san francisco giants history
san francisco giants history
Want to witness the setting of the second-most home runs in one career this season? Pick up San Francisco Giants tickets now, and you may be lucky enough to see this piece of baseball history. As fans in San Francisco wait for Opening Day of 2006, slugger Barry Bonds ranks third on the all-time list with six fewer home runs than Babe Ruth. Plagued by injuries during the last two years and rumors of heavy steroid use to boost his presence at the plate, 2006 is most likely Bonds’ last season. While the Giants missed the postseason in 2005, Bonds’ return to the lineup and the addition of pitchers Noah Lowry Brad Hennessy, and Scott Munter makes the team hopeful for a return to first place in the National League West Division.
Before the franchise arrived in California in 1957, the Giants competed in New York. The team’s time in the Big Apple established a tradition of success, winning the National League Pennant 17 times and earning five World Series Championships. After the Giants moved to San Francisco, the team did not enjoy the same type of consistent success. However, first baseman Willie McCovey and center fielder Willie Mays helped the Giants become a powerhouse during the 1960s, and the team posted 14 consecutive winning seasons. The team appeared in the 1962 World Series during this era of victory, but they battled through seven games before losing to the New York Yankees. The pitching of Gaylord Perry and Juan Marichal gave the team a definitive presence on the mound. Despite this consistent level of winning, the Giants early success in San Francisco quickly turned sour. The team waited 25 years for another appearance in the World Series where they were swept by the Oakland Athletics.
Fans in San Francisco remember Mays as one of the best center fielders to ever play Major League Baseball. He played his entire career with the Giants with the exception of his last season when he helped the New York Mets reach the World Series. Memorials to Mays’ impact on the franchise litter the Giants’ new stadium, A T&T Park. A statue of the offensive weapon stands outside the gates, and the right field wall is 24 feet high because Mays wore the same number on his playing jersey. Mays is Bonds godfather, serving as a mentor as the current slugger passed the Hall of Famer in offensive statistics.
Will this be the final year for Bonds to secure a World Series title? The Giants have enjoyed success during the early part of the decade, reaching the MLB championship in 2002 before losing to the Los Angeles Angels. The recent signing of first baseman Mark Sweeney will add another offensive threat on the left side of the plate for the team, and the team opens the season with a veteran lineup that includes a healthy Bonds, shortstop Omar Vizquel, and catcher Mike Matheny. This field of experience talent promises to make San Francisco Giants tickets some of the most exciting seats in baseball.
