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- The History of the San Francisco Giants: From New York to the Bay Area The San
Francisco Giants are one of the oldest and most successful franchises in Major League Baseball. Their history begins in 1883, when John B. Day and Jim Mutrie organized a National League club originally known as the New York Gothams. The club adopted the nickname Giants during the 1885 season.
The franchise has played in two great baseball cities, New York and San Francisco, and has been home to some of the greatest players in baseball history. The Giants have won 23 National League pennants and eight World Series championships, five championships in New York and three since moving to San Francisco.
The Beginning: The New York Gothams
The Giants entered the National League in 1883. John B. Day and Jim Mutrie had already operated the New York Metropolitans, and they helped establish the new National League club.
The Gothams quickly became a powerhouse. By 1885, the team was being called the Giants, and the roster included future Hall of Famers such as Roger Connor, Buck Ewing, Tim Keefe and Mickey Welch. That 1885 club won 85 of 112 games, producing the highest winning percentage in franchise history.
The Giants won their first National League pennants in 1888 and 1889 and also won the early championship series against the American Association champion.
The franchise survived numerous ownership changes, ballpark moves and league challenges before establishing itself as one of baseball’s permanent institutions.
Every Home Ballpark in Giants History
Few franchises have had a more interesting ballpark history. The Giants have played in several different parks in New York and two temporary and permanent homes in San Francisco.Jersey City, New Jersey
Ballpark
Years Used
Location
Polo Grounds I
1883-1888
110th St. & Sixth Ave., Manhattan
Oakdale Park
1889
Jersey City, New Jersey
St. George Grounds
1889
Staten Island, New York
Polo Grounds II
1889-1890
155th St. & Eighth Ave., Manhattan
Polo Grounds III
1891-1911
Coogan’s Hollow, Manhattan
Hilltop Park
1911
165th St. & Fort Washington Ave.
Polo Grounds V
1911-1957
155th/157th St. & Eighth Ave., Manhattan
Seals Stadium
1958-1959
16th & Bryant Streets, San Francisco
Candlestick Park
1960-1999
Candlestick Point, San Francisco
Oracle Park
2000-present
Third & King Streets, San Francisco
The Giants opened their 1889 season at Oakdale Park in Jersey City because they had been evicted from the original Polo Grounds. They played two games there before moving to the St. George Grounds on Staten Island. Later that year they moved back to Manhattan to a new Polo Grounds.
The 1911 season produced another unusual chapter. The Polo Grounds burned, forcing the Giants to temporarily use Hilltop Park, the home of the American League New York Highlanders. The rebuilt Polo Grounds opened in June 1911 and became the Giants’ home through the 1957 season.
Seals Stadium
After moving west in 1958, the Giants played their first two seasons in San Francisco at Seals Stadium. On April 15, 1958, the Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-0 in their first Major League game in San Francisco. Orlando Cepeda hit a home run in the historic season and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Candlestick Park
The Giants moved to Candlestick Park in 1960. The stadium was initially considered a modern improvement over Seals Stadium, but its cold temperatures and notorious winds eventually made it one of the most distinctive—and sometimes hated—ballparks in baseball.
Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Barry Bonds and many other Giants stars played at Candlestick.
Oracle Park
The Giants opened their new downtown San Francisco ballpark in 2000. Originally named Pacific Bell Park, it later became SBC Park, AT&T Park, and finally Oracle Park.
The privately financed stadium helped secure the franchise’s long-term future in San Francisco. It also became famous for McCovey Cove, where home runs hit by left-handed Giants hitters can splash into the water.
Giants Ownership Through the Years
The ownership history of the Giants is almost as complicated as the franchise’s ballpark history. The following list identifies the principal owner or controlling ownership figure for each major period. During the modern era, ownership became an investment partnership rather than a single-person operation.
Years
Principal/Controlling Owner
1883-1893
John B. Day
1893-1895
C.C. Van Cott
1895-1902
Andrew Freedman
1902-1912
John T. Brush
1912-1919
Harry N. Hempstead
1919-1936
Charles A. Stoneham
1936-1976
Horace C. Stoneham
1976-1993
Bob Lurie
1993-2008
Peter Magowan-led ownership group
2008-2011
William H. Neukom-led ownership group
2012-2019
Larry Baer as managing/control executive
2019-present
Greg Johnson as chairman and designated control person
The Giants’ early ownership chronology is documented in the club’s historical media guides.
