What to Know
- The Giants won 107 games in the 2021 regular season — the highest number of wins the team has recorded since moving to San Francisco
- Fans faced heartbreak after a 2-1 loss to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the National League Division Series
- Win or lose, Giants fans say they've been thrilled to be back at the ballpark after last year's short season without fans
With the score tied 1-1 in the 7th inning, Giants fans sang along loudly to the classic tune that includes the lyrics, "If they don't win, it's a shame."
And in the fifth game of the National League Division Series, that line was undoubtedly the biggest understatement of the team's entire season.
"I'm heartbroken," said one fan. "But I'm still proud of my Giants, man, I still love the Giants. We'll be here next year."
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The stunning moment of disappointment that ended the Giants' bid for another World Series may forever be remembered as a questionable call by the first base umpire. But for fans who were there that night, an overwhelming air of gratitude quickly replaced the frustration.
"That’s why it’s sad, man, they had a great season," one fan opined.
"What a great season," said another, and repeated himself for good measure.
Sports
Earlier in the evening, fans were already waxing poetic about what it was like to be back at the ballpark with a winning team, after the shortened 2020 season was played in front of empty stands.
"Just nice to make friends out of strangers, and high-five, sing dumb songs," said longtime Giants fan Jack McKenzie. "I totally took it for granted."
"Baseball is about rooting with 40,000 of your friends, it doesn't matter whether you know them or not," said Yvonne Morones, who's been a Giants fan since the 1960s.
"People you don't know, but you all have one thing in common," echoed Mindy Charlup, who's also a longtime Giants fan. "You forget everything else going on in the world, in the country. You're all together as one, and it's phenomenal."
Morones attended the Giants' penultimate postseason game with her childhood friend Loretta Bracco. The two met when Morones' father was working on the construction of Candlestick Park, the Giants' former home. Bracco was playing with her friends at the construction site.
"I kind of miss the old 'Stick, but you know what? This is a crown jewel," Morones said. "Best park in baseball."
The two say they'll be back next season, with a new appreciation for what it means to watch baseball together with friends — including the thousands of friends they haven't met yet.
