This Week in Giants Baseball History

[Giants666]

Well? Heh.

I think the Kid is on to you 666.

Kid don't start attacking me, when your doing the same damn thing in your thread.........Some Giants Stuff.........So back off!!!!!!

[Bear]

Giants666 ... I think you have it all wrong. If SF kid was to attack you you would know it. You need to learn about sarcasm and move on! Man where did that come from?

[Giants666]

Well it's no big deal Bear.........But like you said i'm into web research.........I just felt attacked for my source, which all you know now.......But it's no different than what the Kid does in his thread, that all. It's all good man, i'll just keep the supply of Giants info to our great Giants forum

[Bear]

No one attacked anyone here just stay cool. Its great you can get the infor for use from this great site. Life is to short man and you can take that from someone who knows!!!

[SF Kid]

Attacked you? Give me a friggin' break.

I find things of interest on the Giants and post it. I find this shit all over the net. It's not rocket science my friend. Somebody wants to know where found something, no problem, jusrtask.. You made it seem like it was some deep dark scret. Took me 3 seconds to find out the source. Calm the f**k down!

[Bear]

Well lets hope this is the end of the above!

[Giants666]

June 12
Robbie Rocks the Reds: The San Francisco Giants won the game against the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 on this date in 1993 at Candlestick Park, and they couldn’t have done it without Robby Thompson. The Giants second baseman went 5-for-5 at the plate, driving in three runs, and made a winner out of starting pitcher Bill Swift.

June 13
Bonds Outslugs the Astros: In a high-scoring affair, Barry Bonds made the score a bit more with his fourth hit of the ballgame, a two-run shot in the eighth inning, in a 12-8 Giants victory at 3Com Park on this date in 1996. Giants starter Mark Leiter got the victory despite allowing seven runs (only one earned) in five innings, striking out seven.

June 14
Bombs Away Versus the Cubs: The Giants were involved in another slugfest at Candlestick on this date in 1966, and again the Giants came out on top, thanks to five Giants home runs – two-run shots by Willie Mays and Tom Haller in the first, a solo shot by Ollie Brown in the fourth, another two-run shot by Jim Ray Hart in the fifth, and yet another two-run shot by Willie McCovey to go ahead for good in the seventh.

June 15
Juan’s No-No: A grand total of three base hits were stroked in a game between the Giants and the Houston Colt .45s on this date in 1963 at Candlestick Park, but all three were Giants hits. Giants ace Juan Marichal shut down the young franchise, walking two and striking out five in nine innings for the first San Francisco Giants no-hitter, and the franchise’s first no hitter since Carl Hubbell in 1929
June 16
Broadway in Minneapolis Was Dark Tonight: The Giants broke open a 7-7 tie by scoring seven runs in the top of the ninth to turn out the lights on the Minnesota Twins on this date in 2005 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Leadoff man Omar Vizquel had five hits including a two-run double in the ninth off of former Giant Terry Mulholland. The rally made a loser out of another former Giant, All-Star closer Joe Nathan.

June 17
It Happened in 1943, Too: Proof that teams of all eras just love walking Giants sluggers – player/manager and Hall of Famer Mel Ott was walked five times on this date in 1943 in an 8-5 New York Giants victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Probably no rubber chickens were hung, though.

June 18
The Bedrock of a Pennant Drive: The Giants traded for Philadelphia Phillies closer Steve Bedrosian on this date in 1989, giving up Dennis Cook, Terry Mulholland, and Charlie Hayes in the process. Bedrock would go on to save 17 games for the NL pennant-winning Giants that season.

[Giants666]

June 19
A Smooth 56: Happy birthday to one of the best baseball play-by-play announcers out there – Duane Kuiper was born on this date in 1950, in Racine WI. This author will never forget his home run call of Benito Santiago’s shot in the 2002 NLCS – classic! Cheers!

June 20
The Padres Meet Their Lord: The Giants enjoyed a laugher in southern California on this date in 1970, as they defeated the San Diego Padres 7-1 at San Diego Stadium thanks in large to starting pitcher Gaylord Perry. The future Hall of Famer went the distance for the Giants, scattering eight hits while striking out 14 Padres en route to the win. Bobby Bonds led off the game with a home run, and finished the game with two hits and three runs scored.

June 21
Cha Cha, Cha Cha, Cha Cha: At Busch Stadium on this date in 1964, Orlando Cepeda impressed his future team by hitting three doubles in a 7-3 Giants victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Cepeda’s day was actually overshadowed somewhat by the 4-hit, 3-RBI effort of Giants second baseman Hal Lanier. The run support made a relatively easy winner out of Giants starter Jack Sanford, with a lot of help from Perry, who pitched four innings of shutout ball for the save.

