San Francisco Giants (1958-Present)

Historical Moments:
1958: Fans packed Seals Stadium from the first day of big league ball on the West Coast. On April 15th, in that historic opener, Ruben Gomez shut out the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-0, and rookie first baseman Orlando Cepeda hit a home run in his 2nd Major League at-bat. Cepeda, "the Baby Bull," went on to win Rookie of the Year honors and overshadowed the astounding Willie Mays, whom many Bay Area fans viewed as New York's star, and not their own. Although the Giants finished 12 games out, and in 3rd place, they still tallied a respectable 80-74 record. More importantly, they beat the transplanted Dodgers 16 out of 22 times, keeping alive a 75-year-old rivalry.

1959: Willie McCovey goes 4-for-4 in his Major League debut en-route to Rookie of the Year honors, as the Giants finish 3rd in a 3-way race for the NL Pennant with an 83-71 record.

1960: On April 12th, the Giants first took the field at Candlestick Park. On hand to christen the new stadium were Vice President Richard Nixon, who threw out the first pitch, and Hall of Famer Ty Cobb. Nixon declared it "the finest ballpark in America". However, it was quickly discovered that Cobb was wrong. Night games at Candlestick would become an adventure, as temperatures routinely were in the 40s, with wind chill factor, even in July, and August. As it turns out San Francisco officials knew of the weather problems at Candlestick point, but took Giants owner Horace Stoneham out to the site early in the morning when the sun was warm, and the winds were clam. Stoneham felt the site was perfect, and the stadium was built. The Giants would finish in 5th Place with a 79-75 record in their first year at "the stick".

1961: Just one year after opening their new ballpark at Candlestick Point, the Giants played host to the first All-Star Game of 1961. It was the 3rdyear of a 4-year experiment in which Major League Baseball played 2 All-Star Games each season. In the 9th Inning Stu Miller of the Giants would become a legendary part of Candlestick lore. Miller was in the stretch position because men were on base, when suddenly a gust of wind came and caused him to lose his balance, and balk called by the umpires. The game would go on to extra innings where Willie Mays would score the winning run. The Giants would go on to finish the season in 3rd Place with an 85-69 record.

1962: The Giants staged a remarkable comeback after being 4 games out of 1stplace with 7 games remaining to pull into a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers. With identical records of 101-61, the rivals met in a best-of-three playoff series. Jimmy Pierce blanked the Dodgers in Game 1 while Willie Mays drilled two clouts to provide for an 8-0 romp at Candlestick. Los Angeles returned home for the 2nd game and plated 7 runs in the e 6th and won 8-7. The Giants found themselves trailing 4-2 in the top of the 9th in Game 3. However the Giants would comeback, as 3B Jim Davenport drew a walk with the bases loaded to cap a 4-run rally that gave San Francisco a 6-4 victory in the decisive game at Los Angeles, earning a ticket to the World Series against the Yankees. The World Series against the New York Yankees would prove to be a classic 7 gamer, complete with a dramatic ending. After the Yanks took the opener, Jack Sanford tossed a 3-hitter, shutting down the Yankees, 2-0. Game 3 was scoreless until the bottom of the 7th when the Yanks put up a 3 spot. After the Yanks too Game 3 in Yankee Stadium, the Giants would tie the series up again in Game 4 thanks to stellar pitching from Juan Marichal, and Chuck Hiller's Grand Slam. Game 5 was tied at 2 until the Yankees Tom Tresh hit a 3 run homer to put the Giants on the brink. The series returned to San Francisco, but was delayed 4 days by rain. Once play got back underway, the Giants didn't disappoint, evening the Series at 3 games apiece with a 5-2 victory behind Orlando Cepeda, who went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI. This would set up a classic Game 7 pitching duel between Jack Sanford and Ralph Terry of the Yankees. Close to 44,000 fans watched Terry and Sanford take part in an awesome pitching duel. The Yankees only run scored on a double-play grounder in the 5th inning. The Giants would not threaten until the 9th inning when they had runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2-outs. Ralph Terry had talked his manager into letting him facing Willie McCovey with game on the line. A loud crack from McCovey's bat brought the Giants fans to their feet, anticipating victory. Terry threw down his glove in disgust. It wasn't until he turned around to see that Bobby Richardson had snagged the hard liner for the final out of the game did he know that the exciting series had come to an end in the Yankees' favor. The Giants, meanwhile, were shocked, and would have to live with just how close they came.

