The probability of the Giants making it to the playoffs is 23.4% by securing the third spot in the NL Wild Card. As of September 7, 2023, they have a record of 70 wins and 70 losses, which translates to a .500 winning percentage.
The San Francisco Giants are a professional baseball team that competes in the National League’s West Division. Currently, they are 15.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West standings.
The team is commonly referred to by various nicknames, which are inspired by their jersey colors and geographical location.
Some of the popular nicknames among the fans include the Orange and White, Boys From the Bay, Bay Bombers, and the Orange Nations.
Before relocating to San Francisco in 1955, the team was known as the New York Giants. Since the move, they have been playing their home games at Oracle Park, which has a seating capacity of 41,915.
Over their 140-season history, the Giants have been successful, winning a total of eight World Series Championships.
They have also managed to qualify for the postseason 27 times, taking into account their records from both San Francisco and New York.
Are The Giants Out Of The Playoffs 2023?
The Giants currently have only a 22% chance of making the playoffs by securing the third rank in the NL Wild Card.
This is a significant drop, as they had a 67.1% chance until August 30, 2023, according to a Fangraph report. Before entering September, the Giants had secured 70 wins and suffered 64 losses.
Despite this, they have been on a losing streak since the beginning of September. This began with a loss to the San Diego Padres despite having a four-score lead.
Following this, they suffered another loss on September 2, falling behind by 5 scores, and then another shutout by the Padres at Petco Park.
Their three-series game with the Cubs was even more disappointing, resulting in another shutout and a loss of five scores.
Nevertheless, the Giants have one of the strongest rosters in 2023. Starting pitchers Logan Webb and Alex Cobb have led the strikeout records with a combined 300 SO. Hitters Wilmer Flores, J.D. Davis, and Michael Conforto have a combined total of over 50 HR this season.
Additionally, Camilo Doval, one of the star closers, has alone saved 35 games until September 7, 2023. Despite having such powerhouse talents, the team has been unable to utilize its full potential in the last month before the MLB regular season ends.
Before the All-Star break, the Giants had a 10-game winning streak from June 11 to 21, 2023, playing against the Cubs, Cardinals, Dodgers, and Padres.
However, there are still 22 games left to play until October 1, 2023, which means the Giants do have a better chance to qualify for the postseason.
To do so, they need to score four more games than the Diamondbacks or seven more than the Cubs.
The upcoming games include two triple-game series with the Colorado Rockies and Cleveland Guardians from September 8 to 13.
After that, they will play four away matches with the Rockies, followed by a double game with the Diamondbacks and another four-series against the Dodgers from September 14 to 24.
Lastly, the Giants will host the final six games of the season 2023 at Oracle Park. This will start with three matches against the Padres and then another three against the Dodgers.
To successfully clinch the playoff, they must secure a higher winning rate than the other wild card teams.
Last Time The Giants Made The Playoffs
The Giants secured a spot in the playoffs in 2021, thanks to a bye they won in the NL West Division. That season, the Bay Bombers performed exceptionally well, achieving a winning rate of .660.
In 2021, they managed to record 107 wins and only 55 losses, outperforming the Dodgers by 1.5 games. The highest winning streak for the team that year was nine consecutive games, in addition to several six-win streaks.
The Giants have participated in the postseason games 27 times in their 139-year history, which includes their tenure as the New York Giants.
The franchise, established in 1883, had its inaugural entry into the playoffs in 1884, following the introduction of the postseason.
Although the first World Series was held in 1903, there were 19 seasons of postseason games that did not culminate in a World Series event.
The Giants secured their first division title in 1971, after the initiation of division tournaments in Major League Baseball (MLB).
In 2021, key players such as Kevin Gausman, Logan Webb, Brandon Crawford, Joey Bart, Brandon Belt, and Mike Yastrzemski, propelled the Giants to the playoffs.
Gausman, a pitcher, managed to strike out 227 batters in a single season, while Webb followed closely with 158 strikeouts.
Offensively, both Belt and Yastrzemski hit over 25 home runs that season, contributing to their second-place ranking in the division.
Belt, in particular, recorded 29 home runs, 59 RBIs, and 89 hits in 325 at-bats, achieving a batting average of .274 and a slugging percentage of .597.
Last Time The Giants Missed The Playoffs
In 2022, the San Francisco Giants did not make it to the playoffs, as they finished 4th in the Wild Card, trailing the Phillies by six games.
Throughout the 139 years of Major League Baseball history, the Giants have failed to qualify for the playoffs 112 times. They have only participated in the postseason 27 times since the team was formed.
The Giants Magic Number 2023
The San Francisco Giants are currently on their way to secure a spot in the 2023 MLB Playoffs via the Wild Card, with a magic number of 25.
As of September 7, they have played a total of 70 games and have 22 more to go.
The magic number is a crucial figure for teams and fans to monitor their journey during the regular season. It decreases by one with each Giants’ victory or each loss by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Once it reaches zero, the Giants will have successfully made it to the playoffs. Conversely, if the Giants get knocked out, the magic number will increase.
To compute the magic number, one must subtract the total wins of the target team (in this case, the Diamondbacks) from the total games in the season.
Then, subtract the losses of the primary team (the Giants) and add one. This can be encapsulated in the following formula:
Magic Number = Total Season Games – Primary Team Wins – Target Team Losses + 1
At the beginning of the season, every team has a magic number of 163, which diminishes to zero upon securing a playoff position.
While the Giants are in a promising position to make it to the postseason, it is imperative that they maximize their victories in the remaining 22 games.
Additionally, for the Giants to guarantee their playoff spot, the Diamondbacks must lose a minimum of five games.