I have so many photos over the last 5 years of great Giants moments and I feel like they’re going to waste just sitting on my hard drives. So I’m going to make some Top 10 lists! We will start with the most recent of years and eventually work our way down to 2015 (just before we started to suck). I moved out of the area just before the 2019 season started so I attended fewer games than usual. However, with the addition of a Sigma 300mm lens, I came away with some pretty great shots last year. Enjoy!
10.
Wednesday, June 26: Lou Seal was up to his usual antics between innings as he blasted people with free t-shirts. This wouldn’t be post worthy except for the obvious eye contact with the kid in front of me as they waved at each other. Also, someone had the decency to cover up Lou’s- wait, is that his… no that’s that guy’s finger. Giants lost this game 6-3 to Colorado as David Dahl had a career day with 5 RBI including a 3rd inning slam off of Shark. Samardzija went 5 innings (96 pitches) that day and struck out 6, but also allowed 5ER. Sandoval stood out for the Giants as he went 2-4 with a solo shot and 2RBI off German Marquez.
9.
Sunday, September 29: Brucy Bochy and Buster Posey share a laugh about something during the final game of the year against the Dodgers. I don’t know what they’re talking about, but I think it’s a great moment. Knowing this was Bochy’s final game, I kept scanning the dugout with my camera hoping to catch something like this. I’m glad I did because this one’s a gem and makes you forget about how disgusting that game was. D Rod got lit up instantly and it was 5-0 LA after the top of the 1st. The Giants did their special “let’s only get 3 hits today” thing and that was the ballgame. But no one will remember that as the postgame Bochy ceremony was why everyone was there.
8.
Wednesday, August 7: Two World Series heroes collide during an afternoon game at the yard. Panda was the World Series MVP in 2012 when he put up this line:
4 Games: 8-16 (.500), 3 R, 2B, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 1.654 OPS, 18 TB
In the 2019 World Series against Houston, Anthony Rendon would go:
7 Games: 8-29 (.276), 3 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, .930 OPS, 17 TB
Although Rendon was not the WS MVP in 2019, his numbers might have been good enough without the stellar pitching performances by Stephen Strasburg.
The Giants would lose this game 4-1 after getting shut out by Joe Ross and company. Crawford would drive in the only run by doubling in Pillar in the 9th.
7.
Wednesday, June 26: Mike Yastrzemski is caught stealing 3rd base after leading off the 5th with a double. Yas was key for the Giants in 2019 batting .272 with 21 home runs and 55 RBI in only 107 games. You may recall that 3 of his 21 big flies came in the same game in Arizona on August 17. Here, however, he was out by a mile as Arenado slaps the tag on him.
6.
Sunday, August 11: This was the best game I attended since NLDS Game 3 in 2016. The Giants and Phills battled back and forth early and after 3 innings it was 5-5. Scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th the Giants took the lead 9-6 and that was the ballgame. Stephen Vogt, batting cleanup in this game, was a spark plug for the Giants in 2019. You may recall his first at bat as a Giant on a Friday night in Cincinnati. He had grown up a Giants fan and played a huge part in one of the largest comeback wins in Giants franchise history. With 2 outs in the 9th inning he homered on the first pitch he saw to tie the game at 11! But that was back in May. Here in August the Giants were a game under .500 and still in the wild card hunt. Vogt made it exciting down the stretch batting .263, hitting 10 HR and 24 doubles!
5.
Sunday, August 11: Also from the Phills game. With an odd start time of 4:05pm, the shadows at Oracle Park were unusual. Seen here, half of Pillar is lost in shadow as he stands in the box. In his only season with the Giants, Kevin Pillar was stellar in the outfield and lead the Giants in almost every offensive category: hits (157), runs (82), doubles (37), tied for lead with triples (3), tied with Yas in HR (21), RBI (87), and stolen bases (14). In this game he would go 2-4 with a triple and 2 RBI.
4.
Sunday, September 29: The dawning of a new era. As Bruce Bochy departs, the legend of Mauricio Dubon begins. After the departure of #ForeverGiant Joe Panik, the Giants had a hole at 2B to fill so they called up the 25 year old. In only 28 games for the Giants, Dubon would go 29-104 (.276) with 5 2B, 4 HR, and 9 RBI. The exclamation point being his double and home run off Kershaw in LA on September 6th. The future is bright for Dubon as 2020 will be his first full year in the big leagues, assuming he makes the team. In this game he would go 0-4 with 2 strike outs.
3.
Friday, April 5th: Opening Day in San Francisco against our bitter rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays… Anyway, the Giants were 2-6 facing Tyler Glasnow (who would win pitcher of the month in April). Seen here, a fan celebrates (perhaps sarcastically) after B Craw reaches base on an error by Ji-Man Choi who fell down on the play and made a wide throw. The Giants would fail to score and lose 5-2 after D Rod gave up 4 in the 1st.
2.
Sunday, August 11: It’s all smiles as Giants pitcher Will Smith gets the first hit of his career in his first plate appearance of his career. Smith came in to get the last out in the top of the 8th and ended up batting in the bottom half. With 2 outs, Pillar was on 3rd, Crawford on 2nd. Nick Pivetta ran the count to 3-1 on and on the 5th pitch Smith lines a fastball just over the head of Hoskins at first! Bryce Harper has to hustle to cut it off and he quickly turns and fires it back to the infield. It appears as if he’s trying to throw Smith out at 1st but the throw is wide. Hoskins catches it and relays to home but it’s too late and Crawford scores to make it 9-6 Giants! A huge 2 run single from the closer! Of course! He would close out the 9th and get the win and a gatorade shower.
1.
Sunday, September 29: The greatest era in San Francisco Giants history comes to an end as Brucy Bochy manages his final game. Seen here, Bochy watches Kershaw walk off the field in the bottom of the 5th after getting #ForeverGiant Madison Bumgarner to lineout to third on a 7 pitch at bat. Kershaw had just tipped his hat to Boch, who tipped his back. Bochy had just pinch hit Bumgarner for a final showdown between the two rival pitchers as it was unknown whether MadBum would be back in 2020 (he is not). Bumgarner received a standing ovation before and after this at bat. His final numbers as a Giant against Kershaw: 5-23 (.217) 2 HR, 2 RBI, 13 SO.
Click here to see more photos from this at bat.
Ten. Twelve. Fourteen. 