1963: On June 15th, Juan Marichal etched his name in the history books by pitching the only no-hitter of his career. Not only was he the first player to spin a no-no in San Francisco, the "Dominican Dandy" was the first Latin Born player to do so in the Major Leagues. Three months later another group of Dominicans made history for the Giants, as Jesus, Matty and Felipe Alou comprised the first all-brother outfield in Major League history. The Giants would go on to finish the season in 3rd Pace with an 88-74 record.

1964: With the collapse of the Philadelphia Phillies the Giants are thrown into a pennant race in the final weeks of the season. However, the Giants had too much ground to overcome, and finished in 4th Place with a 90-72 record, only 3 games out of 1st Place.

1965: Led by MVP Willie Mays, the Giants are in a tight race with Los Angeles Dodgers until the final week of the season. However, the Giants would fall 2 games short with a 92-70 record.

1966: The Giants battle the Los Angeles Dodgers again until the last week for the pennant and fall tantalizingly short with a 93-68 record.

1967: Lefty Mike McCormick wins the franchise's first Cy Young Award as well as Comeback Player of the Year. Despite the stellar pitching of McCormick, Willie McCovey's 31 homers, and 91 wins, the Giants finish 10 1/2 games behind the remarkable St. Louis Cardinals, who were led by former Giant Orlando Cepeda who won the MVP.

1968: While the team again settles for a runner-up finish with an 88-74 record, several Giants enjoy dramatic personal achievement, including Gaylord Perry's no-hitter, Juan Marichal's 26 wins and Bobby Bonds' brilliant debut.

1969: In the first year of divisional play Willie McCovey wins the MVP Award, leading the league in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage. However, the Giants finish in 2nd for the 5th year in a row, with a 90-72 record.

1970: In the midst of a 3rd Place 86-76 season, Willie Mays hits his 600th career HR. He would end his career with 660 homers, which is good enough for third place on the all-time list.

1971: In a year known as "The Year of the Fox." manager Charlie Fox, led a team made up of aging stars and rising youngsters to a Western Division title with a 90-72 record. The Giants got off to a fast start, winning 18 of their first 23 games. The energy and raw talents of youngsters like OFs Bobby Bonds, Gary Matthews and Garry Maddox and SS Chris Speier melded nicely with the experience and wisdom of veterans Juan Marichal, Willie McCovey and Willie Mays. Bonds smashed 33 HR and 102 RBI. Meanwhile, pitching ace Marichal continued his domination over batters, notching 18 wins. In addition Willie Mays who was now 40-years old slugged 4 home runs in his first 4games. His production didn't let up as he went on to set a National League career record for runs scored in June. Despite such steady play, the team began to wear down near the end of the season. They saw their 9-game lead on September 4th dwindle to 1 game by the 25th. It wasn't until the final game of the season that the Giants clinched the Division title on Marichal's 5-1 gem over the San Diego Padres. The Giants salivated at the chance to face the Pittsburgh Pirates in the best-of-five NLCS. They had beaten the Pirates 9 times out of 12 and seemed likely candidates to win the pennant. The Giants jumped out of the gate full-steam ahead in the series opener, beating the Pirates, 5-4, in front of 40,977 fans at Candlestick Park. Willie McCovey and Tito Fuentes fueled the attack, ripping 2-run homers in the 5th inning. However, the Giants wouldn't lose the next 3 games, as the Pirates would advance to the World Series in 4 games.

1972: In a stunning move that ended an era the Giants dealt Willie Mays to the New York Mets on May 11th for Charlie Williams, and cash. Mays would hit a game-winning homer in his very first game against the Giants. The Giants would go on to finish the season in 5th Place with a 69-86 record.

1973: Although the team finishes 11 games out of first place with an 88-74 record, three players win major honors. Bobby Bonds, who misses becoming baseball's first 40-40 man by one home run, is named The Sporting News' Player of the Year, as southpaw Ron "Bear" Bryant is named Pitcher of the Year by "The Sporting News" after winning 24 games, the most ever by a San Francisco lefty. Meanwhile, OF Gary Matthews wins Rookie of the Year honors as one of three Giants to hit .300 or better.

1974: The Giants struggle all season as Manger Charlie Fox is replaced by Wes Westrum in an awful 72-90 season in which the Giants finish in 5th place.

