1989 San Francisco Giants season
The 1989 San Francisco Giants season was the Giants' 107th season in Major League Baseball, their 32nd season in San Francisco since their move from New York following the 1957 season, and their 30th at Candlestick Park. The Giants finished in first place in the National League West with a record of 92 wins and 70 losses. It was their second division title in three years. The Giants defeated the Chicago Cubs in five games in the National League Championship Series. However, they were swept by their cross-Bay rivals, the Oakland Athletics, in an  earthquake-marred World Series. Game log and schedule. Dave Dravecky. The previous season, a cancerous desmoid tumor was found in Dravecky's pitching arm. He underwent surgery on October 7, 1988, removing half of the deltoid muscle in his pitching arm and freezing the humerus bone in an effort to eliminate all of the cancerous cells. By July 1989, he was pitching in the minors, and on August 10, he made a highly publicized return to the major leagues, pitching 8 innings and defeating Cincinnati 4-3. In his following start five days later against the Expos, Dravecky pitched three  no-hit innings, but in the fifth inning, he felt a tingling sensation in his arm. In the sixth inning he started off shaky, allowing a home run to the lead off batter and then hitting the second batter. Then, on his first pitch to Tim Raines, his humerus bone snapped, ending his career. To see a pitcher break his arm with a loud cracking sound while doing something as ordinary as throwing a pitch, then fall to the ground rolling in agonizing pain, was shocking, unusual, and upsetting, especially for those who had followed his touching story. The pitch  was replayed on television repeatedly over the following days. The Giants won the National League pennant in 1989, and in the post-game celebration, Dravecky's arm was broken a second time. A doctor examining Dravecky's x-rays noticed a mass in his arm. Cancer had returned. Eighteen days later, Dravecky retired from baseball, aged 33, leaving a 64-57 record with 558 strikeouts and a 3.13 ERA in 1,062.2 innings. He won the 1989 Willie Mac Award honoring his spirit and leadership. Player stats. 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" Other batters. "Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in" Pitching. Starting pitchers. "Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts" Other pitchers. "Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts" Relief pitchers. "Note: G  = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts" National League Championship Series. Game 1. October 4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago Game 2. October 5 at Wrigley Field in Chicago Game 3. October 7 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California Game 4. October 8 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California Game 5. October 9 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California The Giants made it to their first World Series since 1962 with a 3-2 win over the Cubs to win the 1989 National League  pennant, four games to one. The final game pitted Mike Bielecki against a well-rested (due to his quick exit from Game 2) Rick Reuschel. Reuschel made amends for his poor start in Game 2 by giving up only one run over eight innings. The one run Reuschel gave up was an unearned run the Cubs scored when Walton reached on an error by Mitchell and then scored on Sandberg's double. The Cubs held the 1-0 lead until the seventh inning when Will Clark tripled and scored on Mitchell's sacrifice fly. With two outs in the eighth , the Cubs appeared ready to perhaps send the series back to Chicago. But Candy Maldonado pinch-hit for Reuschel and walked. Bielcki then proceeded the load the bases by walking both Butler and Thompson. Don Zimmer sent for Mitch Williams to end the jam, but Clark drove a single to center that gave the Giants a 3-1 lead. The Cubs strung together three straight singles with two outs in the ninth to pull within a run, but Bedrosian got Sandberg to ground out to second to end the game and the series. The Giants were in their first World  Series since 1962. Clark's stellar performance earned him Most Valuable Player honors for the Giants. Clark hit .650 with eight RBIs. World series. It was the first World Series in which the losing team never had the lead and never had the tying run at the plate in its final turn at-bat. Game 1. October 14, 1989, at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California. Game 2. October 15, 1989, at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California Game 3. October 17, 1989, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco The game was delayed until October 27, or about ten days, due to  the Loma Prieta earthquake. Game 4. October 28, 1989, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco All-Star Game