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Apr 7, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants fans enter the park before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco Giants’ year of 2016 wasn’t one that ended in a championship, bringing an end to the run of even year success. Even then, the Giants had a host of great moments.
This year brought plenty of intrigue for the San Francisco Giants, on and off the field. There was plenty of Bumgarner moments throughout 2016. There were some really bad moments too, like getting blown out in five straight, and blowing 32 saves!
Overall, the Giants had a successful 2016. They were above .500, they provided fantastic moments in pitching, defense, and hitting, and gave a good run in the playoffs, going against the eventual World Series Champion. So let’s take a look back at our top 16 moments of the 2016 season!
Oct 1, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Mark Melancon (43) jogs onto the field from the bullpen against the Miami Marlins in the eighth inning at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
No. 16: Melancon Signs
After the futilities of the bullpen, the Giants needed a solid solution for the closer role going into 2017 and the future. The Giants are moving on from their core four in the pen, and ushering in a new core. Out goes Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla, and Javy Lopez. Thanks for the memories and the rings! In comes Strickland, Law, Gearrin, and Osich.
In the group of the “new bullpen core,” there is no real closer option at the present moment. That was concerning. Until the Giants signed Mark Melancon. Really, they could’ve gotten him at the deadline, and instead ended up with Will Smith (not bad, but not the real need). But, all that’s in the past, he’s on the Giants for the next couple years. He also signed the record contract for a relief pitcher, which is kinda cool and scary at the same time.
That lasted for like two days before Aroldis Chapman busted back through the Yankee Stadium clubhouse doors with stacks of cash in his hands/arms/pockets/shoes, whatever. Melancon is a Giant, and it is a significant moment in the year of 2016. Hopefully in 2017 we have a highlight package ending in a “Buster Hug” and mob at the mound in late October/early November.
Jul 1, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto reacts after the final out of the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
No. 15: Every Moment Cueto Posted a Selfie
I guess this could qualify as multiple moments, but I really don’t care. Johnny Cueto definitely has been entertaining in his first year as a Giant. Cueto is freaky good on the mound, and he’s a big goof in the clubhouse. His social media presence is one of the best on the Giants, and his Instagram feed is pretty freakin hilarious. My words don’t do his selfies any justice, so I’ll just let them speak for themselves:
Oct 7, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (L) and starting pitcher Johnny Cueto (47) talk on the pitcher
No. 14: Cueto and Posey Starting Battery in All-Star Game
Cueto and Posey have been quite the entertaining battery partnership since they finally collided paths (as teammates, not opponents). Not only are they fantastic when it comes to ability, their friendship and such has grown. They’re both incredibly entertaining and are on the same page, especially with Johnny Cueto’s funky deliveries. Buster Posey was rightfully voted the starting catcher in the MLB All-Star game. No catcher in baseball is as well rounded defensively and at the plate as Posey.
With injuries to baseball’s first half stallion, Clayton Kershaw, it was left up to Terry Collins to select his starter. Jose Fernandez was good, but turned it on after the all-star break. All of the Cubs guys were fantastic options as well. But, Terry Collins selected a guy who beat them in the World Series the year prior. Johnny Cueto got the call to start.
It didn’t turn out that great of the National League in the end, but finally that was the last all-star game that decided something that apparently, Bud Selig felt a 162 game sample size couldn’t decide. Anyways, this moment helped solidify a friendship and battery-pairing as one of the best in the league. Besides, Buster hugs and Cueto shimmies: what’s more fun than that? Maybe this Instagram comment that one of our writers caught: #besties
Cueto’s comment on Buster’s Instagram picture 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/nP7MsmAwCv
— Taylor Wirth (@taylorwirth123) August 30, 2016
Jun 21, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9) doubles against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
No. 13: Brandon Belt Striking Out Against a Catcher
Ok, this wasn’t a very good look for Belt. Weirdly enough, Belt had over 100 walks, and the most strikeouts on the team in 2016. A weird combo, for a relatively weird dude. Belt does things at the plate that make you think WTF in every way, (good, bad, baffling, etc.). There was no moment at the plate for Belt in 2016 that the Giants just have to shake their heads at.
Setting the scene: The Giants were beating the absolute snot out of the Pirates in Pittsburgh. The score was 15-4 in the eighth inning when Brandon Belt came to the plate. Belt already had two doubles in the game. The Pirates had catcher Erik Kratz on the mound as their bullpen had been significantly depleted. This was actually Erik Kratz’s SECOND pitching appearance of 2017 (Houston Astros in the Spring). After the Giants posted 15 runs off the Pirates staff, Kratz somehow boggled the heart of the Giants lineup. The worst? Belt’s strikeout.
