Glory Days T he Giants played their first game in San Francisco in 1958 Back then they were baseball’s newest old team Their roots stretched back 75 years and thousands of miles to New York City where they began as the Gothams in 1883 Their proud manager Jim Mutrie called his players giants Soon that became the name of the team The Giants were the best team in baseball during the late 1880s Tim Keefe and Mickey Welch led the pitching staff Buck Ewing John Ward and Roger Connor were the stars on offense The team won two pennants in the National League NL and helped baseball become the country’s most popular sport The Giants rose to the top of the NL again in the early part of the 20th century From 1904 to 1924 they finished first or second 16 times Their manager during those glory years was John McGraw who was known as the smartest man 6
LEFT This card of John McGraw came out of an old Cracker Jack box RIGHT Mel Ott watches a home run on the cover of a 1940s comic book in baseball when he played As a manager McGraw was even smarter McGraw also had a roster of great players Christy Mathewson Joe McGinnity George Wiltse Red Ames Rube Marquard and Jesse Barnes were among the finest pitchers in the league The Giants best hitters included Roger Bresnahan Larry Doyle Ross Youngs George Kelly Dave Bancroft and Frankie Frisch McGraw’s teams captured 10 pennants and won the World Series three times During the 1930s the Giants won three more pennants They were led by hitting stars Mel Ott Bill Terry and Travis Jackson Pitchers Carl Hubbell and Hal Schumacher took care of business on the mound After struggling during the 1940s the Giants rebuilt their club in the 1950s They signed several stars from the Negro Leagues including Monte Irvin Hank Thompson and Willie Mays Many experts consider Mays to be the greatest all-around player of his time 7
In 1958 the Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers moved to California The fierce rivalry they started in New York continued on the West Coast With young power hitters such as Orlando Cepeda Willie McCovey and Felipe Alou supporting Mays and great pitching from Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry the Giants continued their winning ways in the 1960s San Francisco rose to the top of the standings again in the late 1980s The Giants were pennant contenders almost every season Their heavy hitters included Will Clark Robby Thompson Matt Williams and Kevin Mitchell and later Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent LEFT Willie Mays strikes a pose in the uniform of the New York Giants ABOVE Barry Bonds watches a home run leave the ballpark 9
