What a horrible ending for the Giants magical season. To lose games 1 and 2 on walk-off fashion, so heartbreaking. So the Giants have played four postseason games in the Marlins stadium, and all four of them, the Marlins have beaten the Giants in their final at bats. OUCH
Well, with Tampa also being in Florida, the Marlins had to change it to something that doesnt take over the whole state. Kinda like how the California Angels changed their name. Mets-Yankees are both "New York", but an argument can be made that New York in this case is not for the state, but for New York City The Rangers should change their name to the Dallas Rangers
Man, Roberto Hernandez was so good all season and then randomly stunk it up in every game of this series. Maybe Dusty should have given Rod Beck a shot in one of them.
Hindsight is 20/20, but the fact that Hernandez was lights out during the ‘97 season I was as shocked as you were when he couldn’t hold a lead, or hold the Marlins from going ahead was troubling. We had Traveres as the set-up man, and picked up Hernandez because Baker had lost a little faith in Rod Beck. We should’ve gone w/ Beck. The playoffs in MLB is a different animal. Anything can happen, and usually does. A regular player can become a hero…it happens every couple of years.
@@aaronziegler2298 Seems logical that Beck should have at least gotten into a game earlier than Game 3 after it was practically over. He was still one of the top relievers on the team and the first two games were very close.
This series was much closer than the 3-0 series sweep indicated. The series could have gone either way had the Giants would have at least stolen a game down in South Florida the Giants would have probably would have won the series and here's a stat in their two matchups all-time in the NLDS the Marlins beat the Giants in four one-run games in at Pro Player Stadium three of the four games the Marlins won in their final at-bat and both times the Marlins would go on to win the World Series respectively in both 1997 & 2003. I was able to go to my first and only playoff game at 3Com (Candlestick) Park which was game 3 of the NLDS where the Giants season ended 6-2 when Devon White's grand slam off of Giants started Wilson Alverez who came to the Giants in that big blockbuster nine-player trade from the White Sox at the July 31st trading deadline. But 1997 was a great turnaround for the Giants coming off back to back last-place finishes which outside of the 1993 season when they went 103-59 finishing 2nd to the Braves 104-58 in one of baseball's last great pennant races before the realignment of the divisions in both leagues and instituted the wild card in 1994 the Giants were coming off their third straight losing season and they're fifth in their last six years as they won their first NL West title since 1989. This was the first postseason appearance for Barry Bonds and MGR Dusty Baker with this group and Baker won his second of three National League Manager Of The Year awards that he would win three times. The 1997 Giants was a special team that they were outscored and the pitching ranked in the bottom in the National League with a 4.39 ERA. The late '90s of Giants Baseball was very important nearly made it back to the playoffs in the memorable '98 baseball season when they lost the sudden death one-game playoff to the Cubs then the Giants would play their final season at Candlestick Park in 1999 before moving downtown into their new downtown ballpark in China Basin in 2000 to mark a new era of Giants baseball.
'97 was the first year with Jon Miller announcing games for the Giants. I became a Miller fan that season when the Giants were in Florida and Glen Allen Hill ripped a game tying rbi double off the wall. Miller's voice cracked making the call and somehow that made me a Miller fan. He can make a game super exciting to listen to on the radio.
The Marlins’ 1997 postseason run began and ended with Devon White forcing out home with the bases loaded and Edgar Renteria immediately following with the game winning hit
The Florida Marlins, 92-70 on the season, entered the playoffs as a Wild Card against the surprising San Francisco Giants, 90-72 in ;97, winning the West by two over the Dodgers. Game 1 was played in Miami, and Kevin Brown continued his mastery against SF early on. But Kirk Rueter matched Brown pitch for pitch. Tied at 1 in the bottom of the 9th, Edgar Renteria faced Roberto Hernandez and singled home the winning run for a 2-1 Marlins' triumph and the early lead. If Game 1 was a pitching clinic, Game 2 was a seesaw battle. Livan Hernandez, a 21-year old rookie from Cuba, came on in relief of a struggling Al Leiter in the 5th inning, and threw 4 solid innings, allowing only one run. After the Giants tied the game at 6 in the top half of the 9th, Gary Sheffield led off the home half with a single. Sheff stole second, then Moises ALou singled to center. Dante Powell's throw home ricocheted off the pitchers' mound, and Sheffield was home free. 7-6, Marlins, and a 2-0 lead in games. The Giants looked for some Candlestick Magic in Game 3 at San Francisco. Jeff Kent did his part with a pair of home runs. However, Devon White, .188 against lefties in '97, took Alvarez deep in the 6th with the bases juiced for a grand slam. The Fish sealed the deal with a 6-2 triumph for a sweep of the Giants. And now, it's on to Atlanta for the NLCS to face the potent Braves. The experience of the Marlins' players who had been in October before showed in this series. For the Giants, all was not lost. The future in San Francisco was by then secure. Ground breaking was already underway for a brand new ball park near China Basin, ready to play in 2000.
Game 1, top of 7th inning, Giants leading 1-0 against the tough Kevin Brown. Bonds is at second with no outs and they do not score. That cost the Giants this game