1975: After bidding farewell to stars Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal and mired in a string of sub-.500 seasons, posting an 80-81 record. However, the Giants enjoy two refreshing pitching performances, John Montefusco's colorful Rookie of the Year performance and Ed Halicki's no-hitter.

1976: The Giants struggles continued to deepen and there was even talk of the Giants heading off to Toronto. Candlestick Park had been remodeled a few years earlier for the 49ers, and fans were still avoiding games especially night games because of the high winds, and bitter cold temperatures even in the summer. The Giants are only saved when they are purchased by Bob Luirie who keeps the team in the city by the bay.

1977: Willie McCovey returns to the Giants and wins the Comeback Player of the Year Award with a team-best 28 home runs at the age of 39. Despite the return of McCovey, the losing ways continue with a 4th Place 75-87 season.

1978: Willie McCovey s hits his 500th career HR, as the Giants end a string of bad season by finishing in 3rd Place with a solid 89-73 record.

1979: After a promising season the Giants struggle all season finishing in 5th place with a disappointing record of 71-91.

1980: The Giants continue to struggle finishing in 5th place for the 2nd straight season with a record of 75-86.

1981: Frank Robinson becomes the first black manager in the National League when he is named to head the Giants. The Giants would struggle before the strike, and were well out of the playoff picture. However, after the strike the Giants come with in three and half games of a 22nd half title with a 29-23 record, helping them to finish with a 56-55 overall record.

1982: The Giants entered the final weekend of the series in a tight 3-team race for the division, with the Atlanta Braves, and Los Angeles Dodgers. The hated Dodgers would eliminate the Giants on the next to last day of the season. However the Giants would get a measure of revenge by eliminating the Dodgers the very next day thanks to a Homer Run by Joe Morgan, finishing with a record of 87-75.

1983: The Giants would slide back down the standing finishing in 5th place with a disappointing record of 79-83.

1984: In a 66-96 season that would see the Giants crash into the Western Division's cellar, Frank Robinson is fired, and replaced by Danny Ozark. In an attempt to get fans to go to games and stay for 9 Innings, the team hands out pins to fans that stay and watch a 9 inning game at Candlestick Park that say, "I survived 9 inning at the Stick".

1985: Bad goes to worst as the Giants falter to the first 100-loss season in franchise history, at 62-100. Reliever Scott Garrelts leads the staff with a measly 9 wins, as the team bats a league-worst .233.

1986: New Manager Roger Craig and GM Al Rosen begin a remarkable turnaround with their crew of "You Gotta Like These Kids" players. Rookies Will Clark and Robby Thompson jump over the Triple-A level to earn starting jobs. Clark gets off to a fast start by cracking a home run off Nolan Ryan in his first big-league at-bat. Pitcher Mike Krukow wins 20 games and earns an All-Star bid. The Giants would fold late, after challenging most of the season for the division, finishing 3rd with an 83-79 record for a 21-game improvement over the previous year.

1987: Just two years after a wretched 100-loss season, the Giants would win 90 games and the Western Division thanks to late-season pitching acquisitions by GM Al Rosen. The Giants would go on to face the Cardinals in the NLCS. After losing Game 1 the Giants would bounce back to win Game 2 thanks to Dave Dravecky's 2-hit shutout. After losing Game 3 the Giants would bounce back again thanks in part to Jeffrey Leonard's 4th HR in as many games. Each HR would see Leonard round the bases with one arm dragging by his side. He called it "one flap down", and it proved only to anger Cardinals pitchers. The Giants would win Game 5 to head back to St. Louis only needing 1 win for the first World Series birth in 25 years. However in St. Louis the Giants would be shut out twice, and would fall in 7 games. Despite losing the series the Jeffrey Leonard was named LCS MVP.

1988: The Giants suffer through an injury-plagued season, and finish in 4th Place with a disappointing 83-79 record.

