# 1987 San Francisco Giants season

The 1987 San Francisco Giants season was the Giants' 105th season in Major League Baseball, their 30th season in San Francisco since their move from New York following the 1957 season, and their 28th at Candlestick Park. The Giants finished in first place in the National League West with a record of 90 wins and 72 losses. They lost the NLCS in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. It was their first playoff appearance since 1971.

## Offseason

* October 16, 1986: Brad Gulden was released by the San Francisco Giants.
* October 16, 1986: Chuck Hensley was released by the San Francisco Giants.
* October 21, 1986: Mike Jeffcoat was released by the San Francisco Giants.
* February 4, 1987: Atlee Hammaker was signed as a free agent by the Giants.
* March 31, 1987: Dan Gladden and David Blakely (minors) were traded by the Giants to the Minnesota Twins for Jose Dominguez (minors), Ray Velasquez (minors) and a player to be named later. The Twins completed the deal by sending Bryan Hickerson to the Giants on June 15.

## Regular season

Mike LaCoss pitched a 10-inning complete game shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 16; as of 2021, he remains the last Giants pitcher to throw more than nine innings in a game. On September 9, Nolan Ryan struck out Mike Aldrete for the 4,500th strikeout of his career.

### Opening Day starters

* Bob Brenly
* Chris Brown
* Will Clark
* Chili Davis
* Mike Krukow
* Jeffrey Leonard
* Candy Maldonado
* Robby Thompson
* José Uribe

### Season standings

vteNL West :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| San Francisco Giants | 90 | 72 | .556 | — | 46‍–‍35 | 44‍–‍37 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 84 | 78 | .519 | 6 | 42‍–‍39 | 42‍–‍39 |
| Houston Astros | 76 | 86 | .469 | 14 | 47‍–‍34 | 29‍–‍52 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 73 | 89 | .451 | 17 | 40‍–‍41 | 33‍–‍48 |
| Atlanta Braves | 69 | 92 | .429 | 20½ | 42‍–‍39 | 27‍–‍53 |
| San Diego Padres | 65 | 97 | .401 | 25 | 37‍–‍44 | 28‍–‍53 |

### Record vs. opponents

1987 National League recordvte Sources: :
| Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | HOU | LAD | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL |
| Atlanta | — | 6–5 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 6–12 | 3–9 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 6–12 | 8–10 | 3–9 |
| Chicago | 5–6 | — | 6–6 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 10–8 | 9–9 | 8–10 | 4–14 | 9–3 | 5–7 | 6–12 |
| Cincinnati | 10–8 | 6–6 | — | 13–5 | 10–8 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 12–6 | 7–11 | 4–8 |
| Houston | 10–8 | 4–8 | 5–13 | — | 12–6 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 5–13 | 10–8 | 5–7 |
| Los Angeles | 12–6 | 6–6 | 8–10 | 6–12 | — | 3–9 | 6–6 | 2–10 | 6–6 | 11–7 | 10–8 | 3–9 |
| Montreal | 9–3 | 8–10 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 9–3 | — | 8–10 | 10–8 | 11–7 | 9–3 | 5–7 | 11–7 |
| New York | 5–7 | 9–9 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 10–8 | — | 13–5 | 12–6 | 8–4 | 9–3 | 9–9 |
| Philadelphia | 5-7 | 10–8 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 10–2 | 8–10 | 5–13 | — | 11–7 | 8–4 | 2–10 | 8–10 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–7 | 14–4 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 7–11 | 6–12 | 7–11 | — | 8–4 | 6–6 | 7–11 |
| San Diego | 12–6 | 3–9 | 6–12 | 13–5 | 7–11 | 3–9 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 4–8 | — | 5–13 | 4–8 |
| San Francisco | 10–8 | 7–5 | 11–7 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 7–5 | 3–9 | 10–2 | 6–6 | 13–5 | — | 7–5 |
| St. Louis | 9–3 | 12–6 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 9–3 | 7–11 | 9–9 | 10–8 | 11–7 | 8–4 | 5–7 | — |

### Notable transactions

* April 25, 1987: Colin Ward and Steve Miller (minors) were traded by the Giants to the San Diego Padres for Mark Wasinger and Tim Meagher (minors).
* May 28, 1987: Greg Minton was released by the Giants.
* June 2, 1987: Mike Benjamin was drafted by the Giants in the 3rd round of the 1987 Major League Baseball draft. Player signed June 14, 1987.
* July 5, 1987: Mark Davis, Chris Brown, Keith Comstock, and Mark Grant were traded by the Giants to the San Diego Padres for Dave Dravecky, Craig Lefferts, and Kevin Mitchell.
* July 31, 1987: Mackey Sasser and $50,000 were traded by the Giants to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Don Robinson.
* August 21, 1987: Jeff Robinson and Scott Medvin were traded by the Giants to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Rick Reuschel.
* September 1, 1987: Dave Henderson was acquired by the Giants from the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later.

