Baseball Rivalries Dodgers
Author: Baseball Bob
The San Francisco Giants Have Been Running The Bases Since 1883
The San Francisco Giants have an interesting history that did not begin in California and involved a name change less than two years after their debut. The year was 1883 when the New York Gothams played their first professional baseball game within the confines of the Old Polo Grounds. They won that contest against the Boston Beaneaters and have been a force to be reckoned with in the National League ever since.
Co-founder and manager Jim Mutrie is responsible for the name change just two years later. The players had just beat Philadelphia in a game that required extra innings. Mutrie was so overcome by the emotional victory he called the guys his giants. The name stuck and the Gothams were called the Giants from then on.
The first of many National League pennants came in 1888 when the New York team went on to take the championship series in ten games against St. Louis. The club was forced to seek out a new home in 1889 but before they did they played in three different venues. The Second Polo Grounds became their home in July and they stayed there for more than six decades before leaving the Big Apple for northern California in 1957.
The team seemed poised to move to Toronto in 1976 when Bob Lurie and a group of investors stepped in and bought the organization. Lurie would make several attempts over the next sixteen years to get a downtown ballpark built. His unsuccessful efforts eventually led to an agreement to sell the franchise to a group based Florida. That was when several local investors led by Peter Magowan purchased the team and they were spared another cross-country relocation.
It was not long after moving into Candlestick Park that the players realized how challenging it would be to perform in their new home by the bay. Weather conditions were often extreme with high winds, cold temperatures and even fog. The players and fans would finally get relief in 2000 with the move to a new stadium in the China Basin region of downtown.
With more than a century in the sport, the club has been involved in a number of league firsts. Manager John McGraw is credited for introducing the concept of using signals to communicate with players on the diamond in 1902. That was the year that the roster included Luther Taylor, the only deaf-mute member of the league. To encourage communication, McGraw required all players to learn sign language.
Another first for the league came in 1963 at Forbes Park. The Giants sent Jesus, Matty and Felipe Alou onto the field against the Philadelphia team marking the first time three brothers played simultaneously in the outfield. This milestone occurred on Sept. 15, five days after all three brothers went to bat in the same inning.
The players would probably rather forget 1984. That was a season that saw the squad lose 96 games. Fans, however, will remember it as the year Crazy Crab hit the field. The bug-eyed creature was supposed to be the anti-mascot. The intent was to mock traditional sports mascots but the poor thing bore the brunt of a frustrating season. By the time he was retired at the end of the season, Crazy Crab was universally abused by players as well as fans.
The rivalry between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers is legendary. It got its start in the 19th century when both clubs were based in New York. They made the jump to California together and the rivalry only grew fiercer with the change of scenery.
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