12 Memorable Giants Pennant Races
2002: THE YEAR
September 1:The Giants trailed the Dodgers by one game in the NL wild card race.
The Stretch Run: San Francisco went 18-8 in September, clinching the wild card with a 5-2 victory over Houston on the penultimate day of the regular season.
The Difference: The Giants’ pitching staff. Russ Ortiz won his last six starts, including all five in September, while the Giants as a team allowed only nine runs over the last eight games — all wins.
Postscript: The Giants advanced to the World Series and, well, you know the rest.
They Said It: “I want to win the World Series, y’all.” — Barry Bonds, whose post-game celebration after the Giants clinched the wild card was decidedly tame compared to that of his teammates
They Wrote It: “The Giants may have finished second in the NL West, but they threw a first-class celebration on the field after Robb Nen struck out Brian Hunter to end it. They emerged from the dugout and accosted Nen to the right of the mound, dozens of men dancing and hopping as one big blob. They broke off into a spirited high-five line, but high fives weren’t enough. Manager Dusty Baker hugged everyone along the queue. After several moments, they ducked into their dugout as 41,045 fans roared.” — Henry Schulman
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By Scott on Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 at 10:00 am.
Tags: San Francisco Giants
September 1st, 2009 at 12:34 pm
You left out ‘71?! Marichal had to win the final game of the season to win the division and avoid yet another playoff-for-the-playoff game against the Dodgers.
September 13th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
[...] They’re In This Thing: OK, for real this time, this is the biggest series of the year. Colorado is in town for a 3-game set, the final meeting between the teams’ this season. With 19 games to go, the Giants trail the Rockies by 4.5 games in the wild card race. Stranger things have happened. [...]