The Giants Stand Tall 4 Willie Mays Does It All 6 Thomson Hits the Shot Heard Round the World 8 Baseball’s Longest Rivalry Goes Coast to Coast 10 The Giants Shine in the Ballpark by the Bay 12 Bochy Proves to Be the Right Man for the Job 14 Buster Busts Out 16 Fans Sing Songs to Believe In 18 The Lefty Is Lights Out 20 The Greatest Giants Stand Taller than the Rest 22 Barry Bonds Makes a Splash 24 Luigi Gives the Giants a Seal of Approval 26 12 Key Dates 28 Glossary 30 For More Information 31 Index 32 About the Author 32 TABLE OF CONTENTS
From their earliest days the Giants have been among the best teams in the National League NL Their 23 league championships rank number one Only three teams have won more than the Giants eight World Series championships The Giants history spans three centuries and two coasts The team’s first season was in 1883 in New York The team was known as the Gothams It didn’t become known as the Giants until 1885 The Giants won their first NL titles in 1888 and 1989 They won five World Series in New York Their last was in 1954 The team moved to California after the 1957 season As the San Francisco Giants the team was often blessed with wonderful players But for the team’s first 52 years in California the Giants didn’t win a World Series It wasn’t until 2010 that the Giants finally won it all A crazy cast of characters led the way Long-haired ace pitcher Tim Lincecum bearded reliever Brian Wilson and colorful first baseman Aubrey Huff led the Giants past the Texas Rangers in five games Then they won it again in 2012 and 2014 3 Complete-game shutouts Christy Mathewson pitched in the 1905 World Series The Giants beat the Philadelphia Athletics for the title The World Series win was the Giants first The Giants had refused to play the 1904 World Series because manager John McGraw said the upstart American League AL was inferior THE GIANTS STAND TALL 1 4
Pitcher Madison Bumgarner lifts the World Series trophy after the Giants won their eighth championship in 2014 5
