San Francisco Giants: The All-Time Bracket
No. 3 vs. 6 seed
The 1905 New York Giants were led by Christy Mathewson, whose Hall of Fame career may have peaked that year. Mathewson had a 31-5 record in 37 starts with a 1.28 ERA, and he covered 339 innings. Iron Man Joe McGinnity provided ample support, with a 21-15 record and 2.87 ERA in 38 starts and 320 innings.
Outfielder Mike Donlin led the offense with a .356 batting average while another outfielder, Sam Mertes, drove in 108 runs. In a dead-ball era, the Giants averaged an imposing 5.02 runs scored per game. The Mathewson-led pitching staff gave up just 3.26 runs per game.
The 1937 team was the best Giants club between 1905 and 1954. It was led by the recently retired Bill Terry, whose best offensive weapon was outfielder Mel Ott. Ott hit 31 home runs and drove in 95 runs.
In Carl Hubbell, the Giants had the era’s best pitcher. In 1937, Hubbell completed his streak of 24 consecutive victories, finishing at 22-8 in 32 starts. Cliff Melton was 20-9.
Game 1: The 1905 team had a 105-48 record for a .686 percentage. In 1937, the Giants played .625 ball in winning the National League pennant.
Game 2: The 1937 Giants lost the World Series in five games to the Yankees. The 1905 Giants defeated the American League champion Philadelphia Athletics in their five-game World Series, all of them shutouts. Mathewson won three of them and McGinnity one.
Game 3: The 1905 Giants may have lacked immortals with the bat, but they could hit, as attested by their 111 OPS+. The 1937 team had a 98 OPS+.
Game 4: A sweep for 1905. With Mathewson and McGinnity doing the heavy lifting, their 124 ERA+ is too much for 1937’s 114.