Belt even knew it. He swung and missed on a ball that was just screaming “BLAST ME TO THE ALLEGHENY.” Instead, Belt whiffed hard. Later, MLB Gifs had some fun at his expense on twitter:
#NotAPitcher. https://t.co/rgbGqqYB1e pic.twitter.com/jsMAd92N4M
— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) June 22, 2016
Belt really had no option but to laugh at himself a day later:
Apparently not a hitter either https://t.co/YbXaAcWwuI
— Brandon Belt (@bbelt9) June 22, 2016
Embarassing? Yes. Funny? Ohhhh Yeah.
Sep 30, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
No. 12: Madison Bumgarner‘s 100th Win
Madison Bumgarner is easily one of the best Giants pitchers in Franchise history. Despite multiple Cy Young Winners, none have had as much success in the postseason -in fact no pitcher in history- than MadBum.
Madison Bumgarner has been a full-time member of the Giants Rotation since 2011. To get to 100 wins by 2016 is pretty impressive. Bumgarner would have to have averaged 20 wins over those five seasons. Granted he had a decent amount of wins racked up in 2010 (7). Anyways, 93 wins in 6 seasons is pretty darn good. An average of 15 wins a season over that stretch to get to 100.
His final win of 2016 came against the Dodgers, in fantastic fashion. The Giants walloped the Dodgers 9-3, and Bumgarner was pretty good on the mound. It wasn’t one of his patented 10k game, but Bumgarner was good enough to limit damage and keep the Dodgers quiet after the first inning. Bumgarner was 27 years old, and only three days older than Clayton Kershaw was when he won his 100th game.
Bumgarner can leapfrog up the board of wins as a Giant next season. With just 9 wins, Bumgarner would move into 3rd place all time in Giants history, behind Gaylord Perry and Juan Marichal. Bumgarner would need to keep his win pace going until he turned 39 to eclispse Marichal’s number, but a few above average win totals from him could get the job done. Regardless, Bumgarner will be held in regards as one of the best, if not THE best pitcher in Giants’ history.
Apr 4, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Players warm up before the Opening Day game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Francisco Giants at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
No. 11: Opening Day Back To Back To Back
The Giants offense to start the season was absolutely rolling. In part, thanks to ridiculous moments like the one on opening day. After the Brewers came out and punched the Giants in the mouth on opening day, the Giants rallied themselves and destroyed the Brewers. When the Giants had taken the lead back, they seemed to be icing the game towards the seventh inning. Then, up stepped Denard Span.
Denard Span blasted a three run homer to get things started. Then up stepped Joe Panik, who promptly blasted one to right center field at Miller Park. While the Giants, and their fans were catching their breath, Buster Posey tattooed one to deep center-field, giving the Giants the rare “Back-to-Back-to-Back,” feat. It provided a glimpse of what the Giants offense could do. And they did it for the first bit of the year. Anyways, it was a fantastic moment to start the 2016 regular season.
Sep 24, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40) doubles during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
No. 10: Bumgarner’s Bomb of Clayton Kershaw
Bumgarner is easily the best hitting pitcher in baseball. Kershaw has a history of allowing home-runs in weird times, to the least likely of Giants. Y’all remember Brandon Hicks? One of the first to EVER take Kershaw deep on his Curveball. Ehire Adrianza has even hit a home-run off of Clayton Kershaw. Madison Bumgarner finally did it in 2015, and then followed it up again for 2016, this time with an absolute BOMB.
Sep 21, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Matt Moore (45) pitches during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
No. 9: Matt Moore‘s Near No-Hitter
While the division was slowly slipping away from the Giants, the Wild Card was close to doing the same as well. The Giants lost two terrible games to the Dodgers, couldn’t get anybody home, and blew the game in the ninth leading to a recurring theme for the entire second half of the season. However, the newly acquired Matt Moore attempted to buck that trend.
Moore didn’t get the no-hitter, and Santiago Casilla got the final out on the very next pitch.
While it didn’t help the Giants get to the division, it actually helped get them a Wild Card spot in the long run. The biggest thing it did? Shut up a lot of critics on the Matt Duffy trade. Matt Duffy was never going to be an elite player. Matt Moore has shown flashes of being an elite pitcher. He did that night, and later on against Colorado, and later on against the Cubs in the postseason. Moore was worth the price paid, and this performance helped validate the move.
Sep 30, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Angel Pagan (16) is held up at third base on a single by second baseman Kelby Tomlinson (not pictured) during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
No. 8: Pagan’s Body Slam
Unfortunately, Angel Pagan didn’t have as many moments as he did in past seasons. But this one definitely stood out the most. Three people ran onto the field, and while AT&T Park security was painfully slow in attempting to corral them, Pagan decided to take things into his own hands. One person approached posey, the other attempted to get near Madison Bumgarner, but was promptly scared away as MadBum waved his glove as if to say “this is not the person you want to mess with.” Bumgarner’s misleading jedi mind-tricks sent the guy straight into the arms of Angel Pagan, who when greased up and injected with loads of steroids, could probably pass for a pro wrestler (WWE should give him a call when he quits baseball, just saying).
