How the Giants led San Francisco out of pandemic purgatory
The San Francisco Giants have set a franchise record for regular season wins since moving west this season. They even employed a submarine.
It was an absolutely magical summer at the ballpark, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. San Francisco remains trapped in a strange pandemic purgatory, stuck between third and fourth gear, ready to return but not sure if it can.
The Giants entered the most unlikely season imaginable. Nostradamus would be amazed.
With the victories, so did self-confidence. In the field and in the stands. I remember going to Oracle Park for Willie May’s 90th birthday in May. It was a surreal scene, marked by masks and trepidation. Four months later, and Oracle Park feels like the heart of the city. Full houses and anticipation. Some of us are still wearing masks, but it really feels normal again.
My colleague Jeff Elder was amazed at the situation the other day and said the Giants single-handedly ushered us out of quarantine, encouraged people to go back downtown and fix it, have fun again. I totally agree. San Francisco needed the Giants to show us the way.
And what kind of way was that. Incredible comebacks. Unpredictable heroes. Everything staged by an untested manager, whose attitude was often questioned when he arrived. These skeptics have disappeared. Gabe Kapler and his partner in Sublime, Farhan Zaidi, use a very San Francisco formula that combines cutting-edge analytics with industry best practices, remodeled in record time and delivered a legitimate competitor ahead of schedule.
It was truly a masterly leadership performance from Kapler, who juggled a range of underdog toys while making everyone happy at the same time. In addition to victories, the team set a record for home runs and spread the pop over the entire dugout. Ten players had reached two-digit numbers with four games to go. (Injured Brandon Belt, whose thumb fractured in the postseason, will end the season as a likely team leader at 29.)
And the mix-and-match character of the squad feels right and brings back memories of the original “Torture” Giants. There are a lot of Cody Ross and Pat Burrell on this year’s team. Having covered all three of the last three World Series championships, I have to say that the 2010 vintage was my favorite. It was a perfect mix of cheeky youth (Buster Posey, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Pablo Sandoval) and reticent veterans (Edgar Renteria, Juan Uribe, Bengie Molina), all orchestrated by the wise old sage Bruce Bochy. It was a truly historic moment for San Francisco to watch long haired Timmy mow them in Arlington, right before the Bush family dynasty. The freaks and weirdos won everything. This trophy brought this city together in a way that I had never seen before. The love affair is passionate to this day.
Posey is now the caged vet, accompanied by Brandon Crawford and Belt, who runs a much older team (the oldest in the Major Leagues) but one with the same level of sensitivity. We against the world. Nobody expects anything. So we give them everything. And boy did they keep that promise.
Think of all the amazing moments this season. My former colleague Steve Kroner recently put together a great list of unforgettable games on the Chronicle. Among my favorites:
- Mike Tauchman’s absolutely amazing, play-safe catch against Albert Pujols on the wall in May. Lamonte Wade Jr. won this game in his 10th game against the Dodgers, the first of many exploits this young man delivered.
- Mike Yastrzemski’s Grand Slam against the Diamondbacks in June.
- Curt Casalis double to beat the A’s in the Bay Bridge series a few weeks later.
- Kris Bryant’s winning double against Arizona in 10.
- Wade’s dramatic game-winning home run against the A’s in August.
- My personal favorite: The super-strange victory over the Dodgers on September 3rd, when Buster Posey of all people performed an infield hit that was supported by a faulty throw. After a long and uncomfortable review, the referees signaled safety and it was the rare “Walkoff by Review”.
- Oh, and how about we add that 5-4 Thursday night win over the Diamondbacks and our old friend Bumgarner? “Late Night” Lamont came through again with a game-winning single in the lower third to give the Giants a 5-4 walk-off victory. This guy has been absolutely great in clutch situations all season. And he did it to a left-handed man whom he rarely hits. Remarkable.
What a season. So many memories. Now we’ll see if the magic dust continues to be scattered around the corner of Third and King. Many of us have read this script before. Maybe another Hollywood end is in store for us.
So thank you Giants. Thank you for getting us out of the dark. Whatever happens in the postseason, you’ve given us well over 100 reasons to get out of hiding.
As the great poet Robert Hunter taught us, “Don’t tell me this town has no heart, you just have to poke around.”
asaracevic@sfexaminer.com
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