RetroSeasons recaps past sports seasons through stories, photos, videos, and stats from every team, league, and stadium in history. Coverage includes the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL, as well as vintage media from defunct teams and leagues.
Candlestick Park was an outdoor sports and entertainment stadium on the West Coast of the United States, located in San Francisco's Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 until moving into Pacific Bell Park (since renamed Oracle Park) in 2000. It was also the home field of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League from 1971 through 2013. The 49ers moved to Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara for the 2014 season. The last event held at Candlestick was a concert by Paul McCartney in August 2014, and the demolition of the stadium was completed in September 2015. As of 2019, the site is planned to be redeveloped into office space.
The stadium was situated at Candlestick Point on the western shore of San Francisco Bay. Candlestick Point was named for the "Candlestick birds" that populated the area for many years. Due to Candlestick Park's location next to the bay, strong winds often swirled down into the stadium, creating unusual playing conditions. At the time of its construction in the late 1950s, the stadium site was one of the few pieces of land available in the city that was suitable for a sports stadium and had space for the 10,000 parking spaces promised to the Giants.
The surface of the field for most of its existence was natural bluegrass, but for nine seasons, from 1970 to 1978, the stadium had artificial turf. A "sliding pit" configuration, with dirt cut-outs only around the bases, was installed in 1971, primarily to keep the dust down in the breezy conditions. Following the 1978 football season, the playing surface was restored to natural grass.
On Saturday, September 17, 1966, the San Francisco Giants faced off against the New York Mets at Candlestick Park. The Giants handed the ball to their ace, Juan Marichal, while the Mets countered with Dennis Ribant. The 1966 season had been a challenging one for the Mets, who were still in the early years of their franchise and struggling to find consistent success. The Giants, on the other hand, were a more established team with a solid roster, including the legendary Willie Mays and the power-hitting first baseman Willie McCovey. As for the broader context of the season, the Baltimore Orioles were the team to beat in the American League, while the National League was being dominated by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The game started off as a pitching duel, with both Marichal and Ribant holding their respective opponents scoreless through the first three innings. The Giants broke the deadlock in the fourth, with McCovey launching a solo home run. He would add another solo shot in the fifth, giving the Giants a 3-0 lead. The Mets, however, would not go quietly. In the sixth inning, Ken Boyer and Al Luplow each hit solo home runs to cut the Giants' lead to one. Luplow would again come through in the clutch in the eighth, hitting a two-run homer to tie the game at 4-4.
The game remained tied until the tenth inning. Jim Hart led off the bottom of the inning with a solo home run to give the Giants a one-run lead. McCovey then solidified the Giants' victory with his third home run of the game, a two-run shot that sealed the 6-4 win for the Giants. The Mets' late-game rally, highlighted by Luplow's two home runs, was an exciting twist, but ultimately fell short.
In the grand scheme of the 1966 season, this game was a microcosm of the experiences of both teams. The Mets showed flashes of potential but struggled to put it all together, finishing the season in ninth place in the National League. The Giants, meanwhile, finished in second place in the National League, just 1.5 games behind the Dodgers. McCovey's three-home run performance was a highlight of his impressive season, in which he hit .295 with 36 home runs and 96 RBIs. Despite their strong season, the Giants fell short of the postseason, with the Dodgers representing the National League in the World Series against the Orioles.
On Thursday, September 14, 1978, the Atlanta Braves and the San Francisco Giants faced off...
Atlanta Braves vs San Francisco Giants - Radio Broadcast / On Thursday, September 14, 1978, the Atlanta Braves and the San Francisco Giants faced off at Candlestick Park. The Braves sent Jim Bouton to the mound, an experienced right-hander who had a unique career trajectory, transitioning from a successful starter to a knuckleball reliever after a series of arm troubles. The Giants countered with Ed Halicki, a towering 6'7" right-hander known for his no-hitter in 1975. At this point in the season, the Braves were in the middle of the pack in the National League West, while the Giants were struggling to keep pace. The 1978 season was marked by the Yankees and Dodgers' fierce competition, each leading their respective leagues, while Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds was in pursuit of Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak record.