1989: On August 10th Dave Dravecky completes a miraculous recovery from surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his pitching arm and defeats the Cincinnati Reds in front of a teary-eyed Candlestick crowd. However, in his next start, his arm snaps while delivering a pitch. He would not pitch again, and two years later, his arm was amputated after the cancer reappeared. The Giants would fare much better taking the division with a 92-70 record, thanks to the bats of MVP Kevin Mitchell and Will Clark. The dynamic duo of Mitchell and Clark would finish 1 and 2 in the MVP voting. In the NLCS the Giants crushed the over matched Chicago Cubs in 5 games to earn their first World Series birth in 27 years. The Giants would move on to face the Oakland Athletics in what would be called the Bay bridge series in honor of the bridge that separated the two cities. The A's would take the first 2 games in Oakland with ease, and the Giants looked forward to the first World Series game in Candlestick Park in 27 years. Fans all over the bay were waiting to see just how the Giants would respond in the games played at home. However that would all have to wait. ABC was just beginning their pre-game show a half hour before the first pitch when at 5:04 pm PST, when the mood surrounding the series would suddenly change. A 7.1 earthquake shook the stands and rattled the entire bay area to its core. Eventually ABC would gets in single back and use their blimp to show the shock and horror the bay area just received. The Bay Bridge the very symbol of the series had a collapsed section, and millions watched horrified as a car drove over the edge. It was clear the quake was bad one as fires began to spread all over the city heavily damaging the marina district. The most horrifying damage came on the 2-tiered Cypress structure of Interstate 880 in Oakland where the structure collapsed trapping hundreds of people heading home during rush hour. Had the World Series not caused many people to head home early to catch the game chances are the damage could have been even worse. In the end 59 people were killed many of them in the Cypress Structure, and the series would be delayed for 10 days. When the series resumed the Giants hearts were not in it and they would end going down after 2 blow out losses at home, to complete the sweep.

1990: The Giants follow up their trip to the fall classic with a mediocre season finishing in 3rd Place with an 85-77 record.

1991: The Giants sputtered all season posting a disappointing 75-87 record while finishing in a distant 4th Place in the NL Western Division.

1992: Talk began to circulate about a possible move, as the Giants were struggling to finish in 5th place with a 72-90 record, in front of cold and shivering fans at Candlestick Park. Bob Lurie who 16 years earlier saved the Giants sold the team to a group who ere all set to move the team to Tampa. However Major League Baseball was not in favor of the move, and arranged it so a local investment group, led by Peter Magowan, saved the franchise and kept them in the city by the bay. To get fans excited about Giants baseball again one of Magowan's first moves was to sign Barry Bonds 2-time NL MVP, and son of legendary Giant Bobby Bonds. Magowan would also begin working on building the Giants a new ballpark in a warmer part of the city.

1993: Barry Bonds wins his 3rd MVP Award, while Dusty Baker is named Manager of the Year in his rookie season, as the Giants are in 1st Plaice most of the season. However, the red-hot play of the Atlanta Braves in the 2nd half forces the Giants to settle for a runner-up finish, despite a 103-59 record that was their best since moving to San Francisco.

1994: When the strike hit on August 12th the Giants were struggling, and were playing sub .500 ball at 55-60, despite that the Giants were with in shouting distance of 1st place in the now weakened NL West, only 3 and half games out of. However, what is most disappointing of the strike ending the season was that slugging 3B Matt Williams was on pace to break Roger Maris' record for HR in a season.

1995: Coming off the strike the Giants continue to struggle with injuries and poor pitching, and finish in last place with a 67-77 record.

1996: In 1973 Bobby Bonds just missed becoming the first player to have 40 HR 40 SB season, 23 years later his son Barry becomes the first player to do it in the NL and 2nd overall, to accomplish the feat. Despite the 40-40 performance from Bonds, the Giants still finish in Last Place with an awful 68-94 record.

1997: Sporting the slogan "It's Giants baseball; anything can happen," the team charged out to a 16-5 record at the start of the season, en route to a 6-game advantage over the Los Angeles Dodgers at the All-Star break. In the span of just 3 weeks, their lead evaporated and they were tied with the Dodgers. For the next 6 weeks, the old rivals battled back and forth, with neither club able to lead by more than 3 games. In one of the most memorable series in Giants history, capped by Brian Johnson's 12th-inning, game-winning homer, they swept LA to again pull into a tie. The Giants took the division lead the next day with a win against the San Diego Padres, and although they lost the next day, the Dodgers were in the midst of losing 3 straight to the Colorado Rockies. With 2 more wins over the   Padres and a split of 2 games against the Rockies, the Giants enjoyed a 2 and a half game lead as they headed home for their final 3-game set of the season. "Dustiny" could not be denied; one win by the Giants would seal the title with a record of 90-72. However the Giants would lose in 3 straight to the Florida Marlins in the NLDS. The Giants would not quite recover from having to start the series in Florida where they lost the first 2 games in the Marlins final at-bat. This would later cause a change of the playoff format no longer would the higher seed be forced to play the first to Division Series games on the road.

