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 6pm to see the next two moments you can vote on! Then, after the Giants and A's conclude, tune into Postgame Live to see which moment will move on.
1. Matt Cain's Perfect Game in 2012 (Four-time winner -- Gaylord Perry's no-hitter against the Cardinals in 1968)
(From Matt Cain - Giants Pitcher from 2005 to 2017)
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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.
San Francisco Giants
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. Mike Krukow wins Game 4 of the 1987 NLCS against the Cardinals
(From Mike Krukow)
1987 was my 11th year in the big leagues and Game 4 was the first time I ever walked across the baseline to pitch in a playoff game.
In 1986, I was a 20-game winner and an All-Star. In 1987, I won 5 games and was lucky to make the playoff team.
To say that Game 4 was the greatest challenge of my career would have been an understatement.
We were down in the series 2-1 and this was the pivotal Game 4 that we were playing at home in Candlestick. We had the lead in Game 3 but St. Louis rallied and came back to win. We needed to win Game 4.
Roger Craig knew that Game 4 was crucial. What he didn’t know was what he could expect from me. I had battled shoulder problems for the first time in my career in 1987 and I knew that I was going out to start Game 4 and I was not going to have my best stuff. Roger knew it too.
He told me before the game that all he wanted out of me was 4 or 5 good innings. It kind of pissed me off. I knew i could give him more.
In my life as an athlete I pitched in front of many crowds in many places, but what happened to me at Candlestick Park that night was something that I had never experienced before.
From the moment I stepped on that mound, picked up the ball and threw the first pitch until the ninth inning when I threw the last pitch that got a ground ball that turned into a double play from Thompson to Uribe to Clark that ended the game. Every person in that ballpark was together. It was the strongest most incredible jolt of energy I ever experienced. It was euphoric and it felt like we had all won that game together. Like we all NEEDED to win that game together. And...............we did it.
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