Horace Stoneham and the Move West
Horace Stoneham inherited the Giants from his father, Charles, in 1936. He eventually became the man responsible for one of the biggest decisions in franchise history.
In 1957, Stoneham announced that the Giants would leave New York for San Francisco. The move occurred at the same time the Brooklyn Dodgers were moving to Los Angeles. The two moves permanently changed the geographic map of Major League Baseball.
Bob Lurie Saves the Giants
Bob Lurie purchased the Giants in 1976 and spent years trying to obtain a new stadium. When those efforts failed, he agreed to sell the team to a group that intended to move it to the Tampa Bay area.
That move nearly happened.
In 1992, a Bay Area investment group led by Peter Magowan stepped forward and purchased the franchise, keeping the Giants in San Francisco.
The Modern Ownership Group
Peter Magowan’s group immediately changed the direction of the franchise. The group signed Barry Bonds and began the effort to build a new downtown stadium.
Today, the Giants are owned by a consortium of investors. Greg Johnson is chairman and the club’s designated control person, while his father, Charles B. Johnson, has been the largest individual shareholder. The Johnson family has been part of the ownership group since the early 1990s.
The Giants in New York
The New York years produced some of the greatest teams in baseball history.
Under legendary manager John McGraw, the Giants won 10 National League pennants and three World Series championships. McGraw managed the Giants from 1902 into 1932 and helped create the foundation for the franchise’s early dynasty.
The Giants won World Series championships in New York in:
1905, 1921, 1922, 1933, 1954.
The 1954 championship team is especially remembered because of Willie Mays’ famous catch in Game 1 of the World Series against Cleveland.
The 1951 Giants produced another unforgettable moment when Bobby Thomson hit the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The Move to San Francisco
The Giants played their final New York game at the Polo Grounds on September 29, 1957.
In 1958, they became San Francisco’s first National League team.
The move preserved the historic Giants franchise rather than creating a new organization. The same franchise that began as the New York Gothams in 1883 became the San Francisco Giants in 1958.
That distinction is important when looking at the franchise’s statistics, records and Hall of Famers. The Giants’ New York and San Francisco histories are one continuous franchise.
Rookie of the Year Winners
The Giants have produced six official National League Rookie of the Year winners. The award is voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Year
Player
Position
Team
1951
Willie Mays
OF
New York Giants
1958
Orlando Cepeda
1B
San Francisco Giants
1959
Willie McCovey
1B
San Francisco Giants
1973
Gary Matthews
OF
San Francisco Giants
1975
John Montefusco
P
San Francisco Giants
2010
Buster Posey
C
San Francisco Giants
Willie Mays became the first Giants player to win the award in 1951.
Cepeda followed in 1958 during the Giants’ first season in San Francisco. Willie McCovey won it the next season.
Buster Posey’s 2010 season was particularly important because he helped lead the Giants to their first World Series championship since moving to San Francisco.
The Giants’ media guide also lists several players who won other organizations’ Rookie of the Year awards, but the six above are the official BBWAA Rookie of the Year winners for the Giants franchise.
Hall of Famers Who Played for the Giants
The Giants have one of the deepest Hall of Fame traditions in baseball.
The list below includes Hall of Famers who played for the New York/San Francisco Giants franchise, including players whose primary Hall of Fame credentials came elsewhere but who spent time with the Giants. It is updated through the 2026 Hall of Fame class, which added Carlos Beltrán and Jeff Kent.
