Giants reach 100th day on top of the NL West

As of August 31st, the San Francisco Giants have spent a total of 100 game days in first place in the National League West.

Hooray! *[Insert] confetti emoji thing*

100 game days is a lot. It’s a majority of the baseball season, and the Giants have maintained that lead for a long time in a tough division.

This isn’t 100 days on top of the NL East, which is like driving to the top of Mount Tamalpais while everyone else in your group has to walk.

This is like hiking to the top of Mr. Whitney with an annoying, greasy-faced middle schooler (the Los Angeles Dodgers) trying to step on your heel and give you a flat-tire every other step.

It’s hard. You’re constantly checking over your shoulder, grumbling under your breath, intermittently stopping to turn and scream at the kid to just back-off and give you some space so you can breathe for a moment.

But if you want to get to that peak, you just keep going—and that’s what the 2021 Giants have done so far.

So far…

As I write this, said divisional lead has shrunk to a half a game—which, mathematically, is not good.

A Giants loss tonight and a Dodgers win and the two could flip-flop, thus affirming my lingering notion that the world is not in a good place right now.

The Giants poet-in-residence, Grant Brisbee, aptly named the heavy cloud that has descended over us in recent days uncertainty. This cloud hovers not only over the Giants’ division status, but over the team’s ability to make a deep postseason run.

The Giants just dropped two games to a Milwaukee Brewers squad they have a chance of meeting in the postseason, facing their two top o’ the rotation starters that will be an intimidating 1-2 punch in any playoff series. And before that, the Giants lost a three game series to an Atlanta Braves team that are looking more and more like postseason contenders.

(Why am I re-living this? You all know. Why am I doing this to us??)

It doesn’t get any easier with two more games against the Brewers and then a three game weekend season against that bad-breathed middle schooler who is now on top of your shoulders and flicking your right earlobe.

Not to mention, a roster that has lost Donovan Solano and Alex Wood to the COVID IL, and a Giants’ line-up that just looks tired at the plate.

So, to recap: as of August 31st the 2021 San Francisco Giants have spent a total of 100 game days in first place in the National League West.

Hooray? This um … means something?

Yes and no.

The last time the Giants held first in the West for at least 100 days was 2003.

That’s a long time ago, and we all know that team went on to sweep Babe Ruth and Sandy Koufax in the World Series and were forever named the greatest team in the galaxy.

(note: The 2003 Giants spent 160 games in first place and lost to the Marlins in the division series.)

This is a meaningless milestone.

But—reaching that feat also means you are probably a pretty good baseball club that has a high chance of playing in the postseason. Right now the Giants playoff probability sits at a greater than 99.9 percent chance—which, mathematically, is good.

So, in the name of self care, I am choosing to celebrate this 100 day feat and this team in general.

There were not many people at the start of the season who thought these 2021 Giants would provide us with meaningful baseball games in September, let alone own the division through August. Thanks guys. Cheers for that.

Ok, done celebrating.

It’s September now. Summer is over and uncertainty looms.