1998: Although they trail the Western Champion San Diego Padres by 9 games at season's end, the Wild Card gives the Giants hope for postseason play. The Giants would make up a 5-game deficit in the final 10 games of the season to force a 1-game playoff with the Chicago Cubs, at 89-73. However the Giants fell behind early in the playoff game played at Wrigley Field, and would lose 5-3 despite a 3-run rally in the 9th Inning.

1999: Injuries to Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent and Ellis Burks slow the Giants, who finish 14 games back with an 86-76 record. However, 5 players bash 20-plus homers and drive in at least 80 RBI. With the team out of contention, the focus at the end of the season is on the end of the Giants' stay at frigid Candlestick Point, in the stadium now known as 3Com Park.

2000: The Giants christen the spectacular Pacific Bell Park in inauspicious fashion, losing the first 6 games in the new yard and 11 of their first 15 games overall. However, with the support of 3.3 million fans that sell out every game at the new stadium, the Giants win 97 games and its 2nd division title in 4 years. While Jeff Kent wins the NL MVP, Dusty Baker captures his 3rd Manager of the Year Award. By season's end the Giants are considered heavy favorites to make the World Series. In fact the Giants get off to a flying start winning the first game of the NLDS easily over the New York Mets. In the 2nd game the Giants used a shocking 3-run homer by J.T. Snow to send the game to the extra innings, but the Mets would bounce back and even the series. The Giants would seemingly bounce back in Game 3 leading 2-1 in the 8th before Edgardo Alfonzo tied the game off closer Rob Nen. The Giants would be further stunned by Benny Agbayani's dramatic 13th inning Homer. The Giants would not recover losing Game 4, and while being held to just 1 hit by mediocre pitcher Bobby Jones.

2001: Barry Bonds would put together one of the greatest offensive seasons in baseball history. Bonds would break out early hitting his 500th Career HR in early April, and he would set a pace that would give him a shot at Mark McGwire's single season HR record of 70. Along the way Bonds would have an incredible .863 slugging percentage. As the season wound down pitchers would routinely walk around Bonds, seemingly not wanting him to break the record. Bonds quest for the record was furthered jeopardized when baseball stopped the season for a week following the September 11th terrorist attacks. However, when baseball resumed Bonds kept rolling. While he got closer to the record Bonds was walked even more gathering 177 free passes on the season while gathering a .515 on base percentage. Bonds would finally tie the record on October 4th, going home for a season ending 3 game series with Los Angeles Dodgers. In the first inning of a game on October 5th Bonds smashed a Chan Ho Park pitch into the stands for his record breaking 71st HR. Binds would go on to hit number 72, in the same game before ending the season with a new single season record of 73 Home Runs. While Bonds was going after the record the Giants were locked in a pennant race with Arizona Diamondbacks. However, the D-Backs held the Giants off by keeping a 2 game lead for the final 6 weeks over the 90-72 Giants.

2002: Coming off his record season Barry Bonds would have another monster year, repeating as NL MVP while leading the league in batting average at .370 thanks in part to an incredible .582 on-base percentage. Along the way Barry hits 46 HRs, becoming the 4th player in baseball history to hit 600 career Home Runs. The Giants would fall 3 games short of the Division title; however their 95-66 record was good enough for a Wild Card berth. In the playoffs Barry Bonds would shake off the label he could not win the big game as he hit 3 HR in the Division series as the Giants stunned the Atlanta Braves in 5 games. Moving on to the NLCS Barry continued to be dangerous knocking in 10 RBI, but it was Benito Santiago who was the hero as he continued a career renaissance that saw him make the All-Star team for the first time 10 years, winning the NLCS MVP as the Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals in 5 games. In their first World Series in 13 years the Giants would face the Anaheim Angels in the first World Series match up of 2 Wild Card teams. In Game 1 at Anaheim the Giants emerged with a 4-3 victory on Bonds got the Giants off to a fast start with a 2nd Inning HR. Game 2 would be a wild affair as the Angels even the series with an 11-10 win. Bonds would go deep again hitting majestic shot in the 9th Inning. As the series shifted to Pac Bell the Giants would lose 10-4, despite another Bonds HR. After falling behind early in Game 4 the Giants would rally to win 4-3 to even the series. Carrying the momentum on the Giants would take a 3-2 series lead with a dominating 16-4 win. Back in Anaheim for Game 6 the Giants appeared to steam rolling towards their first World Championship since moving to San Francisco, as Barry Bonds hit is 4th series HR, as the Giants held a 5-0 in the 7th Inning. However, the Angels would stage an incredible rally scoring 6 runs in the 7th and 8th innings to force a 7th game. Disheartened the Giants would fall in the series finale 4-1. Despite the disappointing loss Barry Bonds had an impressive series with an incredible .700 on-base percentage as he was walked a World Series record 13 times. Following the season the Giants would cause their fans more disappointment as they let popular Manager Dusty Baker contract expire, and failed to resign former MVP Jeff Kent.