The game got off to a slow start, with the Braves scoring an unearned run in the second inning due to errors by Halicki and John Tamargo. The Giants responded with a run of their own in the third, capitalizing on an error by Bouton. The Braves' Dale Murphy, who would later become a two-time MVP, made an impact on the base paths by stealing second base and later scoring due to the Giants' errors. In the sixth inning, the Giants threatened to score with a runner on second, but Bouton managed to get out of the jam, maintaining the slim lead.
The Braves broke the game open in the seventh inning, scoring two more runs thanks to key hits from Glenn Hubbard and Jerry Royster. The Giants, however, struggled to generate offense against the Braves' pitching. After Bouton's solid six innings of work, Craig Skok and Gene Garber held the Giants hitless over the final three innings. The Braves added an insurance run in the eighth, securing a 4-1 victory.
The win improved the Braves' standing in the NL West, although they would ultimately finish the season in the middle of the pack. The Giants, meanwhile, continued to struggle, ending the year near the bottom of the division. The 1978 season would conclude with the New York Yankees defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. The Braves' Dale Murphy, despite his team's middling performance, began to show signs of the player he would become in the 1980s, one of the most dominant in the National League. This game, while not a highlight of the season, was a good representation of the Braves' potential and the Giants' struggles in the 1978 season.
The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers faced off in Game 1 of a...
1962 NL Tie-breaker G1 - Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Francisco Giants Radio / The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers faced off in Game 1 of a best-of-three tiebreaker series on October 1, 1962, at Candlestick Park to determine the National League pennant winner. Both teams had finished the regular season with identical 101-61 records, forcing this playoff. The Giants sent Billy Pierce to the mound against the Dodgers' ace Sandy Koufax. This matchup was particularly significant as the Dodgers had just endured a late-season collapse, losing six of their last seven games and failing to score in their final 21 innings. Meanwhile, the Giants had surged, winning five of their last seven to force this tiebreaker.
The Giants wasted no time in breaking the Dodgers' scoreless streak, as Willie Mays hit a two-run homer in the first inning off Koufax. Jim Davenport added a solo shot in the second, chasing Koufax from the game after just one-plus innings. The Giants continued to pour it on, with Mays hitting his second home run of the game in the sixth inning, followed immediately by an Orlando Cepeda homer. Meanwhile, Pierce was dominant on the mound for San Francisco, keeping the Dodgers' bats quiet throughout the game. The Giants added three more runs in the eighth to put the game out of reach.
The final score was 8-0 in favor of the Giants, giving them a 1-0 lead in the tiebreaker series. Pierce pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits while striking out six. Mays finished the game 3-for-3 with two home runs, three RBIs, and three runs scored. This victory put the Giants one win away from the National League pennant. They would go on to win the series in three games, advancing to face the New York Yankees in the World Series, which the Yankees would win in seven games.
#WillieMays #BillyPierce #SandyKoufax #OrlandoCepeda #JimDavenport #1962NLPennantRace #GiantsDodgersRivalry #CandlestickPark #NLTiebreaker #MLBPlayoffs
In a unique twist on the classic Home Run Derby, the San Francisco Giants are...
All-Time San Francisco Giants Home Run Derby Simulation / In a unique twist on the classic Home Run Derby, the San Francisco Giants are set to stage an epic showdown featuring four of their most legendary sluggers: Mel Ott, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Barry Bonds. This virtual matchup, made possible through the magic of modern gaming technology, pits these icons against each other, each in their prime, and promises a thrilling spectacle for fans of all generations. It's a contest that spans the rich history of the franchise, from Ott's tenure in the 1930s and '40s, through Mays and McCovey's era in the '60s and '70s, to Bonds' record-setting reign in the late '90s and 2000s. Given the historical context, this event is more than just a game; it's a celebration of the Giants' legacy, a tribute to the power hitters who've left their mark not just on the team, but on the sport itself.
