The San Francisco Giants
are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in San Francisco, California that plays in the National League West Division. Originally known as the New York Gothams, the team moved to San Francisco in 1958.
As one of the longest-established professional baseball teams, the franchise has won the most games of any team in the history of American baseball, and any North American professional sports team. The team was the first major league team based in New York City, most memorably playing at the legendary Polo Grounds.[2] They have won 23 National League pennants and appeared in 19 World Series competitions – both records in the National League. The Giants' 7 World Series Championships rank second in the National League (the St. Louis Cardinals have won 11) and fifth overall (behind the New York Yankees (27), St. Louis Cardinals(11), Oakland Athletics (9), and the Boston Red Sox (8)). The Giants have played in the World Series 19 times but boycotted the event in 1904.
The Giants have the most Hall of Fame players in all of professional baseball.[3] The Giants' rivalry with the Dodgers is one of the longest-standing and biggest rivalries in American baseball.[4][5] The teams began their rivalry as the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, respectively, before moving west for the 1958 season.
The Giants played at the Polo Grounds in Manhattan, New York, until the close of the 1957 season, after which they moved west to California to become the San Francisco Giants. As the New York Giants, they won 14 pennants and 5 World Series championships behind managers such as John McGraw and Bill Terry and players like Christy Mathewson, Carl Hubbell, Mel Ott,Bobby Thomson, and Willie Mays. The Giants have won six pennants and two World Series championships since arriving in San Francisco.[6][7]
