New York Giants (baseball)

Lore & Background

The Giants began as the second baseball club founded by millionaire tobacconist John B. Day and veteran amateur baseball player Jim Mutrie. The Gothams entered the National League in 1883, while their other club, the Metropolitans, played in the rival American Association. Nearly half of the original Gothams players were members of the disbanded Troy Trojans. After the Metropolitans won the 1884 AA championship, Day and Mutrie began moving star players to the NL Gothams. It is said that after one particularly satisfying victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, Mutrie stormed into the dressing room and exclaimed, 'My big fellows! My giants!' From then on (1885), the club was known as the Giants. However, more recent research has suggested that the New York World was already widely using the Giants nickname throughout the 1885 season, before the legendary game was played.

The team won its first National League pennant in 1888, as well as a victory over the St. Louis Browns in an early incarnation of the pre-modern-era World Series. They repeated as champions the next year. The Giants' original home stadium, the Polo Grounds, also dates from this early era. After their eviction from that first incarnation after the 1888 season, they moved further uptown to various fields which they also named the 'Polo Grounds,' playing at the famous Washington Heights location at the foot of Coogan's Bluff until the end of the 1957 season.

In 1902, John McGraw was signed as player-manager, going on to manage the Giants for three decades until 1932. McGraw managed the Giants to nine National League pennants and three World Series championships. Famous moments in the Giants' New York history include the 1922 World Series sweep of the Yankees, Bobby Thomson's 1951 home run known as the 'Shot Heard 'Round the World,' and Willie Mays' defensive feat during the first game of the 1954 World Series known as 'the Catch.'

Reader's Guide

The New York Giants were a foundational franchise in the National League, operating for 75 seasons in New York City before moving to San Francisco after 1957. Their significance lies in their sustained success, winning 17 National League pennants and five World Series championships during their New York tenure. The team was home to numerous Hall of Fame players, including Christy Mathewson, John McGraw, Mel Ott, and Willie Mays. The Giants' move west alongside the Brooklyn Dodgers established a same-state rivalry in California. The team's history includes the origin of the 'Giants' nickname, the long management of John McGraw, and iconic moments such as the 'Shot Heard 'Round the World' and 'the Catch.' The New York Giants of the National Football League were named after the baseball team, leading to the football club's legal incorporation as the New York Football Giants. The Giants had an overall win–loss record of 6,067–4,898–157 (.553) during their 74 years in New York. Nineteen former New York Giants players were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Did You Know?

• The team was originally named the New York Gothams in 1883 and became known as the Giants in 1885.
• The Giants won five World Series championships and 17 National League pennants while in New York.
• The New York Giants of the National Football League were named after the baseball team.
• Nineteen former New York Giants players were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.