The Giants salivated at the chance to face the Pittsburgh Pirates in the best-of-five 1971 National League Championship Series. They had beaten the Pirates 9-out-of-12-games and seemed likely candidates to win the pennant. The Giants jumped out of the gate full-steam ahead in the series opener, beating the Pirates, 5–4, in front of 40,977 fans at Candlestick Park. Willie McCovey and Tito Fuentes fueled the attack, ripping two-run homers in the fifth inning. However, the Giants would lose the next three games, as the Pirates would advance to the World Series in four games.