Aug 10, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (35) connects for a solo home run during the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
No. 7: Brandon Crawford‘s SEVEN Hits
Jun 30, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40) hits a double against the Oakland Athletics during the third inning at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
No. 6: Bumgarner Bucking the DH in Oakland
As part of the Giants’ bid to get Bumgarner in the HR-Derby (would’ve been fun and its pathetic that MLB didn’t seriously consider it), they decided to forego the DH in his outing in Oakland, and let him bat. It’s something that doesn’t happen very often. In fact, the last time it happened was 1976, when the Chicago White Sox allowed Ken Brett to do it.
Bumgarner definitely didn’t disappoint, blasting a double to center field to start the Giants rally in the third inning. Bumgarner hit eighth in the lineup a lot this season, and the Giants sure do trust his ability at the plate. His double justified the Giants’ belief in his bat. While this season wasn’t as good as last year’s at the plate, this outing sure shut up the critics (if there really were any).
Jun 23, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Buster Posey (right) greets second baseman Joe Panik (12) at home plate as Panik scores a run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the third inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
No. 5: Giants win Three Gold Gloves
There were a LOT of moments for the Giants this year that built up to this one, but the Giants winning three Gold Gloves absolutely validated the commitment to good defense that the Giants have made. Crawford won his second straight Gold Glove at Shortstop, while Panik picked up his first, giving the Giants the middle infield for N.L Gold Glovers. Buster Posey won his first Gold Glove, deservingly beating out Yadier Molina.
The best part about these three, is that all three of them were drafted, and came up through the Giants’ farm system. The influx of homegrown talent of the years has made the San Francisco Giants so flexible, with the ability to pay big money to get top level players to fill in the holes on the Major League Roster that they haven’t been able to fill. All this is a final validation and culmination of the Giants efforts in player development.
Oct 1, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Ty Blach (50) congratulated by manager Bruce Bochy (15) after the end of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
No. 4: Ty Blach Performance Versus Kershaw/Dodgers
The San Francisco Giants had a really hard time finding a fifth starter all season long. It bounced around between Matt Cain, Jake Peavey, and Alberto Suarez. Eventually, it fell to Ty Blach. Blach did pretty bad in his start against the Padres, the first of his career. But Bochy had faith that he would find his command against the Dodgers. Blach was slated to start his second career game, against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers, with the postseason potentially on the line. Boy did he deliver.
Oct 10, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; The San Francisco Giants celebrate after San Francisco Giants second baseman Joe Panik (12) hit a walk-off RBI double during the thirteenth inning to win game three of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at AT&T Park. The San Francisco Giants won 6-5 in thirteen innings. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
No. 3: Joe Panik’s Walkoff Double
Joe Panik had a topsy-turvy 2016. A rough start at the plate, followed by a concussion, and then never regaining his swing. It literally took until Game 3 of the 2016 NLDS for Panik to get his swing back. Boy did he come up clutch.
That double was a huge moment, giving the Giants plenty of belief that they could get the game back to a game five. Panik’s hit was huge, and was the walk-off winner, but probably wasn’t the biggest hit in that game! That leads us to moment number 2…
Oct 10, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Conor Gillaspie (21) hits an RBI triple against the Chicago Cubs in the eighth inning during game three of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
No. 2: Gillaspie’s Triple
What a moment! Gillaspie’s triple in the eighth, against Chapman, to take the lead on the Cubs, in a do or die game was incredible. If it wasn’t for the bullpen, this would be the game winning hit and not Panik’s double! While this could’ve been a game winning hit, and was incredibly important, it’s still not Gillaspie’s biggest moment of the 2016 Postseason.
That of course leads us to our Top San Francisco Giants Moment of 2016…..
Oct 5, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Conor Gillaspie (21) reacts after hitting a three run home run during the ninth inning against the New York Mets in the National League wild card playoff baseball game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
If you guessed “Connor Gillaspie’s Home-Run in the NL Wild Card Game” as our top moment before you started clicking through this, then you are ONE HUNDRED PERCENT CORRECT!
Best Giants Moment of 2016: Connor Gillaspie’s Wild Card Winning Homer
So the Stat-Cast was cool, but here is John Miller‘s brilliant call of our Number One Moment of 2016:
Thank You For Reading Around the Fohorn’s Best Moments of 2016! Keep coming back as we look towards 2017 for your San Francisco Giants!
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