A Season to Remember: The 2021 San Francisco Giants
Before this season began, nobody gave the Giants a shot. Their division was loaded with the Dodgers and Padres, who were predicted to be battling it out for the NL West title. Baseball experts predicted the Giants to finish third or fourth in their division with around 70 wins. Fast forward to late September and the Giants had the best record in baseball and were over 20 games up on the Padres and had a narrow lead over the Dodgers. The Giants ended up winning the National League West by one game, clinching a spot in the NLDS and sending the Dodgers with their 174 million dollar payroll to a sudden death wild card game against the Cardinals.
The regular season for the Giants was special. They set a franchise record for most wins in a regular season. They also set the franchise record for most home runs in a single season with 241, which is extremely impressive considering their home ballpark (Oracle Park) has some of the deepest fences in the country.
Going into the All-Star Break, the Giants had a record of 57-32, leading all of baseball. They got there with breakout years from pitchers Kevin Gausman (who made the All-Star team), Anthony DeSclafani, and Alex Wood. Gausman’s splitter had one of the highest swing-and-miss percentages in the league, and DeSclafani seemed unable to have a bad outing. Along with their stellar pitching, the Giants’ hitting was led by veterans Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, and Brandon Belt. While Giants fans were ecstatic, baseball analysts kept waiting for the Giants to fall off. Despite having the best record in the league, at the All-Star break, every baseball analyst was waiting for the Giants to start losing, but they never did.
Shortly after the All-Star Game, the trade deadline came around. Looking to add another bat in the lineup, President of Baseball Operations for the Giants, Farhan Zaidi started testing the waters. It wasn’t until the final hours of the trade deadline when the news broke that the Giants acquired former MVP, Rookie of the Year, and World Series Champion Kris Bryant from the Chicago Cubs. This was an unbelievable pickup and Bryant immediately found a home in San Francisco, hitting a home run in his first game in the orange and black. While fans quickly came to love him, nobody loved him more than Giants manager Gabe Kapler. This was due to Bryants ability to play all three outfield positions, as well as both corner infield positions. Kapler was known throughout the season for constantly tinkering with his lineup, trying to give his players the best opportunities to succeed against every matchup.
The second half of the season brought with it new heroes. One of which was LaMonte Wade Jr, who came over from the Minnesota Twins the previous year. He was given the nickname “Late Night LaMonte” referring to countless clutch hits in big situations late in games. Another second-half hero was 24-year-old pitcher Logan Webb. Webb’s ability to consistently throw his sinker, cutter, slider, and changeup for strikes made him a handful for hitters in the second half of the season and took the role of the Giants “ace” from Kevin Gausman, who struggled a bit down the stretch.
The Giants season came down to Game 5 of the NLDS against their rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who they have battled with all season. It was the first time these bitter rivals had faced each other in the playoffs. I was at that game and the atmosphere in the ballpark was truly something special. The orange rally rags waving, Don’t Stop Believing playing just before the bottom of the ninth, it brought back childhood memories of the Giants magical 2010, 2012, and 2014 World Series years. Unfortunately, the Giants record-breaking season ended on a blown check-swing call by first base umpire Gabe Morales. While that was truly devastating to witness, I have since had time to reflect on the year as a whole, and I couldn’t be prouder of this team. They defied the odds and finished the regular season with the best record in the league with 107 wins and only 55 losses. I believe this year shaped the new direction for the ball club as a whole, and I have nothing but excitement for the years to come.