### Major League debuts

* Batters:
** Kirt Manwaring (Sep 15)
** Jessie Reid (Sep 9)
** Mackey Sasser (Jul 17)
** Matt Williams (Apr 11)
* Pitchers:
** John Burkett (Sep 15)

## Game log and schedule

Legend :
| | Giants win |
| | Giants loss |
| | Postponement |
| Bold | Giants team member |
1987 Game Log (90–72) (Home: 46–35; Road: 44–37) :
April (16–7) (Home: 6–2; Road: 10–5)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveStadiumAttendanceRecordReport
1April 6Padres4–3 (12)Candlestick Park1–0W1
2April 7Padres4–3Candlestick Park2–0W2
3April 8Padres2–1Candlestick Park3–0W3
4April 9@ Dodgers8–1Dodger Stadium4–0W4
5April 10@ Dodgers5–4 (11)Dodger Stadium5–0W5
6April 11@ Dodgers1–5Dodger Stadium5–1L1
7April 12@ Dodgers5–7Dodger Stadium5–2L2
8April 13@ Padres13–6Jack Murphy Stadium6–2W1
9April 14@ Padres3–2Jack Murphy Stadium7–2W2
10April 15@ Padres1–0Jack Murphy Stadium8–2W3
11April 17Braves0–2Candlestick Park8–3L1
12April 18Braves2–1 (10)Candlestick Park9–3W1
13April 19Braves4–3Candlestick Park10–3W2
14April 20Dodgers4–3Candlestick Park11–3W3
15April 21Dodgers8–11 (10)Candlestick Park11–4L1
16April 22Dodgers3–5Candlestick Park11–5L2
17April 24@ Braves7–5Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium12–5W1
18April 25@ Braves3–5Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium12–6L1
19April 26@ Braves6–4Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium13–6W1
20April 27@ Braves7–3Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium14–6W2
21April 28@ Cubs6–2Wrigley Field15–6W3
22April 29@ Cubs4–8Wrigley Field15–7L1
23April 30@ Cubs5–4Wrigley Field16–7W1 :
May (11–15) (Home: 4–9; Road: 7–6)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveStadiumAttendanceRecordReport
24May 1@ Pirates2–4Three Rivers Stadium16–8L1
25May 2@ Pirates0–1Three Rivers Stadium16–9L2
26May 4@ Cardinals10–7Busch Stadium17–9W1
27May 5@ Cardinals10–6Busch Stadium18–9W2
28May 6Cubs4–9Candlestick Park18–10L1
29May 7Cubs11–1Candlestick Park19–10W1
30May 8Pirates4–2Candlestick Park20–10W2
31May 9Pirates9–4Candlestick Park21–10W3
32May 10Pirates1–4 (11)Candlestick Park21–11L1
33May 12Cardinals5–6Candlestick Park21–12L2
34May 13Cardinals6–7Candlestick Park21–13L3
35May 15@ Mets3–8Shea Stadium21–14L4
36May 16@ Mets5–4 (10)Shea Stadium22–14W1
37May 17@ Mets4–6Shea Stadium22–15L1
38May 18@ Expos2–7Olympic Stadium22–16L2
39May 19@ Expos6–2Olympic Stadium23–16W1
40May 20@ Expos9–7Olympic Stadium24–16W2
41May 22@ Phillies2–1Veterans Stadium25–16W3
42May 23@ Phillies8–9Veterans Stadium25–17L1
43May 24@ Phillies6–3Veterans Stadium26–17W1
44May 25Mets7–8Candlestick Park26–18L1
45May 26Mets2–3Candlestick Park26–19L2
46May 27Mets3–4Candlestick Park26–20L3
47May 29Expos4–10Candlestick Park26–21L4
48May 30Expos4–6Candlestick Park26–22L5
49May 31Expos8–0Candlestick Park27–22W1 :
June (11–16) (Home: 6–9; Road: 5–7)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveStadiumAttendanceRecordReport
50June 1Phillies9–2Candlestick Park28–22W2
51June 2Phillies6–7Candlestick Park28–23L1
52June 3Phillies4–1Candlestick Park29–23W1
53June 5@ Astros1–6Astrodome29–24L1
54June 6@ Astros4–3 (12)Astrodome30–24W1
55June 7@ Astros0–3Astrodome30–25L1
56June 8@ Reds6–7Riverfront Stadium30–26L2
57June 9@ Reds10–2Riverfront Stadium31–26W1
58June 10@ Reds9–4Riverfront Stadium32–26W2
59June 11Padres1–0Candlestick Park33–26W3
60June 12Padres0–5Candlestick Park33–27L1
61June 13Padres2–11Candlestick Park33–28L2
62June 14Padres1–4Candlestick Park33–29L3
63June 16@ Braves2–7Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium33–30L4
64June 17@ Braves1–6Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium33–31L5
65June 18@ Padres1–3Jack Murphy Stadium33–32L6
66June 19@ Padres7–6Jack Murphy Stadium34–32W1
67June 20@ Padres4–10Jack Murphy Stadium34–33L1
68June 21@ Padres11–2Jack Murphy Stadium35–33W1
69June 23Reds1–4Candlestick Park35–34L1
70June 24Reds4–5 (10)Candlestick Park35–35L2
71June 25Reds7–6Candlestick Park36–35W1
72June 26Astros6–9Candlestick Park36–36L1
73June 27Astros5–6Candlestick Park36–37L2
74June 28Astros8–4Candlestick Park37–37W1
75June 29Braves0–1Candlestick Park37–38L1
76June 30Braves5–2Candlestick Park38–38W1 :
July (14–13) (Home: 7–5; Road: 7–8)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveStadiumAttendanceRecordReport
77July 1Braves3–8Candlestick Park38–39W2
78July 3@ Cubs3–1Wrigley Field39–39W3
79July 4@ Cubs3–5Wrigley Field39–40L1
80July 5@ Cubs7–5Wrigley Field40–40W1
81July 6@ Pirates7–5Three Rivers Stadium41–40W2
82July 6@ Pirates7–4Three Rivers Stadium42–40W3
83July 7@ Pirates4–6 (12)Three Rivers Stadium42–41L1
84July 8@ Pirates8–4 (14)Three Rivers Stadium43–41W1
85July 9@ Cardinals6–7 (10)Busch Stadium43–42L1
86July 10@ Cardinals5–7 (13)Busch Stadium43–43L2
87July 11@ Cardinals3–1Busch Stadium44–43W1
88July 12@ Cardinals2–3Busch Stadium44–44L1
89July 16Cubs1–4Candlestick Park44–45L1
90July 17Cubs1–5Candlestick Park44–46L2
91July 18Cubs9–2Candlestick Park45–46W1
92July 19Cubs4–3Candlestick Park46–46W2
93July 20Pirates6–7Candlestick Park46–47L1
94July 21Pirates7–0Candlestick Park47–47W1
95July 22Pirates0–4Candlestick Park47–48L1
96July 24Cardinals4–3Candlestick Park48–48W1
97July 25Cardinals5–4Candlestick Park49–48W2
98July 26Cardinals6–3 (10)Candlestick Park50–48W3
99July 26Cardinals5–2Candlestick Park51–48W4
100July 27@ Dodgers5–6 (12)Dodger Stadium51–49L1
101July 28@ Dodgers2–4Dodger Stadium51–50L2
102July 29@ Dodgers16–2Dodger Stadium52–50W1
103July 31@ Reds2–9Riverfront Stadium52–51L1 :
August (18–11) (Home: 11–4; Road: 7–7)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveStadiumAttendanceRecordReport
104August 1@ Reds7–3Riverfront Stadium53–51W1
105August 2@ Reds4–5 (11)Riverfront Stadium53–52L1
106August 3@ Astros3–5 (13)Astrodome53–53L2
107August 4@ Astros4–5Astrodome53–54L3
108August 5@ Astros5–6 (11)Astrodome53–55L4
