2000 San Francisco Giants season


The 2000 San Francisco Giants season was the Giants' 118th season in Major League Baseball and their 43rd season in San Francisco since their move from New York following the [1957 New York San Francisco Giants|Giants (MLB) season|1957 season]. The Giants finished in first place in the National League West with a record of 97 wins and 65 losses, which was the best record in the major leagues in 2000. They lost the NLDS in four games to the New York Mets.
The team played their first season in newly opened Pacific Bell Park. The Giants had 889 runs batted in, the most in franchise history, while their 925 runs scored is the most in the club's San Francisco era.

Offseason

Regular season

Transactions

  • June 5, 2000: Boof Bonser was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 1st round of the 2000 amateur draft. Player signed July 3, 2000.
  • July 3, 2000: Jalal Leach was signed as a free agent with the San Francisco Giants.

Pacific Bell Park

  • The opening series took place from April 11–13, 2000 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Giants were swept in three games. In the first game of that series, the Giants lost 6–5, highlighted by three home runs from the Dodgers' Kevin Elster.
  • The most prominent feature of the ballpark is the right field wall, which is high in honor of former Giant Willie Mays, who wore number 24. Because of the proximity to the San Francisco Bay, the right field foul pole is only from home plate. The wall is made of brick, with fenced off archways opening to the Cove beyond, above which are several rows of arcade seating. The fence angles quickly away from home plate; right-center field extends out to from home plate. Atop the fence are four pillars with fountains atop. These four pillars will burst jets of water when a Giant hits a home run.
  • Lining the foul portion of the wall are rubber chickens, which are put up by fans whenever a Giants player is intentionally walked. The fans do this to show that the opposing team is "chicken" for not pitching right to the Giants players. To some old-timers, the right field area vaguely suggests the layout at the Polo Grounds. This deep corner of the ballpark has been dubbed "death valley" and "triples alley." Like its Polo Grounds counterpart, it is very difficult to hit a home run to this area, and a batted ball that finds its way into this corner often results in a triple.
  • Beyond right field is a section of the bay, dubbed McCovey Cove after famed Giants first baseman Willie McCovey, into which a number of home runs have been hit on the fly. As of September 17, 2007, 45 "Splash Hits" had been knocked into the Cove by Giants players since the park opened; 35 of those were by Barry Bonds. Opponents had hit the water on the fly 15 times; Todd Hundley of the Los Angeles Dodgers was the first visitor to do so on June 30, 2000. Luis Gonzalez of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cliff Floyd of the Chicago Cubs are the only visiting players to do so twice, while Carlos Delgado of the New York Mets has performed the feat three times. Across the cove from the ballpark is McCovey Point and China Basin Park, featuring monuments to past Giants legends.

Player stats

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
CBobby Estalella10629970.2341453
1BJ.T. Snow155536152.2841996
2BJeff Kent159587196.33433125
SSRich Aurilia141509138.2712079
3BBill Mueller153560150.2681055
LFBarry Bonds143480147.30649106
CFMarvin Benard149560147.2631255
RFEllis Burks122393135.3442496

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Armando Ríos11523362.2661050
Doug Mirabelli8223053.230628
Calvin Murray10819447.242222
Ramón Martínez8818957.302625
Russ Davis8018047.261924
Felipe Crespo8913138.290429
Terrell Lowery243415.44115
Juan Melo11131.07701
Damon Minor1094.44436
Scott Servais782.25000
Pedro Feliz872.28600

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games; IP = Innings pitched: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
PlayerGIPWLERASO
Liván Hernández33240.017113.75165
Russ Ortiz33195.214125.01167
Shawn Estes30190.11564.26136
Kirk Reuter32184.01193.9671
Joe Nathan2093.1525.2161

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
PlayerGIPWLERASO
Mark Gardner30149.11174.0592
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games: W = Wins: L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
PlayerGWLSVERASO
Robb Nen6843411.5092
Félix Rodríguez764232.6495
Alan Embree633524.9549
Aaron Fultz585214.6762
John Johnstone473406.3037
Doug Henry273102.4916
Miguel Del Toro92005.1916
Ben Weber901014.636
Chad Zerbe40004.505
Ryan Vogelsong40000.006
Scott Linebrink300011.570

National League Divisional Playoffs

San Francisco Giants vs. New York Mets

New York wins series, 3–1.

Award winners

All-Star Game
  • Jeff Kent, second base, starter
  • Barry Bonds elected to start but unable to play due to injury
National League Most Valuable Player:
Jeff Kent, Second Base