Giants Hall of Famers and Their Hometowns
Hall of Famer
Position/Role
Hometown/Birthplace
Roger Bresnahan
Catcher
Trenton, Ohio
Orlando Cepeda
1B
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Roger Connor
1B
Waterbury, Connecticut
George Davis
SS
Cohoes, New York
Buck Ewing
C
Hoosick Falls, New York
Carl Hubbell
P
Carthage, Missouri
Travis Jackson
SS
Waldo, Arkansas
Tim Keefe
P
Tim Keefe
Tim Keefe
1B
San Francisco, California
Fred Lindstrom
3B
Chicago, Illinois
Juan Marichal
P
Laguna Verde, Dominican Republic
Rube Marquard
P
Cleveland, Ohio
Christy Mathewson
P
Factoryville, Pennsylvania
Willie Mays
CF
Westfield, Alabama
Willie McCovey
1B
Mobile, Alabama
Joe McGinnity
P
Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York
John McGraw
Manager/Player
Truxton, New York
Jim O’Rourke
OF
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Mel Ott
OF
Gretna, Louisiana
Gaylord Perry
P
Williamston, North Carolina
Amos Rusie
P
Mooresville, Indiana
Bill Terry
1B
Atlanta, Georgia
John Montgomery Ward
SS/P
Belle Plaine, Iowa
Mickey Welch
P
Brooklyn, New York
Ross Youngs
OF
Shiner, Texas
Carlos Beltrán
OF
Manatí, Puerto Rico
Jeff Kent
2B
Bellflower, California
Dave Bancroft
SS
Sioux City, Iowa
Jake Beckley
1B
Hannibal, Missouri
Steve Carlton
P
Miami, Florida
Gary Carter
C
Culver City, California
Leo Durocher
Manager
West Springfield, Massachusetts
Frankie Frisch
2B
Bronx, New York
Goose Gossage
P
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Burleigh Grimes
P
Emerald, Wisconsin
Rogers Hornsby
2B
Winters, Texas
Waite Hoyt
P
Brooklyn, New York
Randy Johnson
P
Walnut Creek, California
Willie Keeler
OF
Brooklyn, New York
Tony Lazzeri
2B
San Francisco, California
Ernie Lombardi
C
Oakland, California
Joe Medwick
OF
Carteret, New Jersey
Johnny Mize
1B
Demorest, Georgia
Joe Morgan
2B
Bonham, Texas
OF
Oakland City, Indiana
Ray Schalk
C
Harvel, Illinois
Red Schoendienst
2B
Germantown, Illinois
Warren Spahn
P
Buffalo, New York
Joe Tinker
SS
Muscotah, Kansas
Hoyt Wilhelm
P
Huntersville, North Carolina
The Giants’ Hall of Fame list includes legendary New York players such as Mathewson, McGraw, Ott, Terry, Hubbell and Mays, as well as San Francisco icons such as Cepeda, McCovey, Marichal and Perry. It also includes players such as Randy Johnson, Gary Carter, Steve Carlton and Warren Spahn, who spent comparatively short portions of their careers with the Giants.
Christy Mathewson is particularly important to the franchise’s history. Born in Factoryville, Pennsylvania, he won 373 games during his career and spent virtually all of his great career with the Giants. He was one of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.
Willie McCovey was born in Mobile, Alabama, and became one of the most feared left-handed power hitters of his generation. He won Rookie of the Year in 1959 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1986.
Willie Mays, born in Westfield, Alabama, became the defining superstar of the New York and San Francisco Giants. He won Rookie of the Year in 1951 and remained with the Giants organization through the move to San Francisco.
The Giants’ Most Painful Trades
One of the most interesting parts of Giants history is the number of great players the organization traded away.
George Foster
Perhaps the most painful example was George Foster.
The Giants drafted Foster in 1968. He eventually became a major power hitter for Cincinnati, but the Giants traded him to the Reds on May 29, 1971, for Frank Duffy and Vern Geishert.
Foster went on to become a five-time All-Star, National League MVP and major contributor to Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine. He hit 52 home runs in 1977 and became one of the most feared sluggers in baseball.
Orlando Cepeda
Cepeda was not an unknown prospect when the Giants traded him. He was already a star and had won both Rookie of the Year and, later, would win MVP after leaving San Francisco.
The Giants traded him to St. Louis in 1966 for pitcher Ray Sadecki. Cepeda responded by winning the 1967 National League MVP Award and helping the Cardinals win the World Series.
