On May 1, 1883, the New York Gothams welcomed the Boston Beaneaters to the old Polo Grounds, and beat them 7-5 to begin an unbroken string of National League baseball that now spans one-hundred twenty plus years and both coasts of the United States.
Within two years the team became known as the Giants. They would win four pennants in the 1880's, but by the turn of the new century they were floundering. In a seminal decision for the franchise, owner Andrew Freeman hired John McGraw, one of the game's most prominent and pugnacious personalities to manage the team. McGraw ruled with an iron fist for the next thirty years, his bare knuckle brand of baseball winning ten pennants and three World Series.
After a second place finish in 1903, McGraw won his first pennant a year later relying heavily on what would become a legendary pitching rotation led by Christy Mathewson (thirty and thirty-three wins in 1903-04) and Iron Man Joe McGinnity (thirty-one and thirty-five wins). Mathewson was the best pitcher of his era, finishing with three-hundred seventy-three career wins (third most in history) and a career 2.13 ERA over seventeen seasons. He would be one of the five original inductees into the Hall of Fame.
McGraw refused to recognize the American League as co-equal with the National and he would not play their pennant winner (Boston) in the 1904 World Series. But when his pitching staff sparked the Giants to another pennant in 1905, new baseball rules compelled McGraw to participate in the post season championship series. He came fully armed with Mathewson (32-8, league leading 1.27 ERA), McGinnity (22-16, 2.87), Red Ames (twenty-two wins), Dummy Taylor (fifteen) and Hooks Wiltsie (fourteen) and his "Jints" whipped up on Connie Mack's Athletics in five games.
After some uneven seasons, the Giants inaugurated the new Polo Grounds with three consecutive pennants (1911-13) but the American League got a measure of revenge against McGraw for his 1904 slight by winning all three World Series.
McGraw had his Giants roaring into the 1920's with four pennants in a row (1921-24). His roster was packed with future Hall of Famers including George Kelly, Ross Youngs, Dave Bancroft and a young Frankie Frisch, all of whom hit over .300 in each of the four seasons. In the post-season, the Giants won both 1921 and 1922 before the Yanks turned the tables in 1923. The Washington Senators spoiled McGraw's last World Series with a seven game victory in 1924.
McGraw finally called it quits forty games into the 1932 season and was replaced by star first baseman Bill Terry. Terry had been the toast of the town in 1930 when he hit .401 (the last National Leaguer to do so) and his lifetime .341 mark earned him a ticket to Cooperstown.
San Francisco Giants History