109August 7Reds3–1Candlestick Park54–55W1
110August 8Reds5–2Candlestick Park55–55W2
111August 9Reds3–2Candlestick Park56–55W3
112August 9Reds5–2Candlestick Park57–55W4
113August 10Astros6–5Candlestick Park58–55W5
114August 11Astros3–7Candlestick Park58–56L1
115August 12Astros8–1Candlestick Park59–56W1
116August 13Astros7–6 (11)Candlestick Park60–56W2
117August 14Dodgers3–4Candlestick Park60–57L1
118August 15Dodgers5–0Candlestick Park61–57W1
119August 16Dodgers1–0 (10)Candlestick Park62–57W2
120August 18@ Mets2–7Shea Stadium62–58L1
121August 19@ Mets10–6 (10)Shea Stadium63–58W1
122August 20@ Mets4–7Shea Stadium63–59L1
123August 21@ Expos6–3Olympic Stadium64–59W1
124August 22@ Expos4–5 (10)Olympic Stadium64–60L1
125August 23@ Expos5–3Olympic Stadium65–60W1
126August 24@ Phillies6–1Veterans Stadium66–60W2
127August 25@ Phillies3–2Veterans Stadium67–60W3
128August 26@ Phillies2–0Veterans Stadium68–60W4
129August 28Mets0–4Candlestick Park68–61L1
130August 29Mets9–1Candlestick Park69–61W1
131August 30Mets3–5Candlestick Park69–62L1
132August 31Expos5–0Candlestick Park70–62W1 :
September (18–8) (Home: 10–4; Road: 8–4)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveStadiumAttendanceRecordReport
133September 1Expos14–4Candlestick Park71–62W2
134September 2Expos3–7Candlestick Park71–63L1
135September 4Phillies3–2 (10)Candlestick Park72–63W1
136September 5Phillies6–3Candlestick Park73–63W2
137September 6Phillies4–1Candlestick Park74–63W3
138September 7@ Astros2–4Astrodome74–64L1
139September 8@ Astros6–4Astrodome75–64W1
140September 9@ Astros2–4Astrodome75–65L1
141September 11@ Reds3–4Riverfront Stadium75–66L2
142September 12@ Reds7–1Riverfront Stadium76–66W1
143September 13@ Reds6–1Riverfront Stadium77–66W2
144September 14Padres4–3Candlestick Park78–66W3
145September 15Padres13–3Candlestick Park79–66W4
146September 16Astros7–1Candlestick Park80–66W5
147September 17Astros4–0Candlestick Park81–66W6
148September 19Reds5–1Candlestick Park82–66W7
149September 20Reds6–10Candlestick Park82–67L1
150September 21Dodgers2–4Candlestick Park82–68L2
151September 22Dodgers3–4Candlestick Park82–69L3
152September 23Dodgers9–8Candlestick Park83–69W1
153September 25@ Braves9–2Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium84–69W2
154September 26@ Braves5–10Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium84–70L1
155September 27@ Braves15–6Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium85–70W1
156September 28@ Padres5–4Jack Murphy Stadium86–70W2
157September 29@ Padres5–3Jack Murphy Stadium87–70W3
158September 30@ Dodgers3–0Dodger Stadium88–70W4 :
October (2–2) (Home: 2–1; Road: 0–1)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveStadiumAttendanceRecordReport
159October 1@ Dodgers0–7Dodger Stadium88–71L1
160October 2Braves4–6Candlestick Park88–72L2
161October 3Braves6–3Candlestick Park89–72W1
162October 4Braves5–4 (10)Candlestick Park90–72W2 :