June 22
A Thriller Ending: How about this game, played on this date in 1988 at Candlestick Park – trailing 5-4 going into the ninth inning against the Padres, things took a turn for the worst as Don Robinson gave up two more runs (one earned) for a 7-4 San Diego lead. No worries! The Giants started the comeback in the bottom of the ninth with a two-out RBI single by Brett Butler, then capped off the rally with a bases-loaded double by Will Clark to win the ballgame 8-7. Clark drove in all but one run in the ballgame.

June 23
About as Good as It Gets: When Freddie Fitzsimmons was on, he was unstoppable. He was certainly on for a game versus the Cincinnati Reds on this date, as Fat Freddie and the New York Giants shut down the Reds 8-0 at the Polo Grounds on this date in 1935. Up to this point in the season, all of Fitzsimmons’s wins (4) were shutouts.

June 24
Herbel Medicine: Way before becoming one of the worst hitting pitchers ever (a career 6-for-206, or a .029 average), Ron Herbel shut down the Reds on this date 2-1 for a Giants victory at Crosley Field on this date in 1964. Similar to Perry’s game mentioned above, Herbel went the distance while scattering seven hits and striking out 14 Reds. Cepeda’s two-run home run in the first off of loser Jim O’Toole accounted for the only Giants runs.

June 25
A Stretch of a Hitting Streak: With a single and a homer in a 6-5 Giants victory over the Cardinals on this date in 1963, Willie McCovey started what would become the second longest hitting streak in franchise history. Stretch would get at least one hit in every successive game until July 20, a stretch (pun intended) of 24 games.

[Giants666]

June 26
Crosley Clambake: Putting up a seven-spot in the sixth inning and five more runs in the seventh, the New York Giants blew open a relatively close game against the Cincinnati Reds and finished with a convincing 17-7 victory on this date in 1957 at Crosley Field. Young center fielder Willie Mays had four hits in the game, scored three runs, and drove in four batters.

June 27
Probably Wasn’t Chewing Toothpicks Running the Bases: The Giants again defeated the Reds in another slugfest on this date in 1984, only this time it was the as the San Francisco Giants in a game played at Candlestick Park, and the final score was 14-9. The Giants aided their cause by swiping six bags in the game – three by some young skinny outfielder named Dusty Baker.

June 28
Six RBIs Ain’t No Stretch: Just for good measure, how about another victory over the Reds – this time a 12-5 romp at Crosley Field on this date in 1969. Willie McCovey drove in six of the Giants’ 12 runs, including four with a grand slam off of losing pitcher Jack Fisher in the first inning and a two-run shot in the sixth. All the run support made an easy winner out of Giants starting pitcher Ron Herbel, who went the distance.

June 29
An Almost Complete Effort, and Then Some: On this date in 1957 at Busch Stadium, the New York Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals both failed to score for the first 11 innings of the ballgame. When Willie Mays scored following a triple in the top of the twelfth, Stu Miller went out there in the bottom of the inning to try and finish what he started eleven innings ago. Miller got the first two Cardinals in the inning, but when he surrendered a double to Hall of Famer Stan Musial, he was pulled in favor of reliever Marv (not Marquis) Grissom. Grissom got the final out of the game to save Miller’s masterpiece – 11 2/3 innings pitched, eight hits, three strikeouts, and a well-earned win.

June 30
Let the Ripping Begin: This date marks the 28th anniversary of the beginning of the longest hitting streak in franchise history – 26 games in all, by Jack Clark in 1978. The Ripper would get at least one hit in every game from this date on until July 26 – nearly a calendar month.

July 1
Carreon the Losing Streak No More: Thanks in large part to homers by Shawon Dunston, Barry Bonds, and Mark Carreon, the Giants snapped an ugly 10-game losing streak on this date in 1996 by defeating the Colorado Rockies 9-6 at 3Com Park. See? Things could be worse.

July 2
A Japanese Miracle at Coors: In a 18-5 Giants laugher over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on this date in 2002, every Giants starter collected at least one base hit – including #8 hitter Tsuyoshi Shinjo, who went 5-for-6 with a pair of home runs including a two-out grand slam in the first inning. Shinjo’s career game was certainly a fluky milestone – he would go on to hit two more home runs and drive in nine more runs for the remainder of the season.

