It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. The San Francisco Giants started and ended very well. They won the World Series and there is no better ending than that. San Francisco was pretty consistent throughout most of the year, and found a boost when they entered the playoffs.
Their year was filled with weird signs concerning Hunter Pence right down to injuries to the starting staff, and perhaps the most dominant performance from a starting pitcher in baseball playoff history. The Giants gave their fans a season they will remember for years to come with rising stars and upcoming rookies and just about everyone in between. Given their ‘Let’s make a run every other year” deal, it’s hard to judge whether or not 2015 will be relevant, but given the amount of talent currently on the roster, it’ll be mighty hard to count out the Giants for this coming season. They will lose a few key players in free agency, but they were able to retain much of their roster.
Covering the Bases: San Francisco Giants Off-Season
When talking about a team that just won the World Series, such as the Giants, there are not possibly enough words to summarize the season, but it doesn’t hurt to try. Starting off with a bang, the Giants were 36-20 heading into June. They hit a skid in June and July, but it would not deter their quest for a championship. The Giants ranked 17th in home runs for 2014, so the long ball was not a vital part to their success. They scored 4.1 runs per game while allowing allowing 3.79 runs per game. with a run differential of +51.
With the exception of a few, most successful teams are straight-forward and tightly wound. Not the Giants, nor their fans, or any fans that took part in having a laugh at the expense of Hunter Pence. The most memorable fan headlines were by far the Hunter Pence Signs. Here are the top Hunter Pence signs of 2014:
“Hunter Pence eats soup with a fork.” I’ve eaten soup with a fork before. It’s challenging.
“Hunter Pence thinks he’s in Kansas.” Yes, along with two-thirds of the country when they watch the Kansas City Royals on national television.
“Hunter Pence can’t parallel park.” Don’t feel bad, Hunter. Most of us can’t either.
“Hunter Pence will surpass Chuck Norris notoriety by Christmas 2014.” This was found on Twitter. It’s the opposite of good… It’s very bad and very not true.
“Hunter Pence just told me he’s excited to play in Game 8 tomorrow!” The Royals would appreciate his enthusiasm of such a game.
The Hunter Pence signs, along with the Giants didn’t stop in the playoffs. They cruised past the Pirates in the Wild Card game, beat the Nationals in four games, and bested St. Louis in five. Kansas City put up more of a challenge than the rest, but still the Giants prevailed to win their third World Series trophy in five years. Game Seven came down to literally the final out. 90 more feet, and Kansas City would’ve tied the game. A home run, and the Royals would have won the series. Game Seven was something that all baseball fans will remember for a very long time.
The big name of the postseason was Madison Bumgarner. The Giants, with all due respect, would not have won the World Series without him. That man is a cyborg, and at only 25 years old, he’s only going to get better. Bumgarner yielded a 2.98 ERA in 217.1 innings pitched in the regular season. In the postseason, he didn’t have stats. It’s all zero. In all seriousness, Mad Bum’s ERA was 1.03, which might as well have been zero. In the World Series he had a 0.65… which might as well be absolute zero. Bumgarner made a fool of hitters, while making spectators sitting on their couch at home cringe or cheer, depending on their routing interest. Yes, he was that good. Of course there were other players that helped the Giants be successful, but none as much as Madison Kyle Bumgarner.
One of those key players in the Giants run was Pablo Sandoval. Sandoval left in free agency along with Mike Morse earlier in the Giants off-season. Those two are making a ton more money with their new respective teams. San Francisco was able to keep Jake Peavy and Sergio Romo, both on two-year deals. Along with J.C. Gutierrez on a one-year deal. The Giants also traded for Casey McGehee to fill the hole Sandoval leaves at third base. Don’t be surprised though if the Giants are not done, and make another late-offseason move. They’ve signed three new faces so far, but it’s only January. They’ve got time.
The Giants are on this whole, “We’ll make a run every other year, and it’ll be fine” type of deal, and it’s quite befuddling. The rotation is still stacked with Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Peavy, Tim Lincecum, Yusmeiro Petit, and possibly Tim Hudson. It’s crazy how deep San Francisco’s infield is. It almost, and maybe it’s a stretch, makes Sandoval and Morse expendable. 2015 might be the year the every-other-year dynasty ends. Don’t put it past the Giants to go on another deep run.
The Giants gave all fans an unforgettable season. From no-hitters to crazy signs regarding their right-fielder, the San Francisco bandwagon must have been a fun one to be on, and will most likely continue to be memorable for years to come.
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