2003: Entering the season under new Manager Felipe Alou the Giants would come flying out of the gates despite dealing with several key losses off their World Series team, including closer Rob Nen, who missed the entire season due to shoulder surgery. The Giants would win their first 7 games on the way to a 15-2 start as they quickly established a double-digit lead in the NL West. On June 23rd the Los Angeles Dodgers would eliminate the Giants lead entering a key midseason series. However the Giants would easily take 2 out 3 and would never be challenged again, as they reestablished their double-digit lead, on the way to cruising to the division title with a record of 100-61. Along the way Barry Bonds became the first player ever to win the MVP award in 3 straight seasons. However, the road to a third straight MVP was not easy for Bonds, who had to deal with the heartache of his father Bobby Bonds, a former Giants All-Stars passing. The death would hit Barry especially hard and caused him to miss nearly two weeks of action. Heading for the playoffs the Giants were considered the favorites to return to the World Series. In Game 1 of the NLDS the Giants would get off to a strong start as Jason Schmidt blanked the Florida Marlins in a 2-0 win. In Game 2 the Giants appeared to be cruising again as they grabbed a 4-1 lead. However the Marlins would rally to win the game 9-5 thanks to sloppy play all around, including from gold glovers Jose Cruz Jr. and J.T. Snow. As the series shifted to Florida the Giants appeared on the verge of taking back control of the series after taking a 3-2 lead in the top of the 11th Inning in an extra inning battle. However sloppy play would bite the Giants again as Jose Cruz dropped a flyball, which started a 2-run game-winning rally for the Marlins. With a nagging injury preventing Schmidt from starting Game 4 the Giants were forced to start Jerome Williams who struggled badly as the Marlins established a 5-1 lead. However this time it would be the Giants who rallied as they tried to get a decisive 5th game, which would have been played in Pac Bell Park. With the scored tied at 5 in the 8th Inning Yorvit Torrealba had the ball jarred lose in a home plate collision with Ivan Rodriguez allowing 2 runs to score. The Giants would quickly get one back and had J.T. Snow at second with the tying run, when Jeffrey Hammonds singled to left with 2 outs. However Snow was tagged out as Rodriguez was able to hold on to the ball as the Marlins stunned the Giants 7-6 to take the series in 4 games.

2004: Barry Bonds would make a big splash on opening day as he tied his godfather Willie Mays for 3rd all time in home runs at 660. However, the Giants started out in a bog as they posted a 16-24 record through the first 40 games. In May that would all change as the Giants ran off a 10 game winning streak to get back into the playoff picture. Once again Bonds would lead the way for the Giants as he won his 4th straight MVP award and 7th overall as he had a league leading .362 average while posting a .609 on-base percentage thanks to a record 232 walks from pitchers often afraid to face Barry. As the season wound down and the Giants battled the Los Angeles Dodgers for the division title Bonds would make history again joining Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth as members of the exclusive 700-homer Club, with a blast against the fading San Diego Padres on September 17th. A week later the Giants facing the Dodgers with the NL West title on the line would drop 2 of 3 at SBC Park. Needing to sweep the Dodgers in Los Angeles in the final 3 games of the season the Giants would watch a 3-0 lead melt away in the 9th on the next to last day of the season as they fell 2 games short of returning to the playoffs with a solid 91-71 record.

