Come on down, Giants. It's your time in the Eye On Baseball spotlight.
Come on down, Giants. It's your time in the Eye On Baseball spotlight. (Getty)

We've been venturing through the history of each of the 30 Major League Baseball franchises, discussing some of the best and worst moments, players, teams, etc. It's more of a fun snapshot for discussion purposes than a be-all, end-all declaration. We continue today with the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants are not only the reigning champs, but they're also one of the most decorated and historic franchises in all of sport. They trace their origins back to 1883, when they were known as the Gothams (a fine name, let it be said), and since then the franchise has racked up 23 pennants and eight titles. So let's have a quick look at the sprawling history of the New York and San Francisco Giants ... 

Best team: 1962

There are many worthy candidates for this honor, but I find it hard to pass on the '62 squad, which featured Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, the Alou brothers, Billy Pierce and two 24-year-old youngsters named Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal. In the regular season, the Giants compiled a record of 103-62, a tally that includes their 2-1 series win over the Dodgers in best-of-three tiebreaker to determine the pennant.

As you might imagine, the competition was stiff. Besides the Dodgers, who, as implied, won 102 games, the NL in 1962 featured seven of 10 teams with winning records. Said winning teams also included the Reds (98 wins) and Pirates (93 wins). It didn't come easy for the Giants that season.

In the World Series, the Giants lost a taut seven-game set to the Yankees that stands as one of the greatest Fall Classics ever played …

Worst team: 1985

The 1985 team is the only one in franchise history to lose 100 games. They went 62-100 on the season, were out-scored by 118 runs and finished 33 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. The offense was primarily to blame, as the Giants as a team that year batted just .233/.299/.348. Jeffrey Leonard was the team leader in RBI with ... 62.

The good news? The Giants reached such depths that owner Bob Lurie brought in Roger Craig as manager late in the season and then Al Rosen as GM. In less than two years, they'd be in the NLCS, and in less than four years, they'd win the pennant -- their first in 27 years. 

Best trade: Christy Mathewson

It was in 1900 that the Reds acquired veteran ace Amos Rusie from the Giants in exchange for a 19-year-old right-hander, name of Christy Mathewson. Rusie had been one of the great pitchers of the 1890s, but by the time the Reds got him he was a husk of his former self (he'd pitch in all of three games for Cincinnati). Mathewson, meantime, had a legendary and iconic career ahead of him.

Over the next 17 seasons, "Matty" would win 373 games, pitch to an ERA+ of 136, win five ERA titles and lead the NL in strikeouts on five occasions. Mathewson would also establish himself as one of the greatest World Series pitchers in history. Speaking of which, in the 1905 World Series against Connie Mack's Athletics, Mathewson tossed three complete game shutouts.

To the Reds' credit, they traded back for Mathewson in time to get, oh, nine innings out of him.

Worst trade: George Foster

On May 29, 1971, the Giants shipped Foster, then a 22-year-old rookie, to the Reds for shortstop Frank Duffy and right-hander Vern Geishert. Duffy played just 21 games for the Giants (before being packaged with Gaylord Perry and traded for Sam McDowell in what may have been the Giants' second-worst swap of all-time), and Geishert never again pitched at the major-league level.

Foster? He'd spend the next 11 seasons in Cincy, and over that span bat .286/.356/.514 (140 OPS+) with 244 homers. Foster won the NL MVP award in 1977 with three other top-six finishes in the balloting. He'd end his 18-year career with 348 home runs.

(Image: Baseball-Fever.com)

You don't trade away a determined grimace like that.

Best home run: Bobby Thomson, Oct. 3, 1951

No debate permitted here. The "Shot Heard 'Round the World" is a cultural touchstone in America -- the right time, the right teams, the right city. The Giants of course stormed back from 13 games out on Aug. 11 to tie the loathed Dodgers and force a best-of-three tiebreaker to determine the pennant. The Giants took the opener, and the Dodgers took Game 2 (by a score of 10-0) to set up the deciding final game. 

Bottom of the ninth, one out, Dodgers up 4-2, runners on second and third, Bobby Thomson at the dish, Russ Hodges on the call ... 

The Giants, they won the pennant. 

Second-best home run: Barry Bonds

Like it or not, a new home run king is crowned ... 

Worst regular-season loss: Merkle's Boner, 1908

Aside: Yes, the play is known as "Merkle's Boner." Before you make that joke, know that all possible Merkle's Boner jokes have been made at least thrice already. Now, with all that said, let's allow the following infelicitously headlined dispatch tell the tale ... 

The league ruled that the game had to be replayed in its entirety. It was, and the Cubs won by a score of 4-2. They went on to win the World Series, which, it so happens, was the last time they did so. 