### Postseason

1987 Postseason Game Log :
National League Championship Series (3–4)
GameDateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveStadiumAttendanceSeriesReport
1 NLCSOctober 6@ Cardinals3–5Mathews (1–0)Reuschel (0–1)Dayley (1)Busch Stadium55,3310–1L1
2 NLCSOctober 7@ Cardinals5–0Dravecky (1–0)Tudor (0–1)Busch Stadium55,3311–1W1
3 NLCSOctober 9Cardinals5–6Forsch (1–0)Robinson (0–1)Worrell (1)Candlestick Park57,9131–2L1
4 NLCSOctober 10Cardinals4–2Krukow (1–0)Cox (0–1)Candlestick Park57,9972–2W1
5 NLCSOctober 11Cardinals6–3Price (1–0)Forsch (1–1)Candlestick Park59,3633–2W2
6 NLCSOctober 13@ Cardinals0–1Tudor (1–1)Dravecky (1–1)Dayley (2)Busch Stadium55,3313–3L1
7 NLCSOctober 14@ Cardinals0–6Cox (1–1)Hammaker (0–1)Busch Stadium55,3313–4L2 :

### Roster
## Player stats

* = Indicates team leader

### Batting
#### Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| C | Bob Brenly | 123 | 375 | 100 | .267 | 18 | 51 |
| 1B | Will Clark | 150 | 529 | 163 | .308 | 35 | 91 |
| 2B | Robby Thompson | 132 | 420 | 110 | .262 | 10 | 44 |
| 3B | Kevin Mitchell | 69 | 268 | 82 | .306 | 15 | 44 |
| SS | José Uribe | 95 | 309 | 90 | .291 | 5 | 30 |
| LF | Jeffrey Leonard | 131 | 503 | 141 | .280 | 19 | 63 |
| CF | Chili Davis | 149 | 500 | 125 | .250 | 24 | 76 |
| RF | Candy Maldonado | 118 | 442 | 129 | .292 | 20 | 85 |

#### Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| Mike Aldrete | 126 | 357 | 116 | .325 | 9 | 51 |
| Chris Speier | 111 | 317 | 79 | .249 | 11 | 39 |
| Bob Melvin | 84 | 246 | 49 | .199 | 11 | 31 |
| Matt Williams | 84 | 245 | 46 | .188 | 8 | 21 |
| Eddie Milner | 101 | 214 | 54 | .252 | 4 | 19 |
| Chris Brown | 38 | 132 | 32 | .242 | 6 | 17 |
| Joel Youngblood | 69 | 91 | 23 | .253 | 3 | 11 |
| Harry Spilman | 83 | 90 | 24 | .267 | 1 | 14 |
| Mark Wasinger | 44 | 80 | 22 | .275 | 1 | 3 |
| Dave Henderson | 15 | 21 | 5 | .238 | 0 | 1 |
| Mike Woodard | 10 | 19 | 4 | .211 | 0 | 1 |
| Randy Kutcher | 14 | 16 | 3 | .188 | 0 | 1 |
| Francisco Meléndez | 12 | 16 | 5 | .313 | 1 | 1 |
| Iván DeJesús | 9 | 10 | 2 | .200 | 0 | 1 |
| Jessie Reid | 6 | 8 | 1 | .125 | 1 | 1 |
| Rob Wilfong | 2 | 8 | 1 | .125 | 1 | 2 |
| Kirt Manwaring | 6 | 7 | 1 | .143 | 0 | 0 |
| Mackey Sasser | 2 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |

### Pitching
#### Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| Atlee Hammaker | 31 | 168.1 | 10 | 10 | 3.58 | 107 |
| Mike Krukow | 30 | 163.0 | 5 | 6 | 4.80 | 104 |
| Dave Dravecky | 18 | 112.1 | 7 | 5 | 3.20 | 78 |
| Rick Reuschel | 9 | 50.0 | 5 | 3 | 4.32 | 27 |
| Roger Mason | 5 | 26.0 | 1 | 1 | 4.50 | 18 |

#### Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| Kelly Downs | 41 | 186.0 | 12 | 9 | 3.63 | 137 |
| Mike LaCoss | 39 | 171.0 | 13 | 10 | 3.68 | 79 |
| Mark Davis | 20 | 70.2 | 4 | 5 | 4.71 | 51 |
| Mark Grant | 16 | 61.0 | 1 | 2 | 3.54 | 32 |

#### Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
| Scott Garrelts | 64 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 3.22 | 127 |
| Jeff Robinson | 63 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 2.79 | 82 |
| Craig Lefferts | 44 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3.23 | 18 |
| Jim Gott | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 63 |
| Don Robinson | 25 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 2.74 | 26 |
| Joe Price | 20 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2.57 | 42 |
| Greg Minton | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3.47 | 9 |
| Keith Comstock | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3.05 | 21 |
| Randy Bockus | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.63 | 9 |
| Jon Perlman | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.97 | 3 |
| John Burkett | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 5 |

## Award winners

* Chris Speier, 2B, Willie Mac Award
All-Star Game

## Farm system

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Phoenix Firebirds | Pacific Coast League | Wendell Kim |
| AA | Shreveport Captains | Texas League | Jack Mull |
| A | Fresno Giants | California League | R. J. Harrison |
| A | Clinton Giants | Midwest League | Bill Evers |
| A-Short Season | Everett Giants | Northwest League | Joe Strain |
| Rookie | Pocatello Giants | Pioneer League | Rafael Landestoy |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Fresno