PROGRAMMING NOTE: NBC Sports Bay Area is looking back at the Giants' 60 Memorable Moments since the franchise moved from New York to San Francisco. Tune into Giants Pregame Live at 6 p.m. to see the next two moments you can vote on! Then, after the Giants and Padres conclude, tune into Postgame Live to see which moment will move on.
1. Matt Cain's Perfect Game in 2012 (Nine-time winner -- Defeated Tim Lincecum's second no-hitter in 2014)
(From Matt Cain - Giants Pitcher, 2005-2017)
The Perfect Game was one of the most memorable nights of my playing career.
I had always dreamed of throwing a no-hitter. I had come so close so many times throughout my career and in my younger years, but never had one.
The ballpark was so electric that night. We had the TaylorMade guys out hitting golf balls. Dustin Johnson hitting monster drives into McCovey Cove, and I snuck one good swing in there as well.
Pretty surreal day. I still think back to all the plays and pitches during that game. To have every single player on the same wave length and all realizing what was unfolding is truly something special. Everyone likes to say I pitched a perfect game and I get the credit for it but I'm in debt to everyone of the guys who made a play behind me , one that still doesn't make sense in right center field, and I owe the most to the guy who called 125 perfect pitches behind the plate.
Sports
Thanks to all the fans that have come up to me and shared there story about that night. So fun to hear them all!!
VS.
2. Giants clinch NL West in 1997
(From Shawn Estes - Giants Pitcher, 1995-2001 and NBC Sports Bay Area Giants analyst)
It was 1993 when the Giants made what will go down as the biggest free agent signing in club history. They lured Barry Bonds from the Pittsburgh Pirates which allowed him to play for his hometown team and follow in the footsteps of his father, Bobby, and godfather Willie Mays.
In the first year, his team won 103 games and didn't make the playoffs. That was followed by three miserable years of non-playoff baseball and Bonds had to be second-guessing his decision. He envisioned, when he left a very good Pittsburgh club, that he could be a difference maker in San Francisco and get his hometown club back to the promised land sooner than later.
Well, that later came in his fifth season as a Giant in 1997. The Bay Area never got to see Barry at his playful best until September 27th of that year. We had played an emotional two-game series against the Dodgers a week earlier that propelled our team to the division lead, giving us a chance to finally win it. We prevailed against the Padres 6-1 in front of 47,000 fans. It was quite an on-field team celebration, but what ensued afterwards was the moment I remember.
We huddled up as a team near the mound and received a pep talk from Dusty Baker, and then as we dispersed, Barry ran straight to the dugout. He didn't go into the dugout and down the tunnel like everyone else but he decided to instead climb on top of it and celebrate. He hugged, high-fived, and pointed around the stadium at fans as he ran down one end of the dugout and then back. For a moment he was a kid again and the first time as a Giant he had an opportunity to appreciate the fans who loved and supported him. From that moment forward, he could do no wrong.
VOTE HERE:
Which @SFGiants 60th Anniversary moment was more memorable?
The winning moment will move on to the next matchup.— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 30, 2018
