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Baseball Teams - National League West

San Francisco Giants

Team's name: San Francisco Giants League: National League Division: West Location: San Francisco, California Nickname: The Jints, The Gigantes, The G-Men The Orange and Black Mascot: Lou Seal Team Colours: Black, White and Orange Joined the League: 1958 Team's Presidents: Sue Burns, Peter Magowan, William Neukom and others. Manager: Bruce Bochy General Manager: Brian Sabean Baseball Field: AT&T Park Current Capacity: 41,503 First Year of Baseball: 1883 League Titles: NL Pennants: 1888, '89, 1904, '05, '11, '12, '13, '17, '21, '22, '23, '24, '33, '36, '37, '51, '54, '62, '89, 2002 West Div: 1971, '87, '89, '97, 2000, '03 Wild Card berths: 2002 World Series: 1905, '21, '22, '33, '54

One of the oldest teams in the MLB, the San Francisco Giants are a member of the National League Western Division. Originally known as the Gothams, the team entered the National League in 1883. The team gained its current nickname from then-owner Jim Mutrie, who affectionately named the players his “giants” after a win against the Philadelphia Phillies. The team claimed its first ever modern World Series – the second modern World Series game in history – in 1905 against the Athletics.

The team was moved to California in 1957. The early 1950s were successful years for the Giants, who claimed the NL pennant against the Dodgers in 1951 in the famous “shot heard around the world” and swept the Cleveland Indians in the 1954 World Series. The last few years in New York were hardly memorable, however, and after the team was approached by San Francisco mayor George Christopher, the Giants relocated.

 The years since the move have seen fluctuations in the Giants’ success. Despite gaining a large fan base, the Giants have not been able to capture a World Series title since their move, although the team did enter the postseason and even the World Series several times.

In 2000, the team moved from its longtime home at Candlestick Park to the newly built AT&T Park. The Giants had a solid season but lost the division series against the New York Mets, 3-1. The team would return to the postseason the next year, defeating the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS but losing to the American League’s wild card team, the Anaheim Angels. 2003 was also a solid season, with the Giants entering the postseason but losing to the Florida Marlins for the NLDS.

The team began the 2007 season with dashed hopes: key player injuries, a new manager, and a plethora of free agent teammates seemed to signal hard times ahead. The team boasted solid pitching but lacked offense, and the season was marked by mediocre ball playing. Renowned outfielder Barry Bonds was also retired that year.

2008 marked the team’s 50th year in the Bay Area. The team had hoped to claim the NL West title without Bonds, but ended in fourth place in their division, with a dismal regular season record of 72-90 and a winning percentage of .444.

San Francisco 2009 Roster

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