A Letter from Larry Baer

Dear Fans:

A few days after Game 5 of the National League Division Series, I found myself thinking back to Opening Day. We had just 8,000 fans in the park due to COVID restrictions, and on the field was a Giants team that prognosticators dismissed as a non-contender. Then I fast-forwarded to the final day of the regular season. Oracle Park was thunderous with the wild cheers of our great fans, and on the field was a Giants team that had become the best in baseball.

The days between those two moments will stand as one of the most thrilling, inspiring, and relentlessly entertaining in Giants history. Years from now we’ll still be talking about Mike Tauchman’s catch at Dodger Stadium, Logan Webb’s 22 consecutive games without a loss, Kevin Gausman’s All-Star caliber dominance, Camilo Doval’s preternatural calm, Brandon Crawford’s mind-boggling leap and career-best performance in a multitude of categories, “Late Night’’ LaMonte Wade Jr.’s game-changing RBIs, soaring home runs from Darin Ruf, Mike Yastrzemski and Brandon Belt, Buster Posey’s mastery behind the plate and clutch offensive performances, the the resilience of players like Steven Duggar and Thairo Estrada who excelled in any role they were asked to play.

With a franchise-record 107 wins, this team literally was second to none. It wasn’t just that they won a lot of games. It was that they won with a grit and selflessness that fueled those late-inning rallies and game-changing pinch-hits. “I just respect the hell out of a team-first mentality. I’ve never seen it like this. This is the best I’ve ever seen,” Gabe said after Game 5 of the NLDS.

Midway through the season, it became clear that something else was also happening: San Francisco was reopening from COVID, and Oracle Park had become the gathering point. Farhan captured it best: “It felt like a rebirth of the team and the city.”

Fans arrived bit by bit at first, then in droves. Hundreds of thousands more streamed or tuned in on television and radio. Our Bay Area community was coming together in a way we hadn’t seen since before the pandemic. The energizing connection among the players in the clubhouse seemed to mirror the connection among the fans I would see on King Street before and after games, and in coffee shops, grocery stores and neighborhood driveways all over San Francisco.

The sharp sting of falling short in Game 5 evaporated quickly for me, as I know it did for many of us. Instead, we felt deep appreciation and gratitude. This remarkable team, and its catalyzing impact on the community, are a direct reflection of the extraordinary work of Gabe, Farhan, Scott and their staffs. Their results turned the art of prognostication on its head:

  • First National League team with a .600 or better winning percentage in every month of the season since the 1942 Brooklyn Dodgers.
  • First team in the Majors to reach 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 wins this season.
  • Best record in the Major Leagues for 125 days in 2021.
  • Single-season franchise record of 241 homers, the most in the National League this season.
  • Major League record of 17 different players with at least five home runs this season.
  • Franchise and Major League record of 18 pinch-hit homers, passing the previous mark of 14 set by the 2001 club.
  • Second-best ERA (3.24) in the Majors and fewest amount of walks of any team in the Majors (416).

We are excited to have such a strong foundation of talented, high-character players on which to build the Giants’ team of 2022 and into the future. Our farm system, ranked among the top 5 in baseball, is thriving: Our High-A team in Eugene and Low-A team in San Jose won their league championships this season.

I thank everyone in the Giants organization -- from our ownership group, front office and event personnel to our players, coaches, training and clubhouse staff -- for keeping our fans and employees safe during these challenging times, and for continuing to innovate and collaborate in service to our team, each other and our community.

And -- on behalf of the entire Giants organization -- a very special thank you to our fans. You have always had our backs, and this season more than ever. You were the engine that fueled our players’ lionhearted drive to a record number of wins, the NL West title and a trip to the postseason.

It ended too soon, but what a ride.

Sincerely,