Gaylord Perry
Perry had already become a major star with San Francisco, but the 1971 trade to Cleveland became one of the most painful transactions in franchise history.
The Giants sent Perry and Frank Duffy to Cleveland for Sam McDowell.
Perry subsequently won the 1972 American League Cy Young Award and continued pitching until 1983. He ultimately won 314 games and entered the Hall of Fame.
Willie Mays
The Giants traded Willie Mays to the New York Mets in 1972. Mays was near the end of his career, but the trade remains one of the most emotional transactions in franchise history.
Mays had spent more than two decades with the Giants organization and had become the face of both the New York and San Francisco clubs.
Willie McCovey
The Giants also traded Willie McCovey to San Diego in 1973. McCovey eventually returned to San Francisco in 1977 and finished his career as one of the most beloved figures in Giants history.
Juan Marichal
Juan Marichal was another Giants legend who was traded away late in his career. He was sent to Boston in 1973 and later played for the Dodgers before retiring.
Other Giants Trade Mistakes
The franchise has produced several other examples of trades that looked reasonable at the time but became painful in hindsight.
Bill Madlock was acquired by San Francisco but later traded to Pittsburgh, where he became an important part of a championship team and won additional batting titles.
Bobby Bonds was traded from the Giants to the Yankees in 1974 for Bobby Murcer. The deal eventually produced one of the most complicated trade trees in Giants history. That trade tree ultimately helped bring players and assets back to San Francisco that contributed to later success, including Kevin Mitchell’s MVP season.
The Giants also traded Matt Williams to Cleveland in 1996 for Jeff Kent and other players. Williams remained productive, but Kent became a major part of the Giants’ late-1990s and early-2000s teams and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2026.
The Barry Bonds Era
When Peter Magowan’s ownership group purchased the Giants in 1993, one of its first major moves was signing Barry Bonds.
Bonds became the greatest home-run hitter in Giants history and one of the most statistically dominant players baseball has ever produced.
He won five MVP Awards with San Francisco and hit his 756th career home run in 2007, passing Hank Aaron for the all-time Major League home-run record at the time.
Bonds also connected the Giants’ past with their future. His father, Bobby Bonds, had been a Giants star, while Willie Mays was Barry’s godfather.
The Giants’ Three San Francisco World Championships
The Giants finally won their first World Series since 1954 in 2010.
2010
The 2010 club was built around pitching, defense and timely hitting. Buster Posey emerged as the team’s rookie catcher, Madison Bumgarner became a postseason star, and the Giants defeated the Texas Rangers in the World Series.
2012
Two years later, the Giants won another championship.
The 2012 team overcame Cincinnati in the Division Series, defeated St. Louis in the NLCS and swept Detroit in the World Series.
Buster Posey won the National League MVP Award.
2014
The Giants won their third San Francisco championship in five seasons in 2014.
The postseason belonged to Madison Bumgarner, who produced one of the greatest postseason pitching performances in baseball history.
San Francisco defeated the Kansas City Royals in a dramatic seven-game World Series.
The Giants Legacy
The Giants are more than a San Francisco baseball team. They are an American baseball institution whose history stretches back to the 19th century.
They began as the New York Gothams in 1883, became the New York Giants, built dynasties around players such as Christy Mathewson, John McGraw, Mel Ott, Carl Hubbell and Willie Mays, and eventually moved across the country to become the San Francisco Giants.
Their history includes:
23 National League pennants
8 World Series championships
5 World Series titles in New York
3 World Series titles in San Francisco
6 official Rookie of the Year winners
A remarkable collection of Hall of Famers
Some of baseball’s most famous ballparks
Willie Mays’ “The Catch”
Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World”
Barry Bonds’ home-run record
Three San Francisco World Series championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014
Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of the Giants franchise is simply its longevity. Few professional sports organizations can trace their history continuously back to the 1880s.
From the Polo Grounds to Oracle Park, from John McGraw to Buster Posey, from Christy Mathewson to modern Giants baseball, the franchise has remained a major part of the history of America’s national pastime.
The Giants did not simply move from New York to San Francisco. They carried more than seven decades of baseball history with them—and then added another six decades of their own.
Artie Fischal