[Giants666]

July 3
Dodge Ball: The Brooklyn Dodgers ran into trouble on the mound on this date in 1949. His name was New York Giants starting pitcher Monte Kennedy, and not only did he throw a complete game shutout on the Dodgers, but he also hit a grand slam to add insult to injury in a 16-0 Giants laugher.

July 4
Born on the Fourth: Happy 64th to former San Francisco Giants infielder Hal Lanier, born on this date in 1942, in Denton NC. Lanier is now managing the Joliet JackHammers in the Northern League. Cheers!

July 5
The Bonds Family Can Hit: With a home run in a 6-4 loss against the Giants on this date in 1989, future Giant Barry Bonds and his father Bobby Bonds became the most prolific home run hitting father-son combination in the history of Major League Baseball with 408 round trippers. The record had been previously held by two twosomes – Gus and Buddy Bell, and Yogi and Dale Berra – each with 407.

July 6
The First All-Star Game: MLB’s very first All-Star Game was played on this date in 1933, as part of the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago. Aided by a 2-run home run from Babe Ruth, the American League defeated the National League 4-2 at Comisky Park. The New York Giants sent four representatives to Chicago: pitchers Carl Hubbell and Hal Schumacher, first baseman Bill Terry, and pitcher-turned-outfielder Lefty O’Doul. Hubbell pitched the final two shutout innings for the National League, Terry went 2-for-4, O’Doul grounded out as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning, and Schumacher never got in the game.

July 7
Record Runs at Coors: In the midst of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa’s quest for Roger Maris’s record, the 1998 All-Star Game was fittingly held on this date at Coors Field in Denver, with the American League outslugging the National League 13-8. A 3-run home run by Barry Bonds in the fifth wasn’t enough, and didn’t help matters by allowing three earned runs in the top of the ninth.

July 8
Not Very Memorial at Memorial Stadium: The American League again defeated the National League 4-3 on this date in the 1958 All-Star Game, played in Baltimore. Pitching ruled, as this was the first All-Star game without a single extra-base hit. The newly San Francisco Giants sent three representatives – pitchers Johnny Antonelli, catcher Bob Schmidt, and outfielder Willie Mays – but only Mays saw any action, going 2-for-4 from the leadoff spot and scoring both NL runs.

July 9
No Winner at Miller: The 73rd All-Star Game at Miller Park, held on this date in 2002, will forever be remembered because of the fact that it ended in a 7-7 tie. Commissioner Bud Selig furthered the embarrassment by failing to announce a Most Valuable Player. Two of the Giants’ three All-Stars had games to forget – Robb Nen gave up the tying run to the AL by allowing an RBI triple to future Giant Omar Vizquel (who played second base in the game) in the eighth, and Benito Santiago struck out looking with runners on to end the ballgame tied in the eleventh. Barry Bonds went 1-for-2 with a home run, and also had another home run robbed from him by Minnesota Twins outfielder Torii Hunter in the first.

[Giants666]

July 10
All-Stars at the ‘Stick: With Willie McCovey as the honorary captain of the National League, the 1984 All-Star game was held at Candlestick Park on this date, and McCovey’s squad emerged with a 3-1 victory. Aside from Stretch, the San Francisco Giants sent two representatives, Bob Brenly and Chili Davis – both of whom made an appearance in the game by making an out as pinch hitters. The game will be remembered because Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Fernando Valenzuela and New York Mets phenom Dwight Gooden combined to strike out six batters in a row in the fourth and fifth innings.

July 11
All-Stars at the ‘Stick, Part 2: San Francisco hosted its first All-Star game on this date in 1961, and the winds came by to say hello. Famous (or infamous) for Giants reliever Stu Miller being blown off the mound for a ninth inning balk that led to the AL tying the game, the 1961 All-Star game ended with the NL winning 5-4 in ten innings. Four Giants made it that year – Miller (the eventual wining pitcher), Orlando Cepeda (0-for-3), Willie Mays (2-for-5 with two runs scored), and Mike McCormick (3 IP, 1 ER, 3Ks).

July 12
A Scorcher in St. Louis: The 1966 All-Star game had an amazing six Giants in the roster – Tom Haller (did not play), Jim Ray Hart, Juan Marichal, Mays, McCovey, and Gaylord Perry – but the real amazing aspect was the Missouri heat. In 105-degree weather, the National League edged the American League 2-1 at Busch Stadium. Perry got the victory by pitching a scoreless ninth and tenth innings.

July 13
Zeros in Detroit: Four Giants played at Tigers Stadium in the 1971 Midsummer Classic, and all of them put up zeroes – Mays, McCovey, and Bobby Bonds combined to go 0-for-5, and Marichal pitched scoreless fourth and fifth innings as the National League fell to the American league for the first time since 1962, with a score of 6-4.

