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 Pregame Live at 6pm to see the next two moments you can vote on! Then, after the Giants and D'backs conclude, tune into Postgame Live to see which moment will move on to the next round! Make your vote count!
1. Cody Ross' two home runs off Roy Halladay in Game 1 of the 2010 NLCS (Two-time winner -- defeated Juan Uribe's two home runs in one inning against the Cubs in 2010)
(From Cody Ross)
'Best memory out of the 60 hands down'
In Game 1 of the NLCS we had the hardest matchup that we were going to face the entire playoffs. We were staring down the Late Roy Halladay, who in my opinion was the best pitcher I've ever faced. He threw a Perfect Game against me when I was on the Marlins earlier in the year and was coming off a no-hitter in the NLDS against the Reds in his previous start. Not to mention he's a 2x Cy Young award winner and an 8x All-Star.
As I walk to the plate in the 3rd inning of a 0-0 game I'm realizing Roy has not given up a hit yet again. He was one of those pitchers who had a chance to throw a no-hitter every time he took the mound. That's how good he was. Up until this point, I had tried every approach with little-to-no success against him. I tried to work the counts and see pitches, stay inside the ball and hit it the other way, stay up the middle, etc etc... none of these seemed to get the job done. Finally that cold October night I said to myself, "Just try and hit a home run"... and all of a sudden on a 1-1 count I swung as hard as I could and "Bang! A HR!" The best contact I'd ever had against Roy and I was just as surprised as anybody in the ballpark or the millions watching on TV. I couldn't feel my legs running around the bases and couldn't believe what just happened. It was the first hit he had given up in the playoffs and it was a go-ahead home run to put us up 1-0 with Tim Lincecum also throwing a gem.
As I stepped up to the plate in the top of the 5th the game was tied 1-1. At this point I had a ton of confidence and felt like nobody could get me out. I went with the same approach of trying to hit a home run and on a 2-0 pitch the unthinkable happened again! Hard contact and I see the ball flying over the left field fence. I took a peek at Roy and he was in disbelief just as I was.
Sports
There are many memorable playoff HR stories but it's hard to find one against one of the most dominating pitchers in this era. It will definitely go down as one of my greatest baseball memories. I hope all the Giants fans enjoyed it as much as I did.
VS.
2. Giants defeat Mets in 2016 NL Wild Card behind Madison Bumgarner's four-hit shutout and Conor Gillaspie's three-run, ninth-inning home run
(From Alex Pavlovic)
Citi Field had been rocking all night, but now it was silent, except for the screams coming from a small section of friends and family seated down the third base line. Thirty rows in front of them, Madison Bumgarner approached Conor Gillaspie in the dugout.
"Conor," he said. "I appreciate the hell out of that."
Gillaspie hit a three-run homer and Bumgarner did what he does best. His 119-pitch 3-0 shutout of the Mets matched his Wild Card Game feat from two years earlier. This time, he struck out six and allowed just four hits, tying Tom Glavine's MLB record by posting a sixth postseason start without allowing a run.
The Giants needed every ounce of Bumgarner's postseason mettle, because Noah Syndergaard was nearly as tough on the other side. He took a no-hitter into the sixth, regularly hitting 99 mph with his fastball and 92 mph with his slider, but he was done after seven. Closer Jeurys Familiar took over in the ninth, and - after a Brandon Crawford double and Joe Panik walk - Gillaspie got the biggest hit of his career, a 389-foot homer to right.
Bumgarner set the Mets down in order in the bottom of the inning, sending the Giants to the NLDS. Afterward, he was asked how he had once again pitched a postseason shutout.
"I wish I had an answer for you," he said. "I don't."
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) April 17, 2018