Merkle was just 19 at the time, and he went on to have a long and mostly productive career. The source of his fame, though, is rather regrettable. 

Worst regular-season loss, modern era: Oct. 3, 1993

It was the last great divisional race before the wild card era took hold, and the Giants barged to 103 wins that season. They entered the final day of the regular season tied with the Braves atop the NL West. However, the Braves topped the Rockies by a score of 5-3, and the Giants were throttled by the Dodgers 12-1. The killing blows came off the bat of rookie Mike Piazza ... 

The Giants spent 133 days in first place that season, but it was all for naught. 

Worst World Series: 1904

What's worse than losing the World Series? Refusing to play in it. 

The 1904 Giants were one of the greatest teams of their era, as John McGraw's squad went 106-47 and featured a pair of 30-game winners in Joe McGinnity and Christy Mathewson. McGraw, though, contented himself with "merely" winning the pennant by 13 games. Thanks to the burgeoning rivalry between the old-line National League and the upstart American League, McGraw refused to allow his team to play the Boston Americans (Red Sox), who won the junior circuit. In any event, McGraw's fit of pique led to the World Series being made official. 

Worst World Series, modern era: 1989

The Giants were swept by the cross-Bay Athletics, but worse was that the Loma Prieta earthquake, which interrupted the Series, resulted in 63 deaths and almost 4,000 injuries. 

Best catch: Willie Mays, Game 1, 1954 World Series

A "genius for the obvious" is the skill I'm flashing in making this selection. When Mays ran down Vic Wertz's first-inning deep liner, he had to so to the very depths of center field in the Polo Grounds ... 

(Image: AndrewClem.com)

Deep center is in Yonkers! True fact!

No outs, runners on first and second, 2-2 score in the eighth ... 

The quick and, by all accounts, accurate throw/heave is almost as amazing as the ranging snare 450 feet from home plate. When a ball was caught in deep center at the Polo Grounds, it wasn't unusual for runners to tag up and score from second base. On this occasion, Larry Doby was the runner at second, but Mays' throw held him at third. The Giants went on to win the game on Dusty Rhoads's pinch-hit walk-off and sweep the heavily favored Indians. 

This is related, also very cool ... 

(Image: Thom Ross)

Best postseason performance by a pitcher not named Christy Mathewson: Madison Bumgarner

Perhaps you recall these recent baseball events? Courtesy of Baseball-Reference, let's once again appreciate the swath that Mad Bum cut through the 2014 postseason ... 

Best barehanded catch: Kevin Mitchell

That's former NL MVP Kevin Mitchell ...

Best home run trot: "One flap down"

The privilege is all ours, Jeffrey Leonard ... 

It means that pitch was nothin'.

Best/worst balk: Stu Miller; assist: Candlestick Park

One of the 1961 All-Star Games (yes, one of the 1961 All-Star Games) was held at San Fran's Candlestick Park. Candlestick, in perilous adjacency to the Bay and not designed to handle the conditions thereof, was famous for its fog, cold temps and ongoing conga line of windblown trash. 

Anyhow, elements and environment conspired against Giants right-hander Stu Miller, who came on in relief of Sandy Koufax with one out in the ninth and the NL up 3-2 on the AL. The New York Giants Preservation Society describes what happened next ... 

As the 5-foot-11, 165-pound Miller went into the stretch position to pitch to Rocky Colavito, a sudden gust upset his balance. Miller threw the pitch anyway, but was called for a balk after doing so, due to his erratic movement. Kaline scored the tying run as third baseman Ken Boyer misplayed Colavito’s subsequent grounder.

Ultimately, Miller persevered and received the decision in the NL’s 5-4, 10-inning victory.

Artist's rendering forthcoming ... 

Best uniforms: 1933

The orange-and-black ensemble would come and go until the late 1940s, but it showed up for the first time in 1933 ... 

(Image: Dressed to the Nines)

That's how the Giants should look. Excellent spacing between the stirrup stripes. Stirrups, of course, should be striped, as ancient texts command us.

Worst uniforms: 1916

Ahem ... 

(Image: Dressed to the Nines)

Plaid! I mean, I like plaid in measured doses, but not necessarily on the sacred and august baseball uniform. 

Best statue outside AT&T Park: Juan Marichal

(Image: Fine Art America)

That's a world-championship leg kick right there. 

Best photo of Willie Mays

What better way to take leave of the Giants than by leaving you with an image of Willie Mays playing stickball in Harlem ... 

(Image: Legendary Auctions)

Up next: Wednesday will be the Arizona Diamondbacks' turn.

>> Want more franchise bests/worsts? CHC | MIL | STL | CIN | PIT |CLE | DET | MIN | CHW | KC | NYY | BOS | BAL | TOR | TB | MIA | WAS | NYM | PHI  | ATL | COL | LAD