July 14
Power Outage Across the Bay: The 1987 All-Star game was held at the Oakland Coliseum, and some fans might say it started late – the game remained scoreless until the thirteenth inning, when the National League scored the two winning runs off a triple by Montreal Expos outfielder Tim Raines. Seven NL pitchers including future Giants Steve Bedrosian and Rick Reuschel combined for a 6-hit shutout. Jeffrey Leonard, the Giants lone representative, went 0-for-2.

July 15
Schmidt Starts it in Chicago: The Giants sent Jason Schmidt and Barry Bonds to U.S. Cellular field for the 2003 All-Star game, and again both Giants put up zeros – Schmidt started the game and threw two shutout innings, striking out three, and Bonds went 0-for-3. The AL won the game with a 3-run rally in the bottom of the eighth inning, and former Giants minor leaguer Keith Foulke converted the save for a 7-6 AL victory.

July 16
Riding the Bench in Minneapolis: On the lone All-Star Game played on this date in Major League history, the 1985 NL All-Stars defeated their AL counterparts 6-1 at the Metrodome. No Giant ever made it on the field during the game, as the lone Giants representative, pitcher Scott Garrelts, never made it off the bench for the NL.

[Giants666]

July 17
10-for-10: On this date in 1978 at Busch Stadium, the San Francisco Giants received 5-for-5 performances from both Terry Whitfield and Darrell Evans, and they needed every bit of them to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-7. Whitfield and Evans both singled in the top of the ninth, when the Giants broke a 7-7 tie to win it.

July 18
HRs Not Enough to Offset Ks: In an extra-inning affair against the Florida Marlins on this date in 1995 at Candlestick Park, the Giants hit five home runs – by Steve Scarsone, Mark Carreon, Glenallen Hill, and two by Barry Bonds – but struck out sixteen times against fishy pitching to lose the game 12-10 in fourteen innings. With two outs in the ninth inning and the Giants trailing by a run, Bonds’s second homer of the game was against future Giant Robb Nen and sent the game into extras. The Marlins eventually struck for five runs in the top of the fourteenth, and a three-run rally in the bottom of the inning – the result of a 3-run shot by Hill with two outs – wasn’t enough to win this roller coaster.

July 19
Free Pass Frenzy: No, this had nothing to do with Barry Bonds, but rather Doug Rader. Batting eighth in a game against the Cardinals on this date in 1975 at Candlestick Park, the Giants catcher managed to play the entire game without an official at bat, as he was walked four times – thrice intentionally – to get to the pitcher. The Cardinals’ strategy worked every time – Giants starter John Montefusco went 0-for-4 at the plate – but the Giants still won the game 5-2. Just for kicks, the Cards walked a total of nine Giants in the game, with three more intentional walks – one to Bobby Murcer and two to Willie Montanez.

July 20
Cliffhanger: It took a while and two locations, but the Giants eventually defeated the Chicago Cubs 9-8 on a game begun on this date in 1978 at Wrigley Field. The game was suspended with two outs in the top of the eighth (due to darkness? Rain? We’ll never know), and resumed at Candlestick Park eight days later. All the scoring took place at Wrigley, with Jack Clark singling in the go-ahead run immediately before the suspension.

July 21
Humm-Baby, More Walks: With a lineup that featured Willie Mays and Willie McCovey, it’s not surprising that the 1965 Giants drew a lot of walks. Such was the case on this date at Candlestick Park, as Cincinnati Reds pitchers walked eleven Giants batters in a 5-4 Giants victory. Juan Marichal started the game for the Giants, but received a no-decision after leaving the game tied 4-4 at the end of eight innings. The game stayed that way until the bottom of the eleventh inning, when a Reds reliever allowed a single, a sacrifice, two intentional walks, and a game-winning single. That reliever? Future Giants skipper Roger Craig.

July 22
Schmidt Fodder: Ryan Vogelsong, we hardly knew ye. The current Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher and former Giants draft pick was born on this date in 1977, in Charlotte NC. Appearing in just 17 games for the Giants, Vogelsong and outfielder Armando Rios were used as trade bait to lure over John Vander Wal and some 3-time All Star named Jason Schmidt.

July 23
Beating Up an Old Friend: The Giants welcomed back former starting pitcher Mark Leiter and his Philadelphia Phillies to Candlestick Park on this date in 1997 to the tune of a 16-4 pasting. Barry Bonds in particular liked one of Leiter’s pitches – his grand slam in the bottom of the third was part of a seven-run rally in the inning.