2005: The Giants began the season a man down as Barry Bonds recovering from three knee surgeries and worn down from the accusations of steroids use started the season on the disabled list with no idea when he would return. Without their MVP the Giants would struggle posting a 12-11 record in April. In May with Bonds still hurting and still absent the Giants continued to struggle falling below .500. In June with Bonds nowhere to be found, except on his own personal website where he gave health updates periodically the Giants who needed to read the website updates themselves just to know what was going on, continued to fade as they entered the All-Star Break with a record of 37-50. Bonds not return until September as the Giants remained under .500. However, with the entire NL Western Division below .500 they still had an outside chance at winning the division. In September those outside chances got a boost as Barry Bonds finally returned, hitting 5 home runs in just 14 games, but the Giants never made their move, as the ended up in 3rd place with a disappointing 75-87 record.

2006: As the season began Barry Bonds was the main story again, as the book "Game of Shadows" written by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters familiar with the BALCO investigation, blew the lid off the Bonds Steroids allegations, with page of documented proof, that came from leaked Grand Jury testimony and investigations, confirming almost beyond a doubt that Barry Bonds had been using steroids when he set the single season home run record in 2001. This would lead baseball into launching an investigation on Bonds, while a Federal Grand Jury began investigating Bonds for perjury. This all came as Barry Bonds was perusing Babe Ruth for second on the all-time home run list. However, Bonds now 43 was breaking down and he struggled from the start of the season, as it took him until May 28th to pass Ruth at 715 off Byung-Hyun Kim of the Colorado Rockies at AT&T Park, it was just his 7th home run of the season at the time Bonds hit he had a batting was just .254. As Bonds got healthier in the second half he made a serious push at Hank Aaron's record of 755 career home runs, as he ended the season with 26 homers putting him within 21 of the record at season's end. Despite Bonds power surge and continued impressive pitching Matt Cain, the Giants never quite made their push at the division title as they faded out of the race losing 13 of their final 15 games to finish in 3rd place with a record 76-85. Following the season the Giants would undergo a host of changes as Manager Feliepe Alou was not offered a new contract, as the Giants hired longtime San Diego Padres skipper Bruce Bochy. The Giants would see Jason Schmidt leave to sign a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but quickly replaced him by signing Oakland Athletics ace Barry Zito.

2007: As the season began the question was not if Barry Bonds was going to break Hank Aaron's career record of home runs, but when. However, with the looming grand jury investigation and baseball starting an in depth steroids report it was clear that it would not be a fun ride for the Giants and their legendary slugger. While the Giants signed Barry Zito to anchor a solid young pitching staff, the line up was older and filled with many holes, as Rich Aurila returned to the bay after a four year absence. Unfortunately for the Giants, Zito there big free agent acquisition struggled from the start of the season as he started a 7-0 season opening loss to the San Diego Padres and finished the year at 11-13 with a disappointing 4.53 ERA. The Giants did not start off much better themselves, winning just two of their first nine games. The Giants would rebound to win eight straight to end April with a winning record of 13-11. However, May would come with no such relief as they played mediocre baseball and slipped below .500, and no relief was a key as the Giants bullpen was awful with the lowlight coming on May 29th when a hostile crowd at Shea Stadium mocked former Met Armando Benitez into meltdown as he balked home the tying run and served up a batting practice fast ball to Carlos Delgado for a painful 5-4 loss. The Giants would unload Benitez immediately after the loss. Their starting pitching was not much better as Barry Zito got shelled in a 15-3 loss to the Athletics in his return to Oakland. June would bring even more pain for the Giants as they fell out of the race, during a seven game losing streak, leaving just the All-Star Game and Barry's chase of history for the Giants to look forward to the rest of the season. After the All-Star Game at AT&T Field the Giants plunged further losing five of six, while Bonds closed in on Hank Aaron. The magic moment would finally come on August 7th when, Barry Bonds hit a 5th Inning home off Mike Basick of the Washington Nationals, becoming the new all-time home run leader at 756, a short ceremony was held, with Hank Aaron himself giving Bonds a message on the video board at AT&T Field, however in typical fashion the Giants would lose the game 8-6. Bonds would hit six more homers to finish the season with 28 homers, and possibly his career total at 762 as the Giants announced at the season's final home stand that Barry Bonds would not be resigned following the season, as the Giants looked toward the future following an awful 71-91 season that had them in last place.