A Giant Blog

• The 1968 Giants finished in second place for the fourth straight year. It  must have been frustrating for fans during this era to keep getting so close without getting over the hump. The Giants had good pitching but they didn't have enough offense to compete with the St. Louis Cardinals
• Herman Franks had been managing the Giants since 1965. The club finished in second place in each of his seasons at the helm. Franks resigned as manager after the 1968 season. He later managed the Chicago Cubs from 1977-1979.
• Team record: 88-74 (2nd in NL, 9 games behind St. Louis)
• Attendance: 837,220 (7th of 10 teams)
• Team Batting: .239 (6th in NL)
• Team HR: 108 (2nd in NL)
• Team Stolen Bases: 50 (8th in NL)
• Team ERA: 2.71 (3rd in NL)
• Team Fielding: .975 (9th in NL)
• Batting Leader: Willie McCovey (.293)
• Home Run Leader: Willie McCovey (36)
• RBI Leader: Willie  McCovey (105)
• Runs Leader: Willie Mays (84)
• Stolen Base Leader: Bobby Bonds (16)
• Victories Leader: Juan Marichal (26)
• Losses Leader: Ray Sadecki (18)
• ERA Leader (starters): Bobby Bolin (1.99)
• ERA Leader (relievers): Frank Linzy (2.08)
• Saves Leader: Frank Linzy (12)
• League Leaders: Willie McCovey (slugging - .545, Home Runs - 36, RBI - 105); Ron Hunt (hit by pitch - 25); Juan Marichal (wins - 26, complete games - 30, innings - 325.2)
• NL All Stars: Willie  McCovey (starting 1B); Willie Mays (starting CF); Juan Marichal (P)
• Gold Glove Winners: Willie Mays (OF)

• Dick Dietz batted .272 with six HR in 96 games.

• Tom Haller didn't play for the Giants in 1968.
• Haller was traded (with a minor leaguer) to the LA Dodgers before the 1968 season for Ron Hunt and Nate Oliver
• Tom played for the Giants from 1961-1967, then for the Dodgers from 1968-1971. He finished his career with the Detroit Tigers in 1972. Haller was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies after the 1972 season, but he never played with the club and was released in 1974.

• Bob Barton batted .261 in 46 games.

Clyde King (#274) became the Giants' manager in 1969. He managed them to a second place finish in the newly created National League West. King was replaced in May 1970 after starting the season 19-23. He later managed the Atlanta Braves at the end of the 1974 season and the beginning of the 1975 season (a total of 198 games). Clyde also managed the New York Yankees for the last 62 games of the 1982 season.

• Team Record: 90-72 (2nd in NL West, 3 games behind Atlanta)
• Team Attendance: 873,603 (9th of 12 in NL)
• Team Batting: .242 (7th in NL)
• Team Home Runs: 136 (5th in NL)
• Team ERA: 3.26 (4th in NL)
• Team Fielding: .974 (10th in NL)
• NL MVP: Willie McCovey
• NL All Stars: Willie McCovey (starting 1B), Willie Mays (OF), Juan Marichal (P)
• NL Batting Leaders: Willie McCovey (slugging - .656; home runs - 45; RBI - 126) Bobby Bonds (runs - 120; strikeouts - 187) Ron Hunt (hit by pitch - 25)
• NL Pitching Leaders: Juan Marichal (ERA - 2.10; shutouts - 8) Gaylord Perry (innings pitched - 325.1)
• Batting Leader: Willie McCovey (.320)
• Home Run Leader: Willie McCovey (45)
• RBI Leader: Willie McCovey (126)
• Runs Leader: Bobby Bonds (121)
• Stolen Base Leader: Bobby Bonds (45)
• Wins Leader: Juan Marichal (21)
• Losses Leader: Gaylord Perry (14)
• ERA Leader: Juan Marichal (2.10)
• Saves Leader: Frank Linzy (11)

Dick Dietz (#293) batted .230 with 11 HR in 79 games in 1969.
Bob Barton (#41) batted .170 in 118 at bats in 1969.
Jack Hiatt (#204) batted .196 in 69 games.

Others who caught for the Giants but didn't get a 1969 Topps card:

• John Harrell (.500 in 6 at bats)

A cool 2-player card (#572)

Don't forget to enter the Giant Strat-O-Matic contest if you want a game. A computer version and a board game version are still available.