Well, what a season! The Giants ended up with an astonishing 107 Wins, an all time franchise record, and yet they needed every single one of them to stave off the Dodgers. This season harkened back to the brutal pennant races of the 1960's except I think this one topped them all. Just electrifying baseball from Opening Day until Fan Appreciation Day. Every single game was must-see! IDK, are there any other superlatives I can use to describe it?
Of all the teams in the postseason I think the Giants benefit from an extra couple of days off the most. I love how their starting pitching came around at the end. With a bit of rest for the bullpen and a few beat up position players, I really like their chances in the NLDS and beyond. Just wish The Belter was in that lineup.
Now, who you got in the Wild Card game? Do we root for the Cardinals to once again knock the Dodgers out before the Giants have to play them or do we root for one of the most epic postseason matchups in the entire history of MLB? Personally I suspect the Giants think they match up better against the Dodgers and have the Big Mo on their side from the season series. It think they are in the Dodgers heads a bit although the Mo could shift in an instant.
With that, I am going to take a few days off from posting. Can't wait for Friday!
Definitely play the Dodgers. Dominate them once again just to rub it in. Plus we don't need to be facing Arenado and Goldschmidt four times a night....
ReplyDeletewe just let the best team win that game. Whoever wins between the Dodgers/Cards deserve it. This Giants team is special. We shall see
ReplyDeleteOh, and I forgot to mention. It almost goes without saying it's so obvious FZ should be Executive of the Year while Kap is NL Manager of the Year. And I am going to cast my vote here for Brandon Crawford for NL MVP. Best player on the top team. Simple as that!
ReplyDeleteI was in my teens in NJ following those 60's Giants, a close second for five straight years, always to a different team, and with the most cumulative wins....this season was a nice surprise.
ReplyDeleteThe “Churn” really paid off. FZ and staff were relentless in their search for talent and Kap and his coaches were able to coach-up certain players and put them in the best situations for success. Also, the core vets came through big time- Posey, Crawford,Belt especially. I agree with the post season awards Dr. B suggested. For end of regular season drama, this reminds me of 1962 when the Giants and Dodgers tied and had a 3 game playoff which the Giants won.
ReplyDeleteThe Gs -- FZ, Kap, coaches -- had a way of making every player "the best version of themselves."
DeleteWHAT A SEASON!!! This has been one for the ages! SO proud of this Org.
ReplyDeleteTHAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
Seriously, wouldn't it be nice to see the Yankees and the Dodgers gone?
ReplyDeleteHow nice was it when the Cardinals eliminated the Dodgers in 2014?
LA is good — they have significant playoff experience, they won 106 games, they have top level pitching.
One game can go either way — hope St Louis can clear the board.
I have to say during the 2010-2014 run, I was very happy to see the Cardinals clear the path for the Giants because I just couldn't bear the thought of the Dodgers being the ones to once again destroy my dreams for my favorite team. Now that we're playing with the house money of those championships, I am better able to let it go and say I think a postseason series pitting the Giants against the Dodgers would be epic beyond belief. Kinda hoping for it, actually.
DeleteAgreed that a potential Giants Dodgers NLDS would bring the intrigue to another level. That's why I was very disappointed in 2016 when the Cubs beat the Giants in the NLDS. I had visions of a Giants vs Dodgers NLCS. So proud of this team and org led by a new regime. Winning the NL West with 107 wins is amazing considering how far they have come after only 3 seasons.
DeleteDid the Giants win the pennant in September? Or did the Dodgers lose it in July?
ReplyDeleteSince the teams were last tied September 4th and the Giants took 2 of 3 in the teams' last head-to-head Sept 3-5, the answer is probably September but the season was incredibly close.
Giants W-L Dodgers W-L
April 16 10 .615 16 11 .593
May 18 10 .643 16 11 .593
June 16 9 .640 17 9 .654
July 15 10 .600 14 12 .538
August 19 9 .679 21 6 .778
Septber 21 6 .778 19 7 .731
October 2 1 .667 3 0 1.000
Gotta be one of the greatest pennant/division races of all time.
DeleteTaking the season as a whole, 2021 was incredible, great from gate to gate.
DeleteFor incredible finishes, however, 1951 was more so because the Giants were 13 GB the Dodgers in August, 6 GB with 12 to play, and tied with the Dodgers at game 154. The Dodgers had been in 1st place for 147 days, from May 13th on.
In the 3-game tiebreaker, Giants went ahead after Game 1, were blown out in Game 2, and trailed 4-1 in the bottom of the 9th in Game 3.
With the winning run at the plate, Roberts brought in Jansen to face Posey — oops, that wasn't it, was it. Dressen brought in Branca RHP (13-12) replacing Newcombe RHP (20-9) to face Bobby Thomson RHB (Giants HR leader @ 32 - post game).
Speaking of Jansen above, Giant Larry Jansen relieved starter Sal Maglie in the 9th and picked up his 23rd win.
It is difficult to sustain great comebacks and the Giants lost to the Yankees 4-2, although they led 2-1 after 3.
Seeing other teams beat the Dodgers is pleasing, watching the Giants play the Dodgers is the pinnacle of competition and has the potential to be epic. Bring on the Dodgers with Max Muncy and their best lineup, let's watch the Giants go toe to toe with them. Go Giants!
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