True dynasties in baseball. There have been very few of them.
The Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel and Joe Torre New York Yankees, the Big Red Machine and the Swinging A’s. All great teams in baseball history that have been regarded as a dynasty. Teams that have consistently dominated their division, league and the World Series for years. There have been so few true dynasties in baseball history that those who are a dynasty, forever deserved to be remembered as a part of baseball lore. Joe Torre’s Yankees of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s are undeniably the last great dynasty in baseball, but it’s worth wondering if we are in the midst of another great dynasty with the San Francisco Giants. Are the Giants a dynasty? And will they be remembered amongst the other great teams of baseball’s past?
Are the San Francisco Giants a Dynasty?
The San Francisco Giants made their first step towards history in 2010 when they won their first World Series title since moving from New York in 1958. Before 2010, the Giants won their last World Series in 1954, during the glory days of Willie Mays. Since moving out west, the Giants made three unsuccessful trips to the World Series. Once in 1962, where they lost to the M&M boys of the Yankees, in 1989 where they lost to the Oakland Athletics, and once more in 2002 when they lost to the Los Angeles of Anaheim. Always a bridesmaid and never a bride.
That is of course until 2010, when the Giants brought home the first World Series title to San Francisco when they defeated the stacked Texas Rangers, four games to one. It was an a amazing win for the Giants after 52 years of despair in the bay. The following year, however, was not so kind to the Giants. In 2011, they finish 8 games behind the first place Los Angeles Dodgers, with a record of 86-76 and carried the unfortunate distinction of having the lowest runs scored of all time. But the biggest disappointment of the year came on May 25th, when the Giants’ NL Rookie of the Year catcher, Buster Posey, was injured during a home plate collision with Scott Cousins of the Florida Marlins, and suffered a left leg and ankle fracture. The loss of their star catcher proved too great of an obstacle for the Giants to overcome, and they finished the year without a playoff berth.
But the Giants quickly rebounded the next year and went on to reclaim the glory from two years past. In 2012, the team had a regular season record of 94-68, which was good enough for a first place finish and sent them into the postseason. After winning their division and moving on to October, the Giants again found themselves in the World Series this time against the Detroit Tigers. The Series was never a contest, as the Giants swept the heavily favorited Tigers and entered 2012 as the reining champs.
Seemingly intent on proving that history repeats itself, the Giants had another poor year after winning the World Series. Fresh off winning their second World Series title in the span of three years, the Giants had a miserable season in which they were never in contention to make the post season and finished in fourth place of their division (of five) with a record of 76-86 (.479).
Following the pathetic season of 2013 the Giants once against found redemption, and with a wild card playoff berth, they again made their way into the postseason, beginning with 8-0 domination over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2014 National League Wild Card match, and eventually making their way to the 2014 World Series against the red hot Kansas City Royals. The 2014 World Series turned out to be one of the most competitive Series in recent memory, with the Giants winning the Series in game seven.
But after winning their third World Series, the Giants again find themselves on the outside looking in. As it stands, the Giants 81-74, 6 games behind the first place Dodgers, and are two games away from elimination. The Giants don’t seemed destined for the postseason this year and will likely have to settle for the NL West Division runner up.
As it stands now, the San Francisco Giants have won three World Series titles in the past six years, with poor seasons in between their championship years. So does that make them a dynasty?
Their postseason dominance unquestionably makes them the team of the 2010’s. But a dynasty…… perhaps not.
The teams that are truly baseball dynasties will always have one thing in common. Consistency. And ultimately this is where the Giants have failed to distinguish themselves as an MLB dynasty. Three World Series wins in six years is incredible, but in the years in which they didn’t make the playoffs, the Giants were not competitive. They are the most on-again-off-again team in baseball. They seem to get hot and cold at random, and it’s hard to predict where they’ll finish. They’ve either been the best team, or one that’s not even close to competing for a title.
So again, I ask, does the Giants performance in the last six years designate them as a baseball dynasty?
At this point, no, it doesn’t. They are the most dominate team of the 2010’s, but for now the San Francisco Giants simply aren’t a dynasty. The key to a dynasty rule over baseball, historically requires one attribute; consistency. Consistency is the key to greatness, and while its post season success the Giants have, its consistency they lack, and at this point they simply shouldn’t be regarded with the title of dynasty.
