San Francisco Giants History

The San Francisco have a rich and storied historymake the playoffs, in 1987 they took the St.Louis
that is filled with many great moments and players,Cardinals to a seventh game in the National League
as they have five World Championships to theirChampionship series before succumbing, in 1989 the
credit and have had such greats as Carl Hubbell,San Francisco Giants had a powerhouse squad led by
Bobby Thomson, Wille McCovey, and JuanNL MVP Kevin Mitchell who belted 47 HRS and 125
Marichal.The San Francisco Giants can arguably sayRBI and powered the San Francisco Giants past the
that they have had the two best all around playersChicago Cubs in the NLCS and into the World Series
to ever play the game with the great Willie Mays andagainst Bay Area rival the Oakland Athletics, who
the incomparable Barry Bonds of the San Franciscoboasted a virtual all-star with AL MVP Jose Canseco
Giants, Mays belted 660 home runs in his illustriousand slugger Mark McGwire to go along with an award
career and is thought of by many to be the bestwinning pitching staff, the San Francisco Giants were
player to ever play due to his ability to be able tono match for the Oakland Athletics and were beaten
play every aspect of the game at a high level andin four straight games.The San Francisco Giants would
possessing no weaknesses, as for Barry Bonds ofmake the playoffs in 1997 and 2000 but lose in the
the San Francisco Giants all hes done is his awardopening round to the Florida Marlins and New York
winning career is win the National League MostMets respectively,in 2002 they would once again
Valuable Player award seven times, win eight goldqualify for the National League playoffs, this time
gloves, twelve silver slugger awards, be voted to thebehind the mighty bat of Barry Bonds of the San
National League all-star team thirteen times, and beltFrancisco Giants who batted .370 with 46 home runs,
708 home runs which is only 47 shy of Henry Aaron's110 runs batted in, 198 walks, and a on base
all time mark of 755.In the 1930s the San Franciscopercentage of .582, the San Francisco Giants
Giants would participate in three World Series, winningdefeated the Atlanta Braves three games to two in
the 1933 World Championship, with NL MVP Carlthe divisonal playoffs and went on to defeat the
Hubbell of the San Francisco Giants leading the way inSt.Louis Cardinals in the NLCS and earn the right to
an upset of the powerful Washington Senators, theface the upstart Anaheim Angels.The 2002 World
San Francisco Giants pitching staff totally thwart theSeries was one for the ages as the San Francisco
Washington Senators vaunted offense as they allowGiants and Anaheim Angels dueled and battled to a
only eight earned runs all series long en route to aseventh game, where the Anaheim Angels narrowly
four games to one rout.It would take until 1951 fordefeated the San Francisco Giants to win their World
the San Francisco Giants to return to prominence, asSeries.The 2006 San Francisco Giants will be a
they qualified for the fall classic again but wereNational League powerhouse with Barry Bonds and
denied by New York Yankees, but in 1954 againstpitcher Jason Schmidt returning to health and
the Cleveland Indians the San Francisco Giants withnewcomer OF Steve Finley adding punch to an
Willie Mays of the San Francisco returning from hisalready potent lineup, the off-season acqusition of P
tour of duty with the US Army rout the heavilyMatt Morris from the St.Louis Cardinals will be a major
favored Clevealand Indians who won 111 games inboost, one that could give the San Francisco Giants
the regular season, one play perhaps changed thethe dege in the National League West with many san
entire complexion of the '54 World Series, as Williefrancisco giants tickets being sold.Great moment in
Mays of the San Francisco Giants made perhaps theteam historyAfter trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers
greatest defensive play ever, tied with the Clevelandby 13 1/2 games on Aug. 11, manager Leo Durocher's
Indians a 2 in the eighth inning of Game 1 at the Polotroops rattled off 16 straight victories and won 37 of
Grounds and two Indians runners on base, the Hall oftheir final 44 regular-season contests to force a tie
Fame center fielder made an over-the-shoulder catchwith Brooklyn. The two teams met in a three game
of a 460-foot smash off the bat of the Clevelandelimination to see who go on to the playoffs, the San
Indians Vic Wertz, the San Francisco Giants went onFrancisco Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers split the first
to win 5-2 in ten innings, and the series turned into atwo games setting a winner take all game 3 at the
runaway for the San Francisco Giants.The Sanpolo grounds, the San Francisco Ginats trailed the
Francisco Giants made a World Series appearance inBrooklyn Dodgers 4-2 with two on and one out in
1962 but were defeated by the New York Yankeesthe ninth inning when Bobby Thomson of the San
in six games, and would not make the playoffs againFrancisco Giants stepped to the plate, the rest is
until 1971 a year in which the San Francisco Giants didhistory, Thomson drilled an 0-1 pitch off reliever Ralph
not have a pitcher who won 20 games or batterBranca of the Brooklyn Dodgers to left field and
with a .300 average and were eliminated by thejumped onto home plate to put an exclamation on
Pittsburgh Pirates, their would be a drought of 16"The Miracle of Coogan's Bluff," as called by
years before the San Francisco Giants would againlegendary Giants announcer Russ Hodges.