Hello and happy Saturday. I hope you have a great day.
Earlier in the week it was confirmed that the San Francisco Giants will have a Willie Mac Award in 2020, despite...well...everything. The Giants will play at least 102 fewer games than in a normal year, and they had a truncated camp, but the players will still vote on a member of the team that exemplifies the tremendous spirit of Willie McCovey.
It would certainly seem like it’s Mike Yastrzemski’s award to lose, but it’s worth remembering that it’s not meant to reward performance, but rather spirit. But Yastrzemski’s emerged as a leader in the clubhouse and on the field, so he’d be my guess.
Here are the last 10 years:
2019: Kevin Pillar
2018: Will Smith
2017: Nick Hundley
2016: Brandon Crawford and Javier López
2015: Matt Duffy
2014: Madison Bumgarner
2013: Hunter Pence
2012: Buster Posey
2011: Ryan Vogelsong
2010: Andrés Torres
So who wins in 2020?
Did Barry Bonds hit a home run today?
Many.
August 29, 1998: Against the Philadelphia Phillies, Bonds hit a 2-run home run in the 3rd inning off of Carlton Loewer, scoring Bill Mueller. It gave the Giants a 3-1 lead, and they would win 10-3. It was his 28th homer of the year.
August 29, 1999: Against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bonds hit a solo home run in the 1st inning off of Kris Benson. It gave the Giants a 1-0 lead, and they would win 5-3. It was his 26th homer of the year.
August 29, 2002: Against the Colorado Rockies, Bonds hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning off of Mike Hampton. It made it back-to-back home runs after a Jeff Kent blast, and gave the Giants a 5-0 lead en route to a 10-6 win. It was his 40th homer of the year.
August 29, 2004: Against the Atlanta Braves, Bonds hit 2 home runs off of Russ Ortiz. A 2-run shot in the 3rd inning scored J.T. Snow and gave the Giants a 2-0 lead. A second 2-run shot in the 5th inning also scored Snow and gave the Giants a 5-2 lead, and they would win 9-5. They were his 37th and 38th homers of the year.
August 29, 2006: Against the Atlanta Braves, Bonds hit 2 home runs off of Tim Hudson. A solo home run in the 1st inning gave the Giants a 2-0 lead, and made it back-to-back homers, as it followed a Shea Hillenbrand dinger. A 2-run home run in the 6th inning scored Hillenbrand, and cut the deficit to 9-4. The Giants would lose 13-8. They were his 18th and 19th homers of the year.
Old, random MCC article for you to read
Yes, you should watch this Top Gun volleyball scene reenactment by Giants pitchers (April 28, 2019 — Bryan Murphy)
Giants links
- Roger Munter explores what a Tony Watson trade might look like (There R Giants)
- Podcast: Grant Brisbee and Andrew Baggarly discuss the win streak ending (The Athletic, free)
- Kerry Crowley on Gabe Kapler donating Friday’s salary to The Players Alliance (Mercury News)
- Mark W. Sanchez on the Giants preparing for an active trade deadline (KNBR)
- Alex Pavlovic on Joey Bart’s up-and-down first week (NBC Sports Bay Area)
- Mark W. Sanchez on Kevin Gausman wanting to stay in San Francisco (KNBR)
- John Shea on how Buster Posey can relate to Joey Bart’s struggles (SF Chronicle)
- Kerry Crowley on how we’re going to find out how Joey Bart responds to adversity (Mercury News)
- Mark W. Sanchez on the rollercoaster that was Joey Bart’s first week (KNBR)
Have a wonderful Saturday, everyone.