hit in the 9th inning.

Walk off 1976 Chicago, we're 19 out, the season is over, and we're playing in front of 4000 paid on a Wednesday afternoon at the Stick.  The Count throws a complete game 3 hitter, but we still trail 1-0 when Bobby Murcer bunts his way into a double past a charging Bill Madlock.  That drives home Marty Perez with the tying run - and we'd go onto win it 2-1.  We signed Montefusco at 22 in '72, he got a cup of coffee in '74 and then won the Rookie of the Year and finished 4th in the NL Cy Young in '75 (he was good, nearly 6 WAR and a 133 ERA+ and then was a little bit better in '76, they were his career years).  The Count stayed in the rotation through the '80 season and then was dealt to Atlanta for Doyle Alexander.  He finishes his career as a Yankee in '86.

1980 at Chicago, we're 6.5 out, still in this thing, we go 15 in Wrigley (actually, we go 13 and finish the next day) and it's scoreless through 14 of them.  With an out in the 15th, Larry Herndon hits a 2 run homer off Bill Caudill, we win it 2-0 and live another day.  This is Herndon's last season as our primary center fielder, he moves to left in '81 and is off to Detroit for Dan Schatzeder before the '82 season.

2002 at Los Angeles, we're 2 games out of first and a game and a half behind LA, it's a Sunday night at Dodger Stadium, 4-4 in the 9th, Tom Goodwin hits a 2 run homer off Giovanni Carrara and we're gonna win it 6-4.  Goodwin spent a year as a backup OF with the Giants, he was coming off his second stint with the Dodgers when we signed him as a free agent before the season.  He never hit the ball, had a career OPS+ of 73 and he never reached 90 in any one of his 14 seasons.  He signs with the Cubs after the season which is where he finishes his career.  Goodwin had 24 career homers, this is #23, the only one he hit as a Giant.

See you tomorrow.  Go Giants!