TheSan Francisco Giants are an Americanbaseball team. Their 2012 season marked their 130th year inMajor League Baseball, as well as their 55th year in San Francisco since their move from New York following the1957 season, and the 13th atAT&T Park. The Giants finished with a record of 94–68. They finished in first place in theNational League West, and defeated theCincinnati Reds in five games in theNLDS thereby becoming the first National League team (eighth in MLB history) to come back from a 2–0 deficit in a best-of-five series by sweeping three games in the opponent's park. The Giants defeated theSt. Louis Cardinals in seven games after overcoming a 3–1 deficit in theNLCS and advancing to theWorld Series to face theDetroit Tigers. They swept the Tigers in four games to win their second World Series title in three years. The season also saw Giants pitcherMatt Cainthrow a perfect game on June 13, 2012.
April 9, 2012 –Barry Zito pitches a complete-game shutout against theColorado Rockies atCoors Field for his first shutout as a member of the Giants. The game is the Giants' first win of the year after an 0–3 start.
April 13, 2012 –Matt Cain pitches a one-hit shutout in a 5–0 victory over thePittsburgh Pirates. The single hit by opposing pitcherJames McDonald is the only baserunner allowed by Cain in the game.
April 25, 2012 –Pablo Sandoval sets a franchise record with a 19-game hitting streak to start the season. The streak will ultimately reach 20 games.
May 3, 2012 – 3BPablo Sandoval breaks the hamate bone in his left hand and is placed on the disabled list, Sandoval broke his hamate bone in his right hand the year before.
May 7, 2012 – RHPGuillermo Mota tests positive for aPED and is suspended for 100 games.Aubrey Huff returns to the roster to take his place.
May 29, 2012 –Melky Cabrera sets a new San Francisco Giants record with 50 hits in the month of May. He would finish the month with 51 hits, tyingRandy Winn for the Giants' San Francisco record for most hits in any month.
June 5, 2012 –Freddy Sanchez has back surgery, ending his attempts to come back from a season-ending injury in June 2011.
June 10, 2012 –George Kontos is called up from Fresno, completing the bullpen.
June 12, 2012 –Madison Bumgarner hits his first major league home run while striking out 12 batters. The previous Giant to hit a home run and throw 10+ strikeouts in a game before Bumgarner wasMike Krukow, who was announcing the game.
June 13, 2012 –Matt Cainthrows a perfect game with 125 pitches thrown and 14 strikeouts. Cain's 125 pitches is the most pitches thrown in a perfect game and his 14 strikeouts tiesSandy Koufax's record for most strikeouts thrown in a perfect games.
June 28, 2012 – LHPMadison Bumgarner throws the first shutout of his Major League career against theCincinnati Reds. It is the fourth game in four consecutive shutout victories, the first three against the arch-rivalLos Angeles Dodgers.
June 29, 2012 – RHPBrad Penny, previously signed to a minor-league contract, is called up to the major league roster.
July 10, 2012 – OFMelky Cabrera is namedMVP of theAll-Star Game played in Kansas City, going 2 for 3 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI as the National League routs the American League 8–0.Matt Cain, the starting pitcher for the NL, pitches 2 shutout innings to earn the win. 3BPablo Sandoval breaks the game open with a bases-loaded triple in the first inning. CBuster Posey catches 5 shutout innings while drawing a walk and scoring a run.
July 13, 2012 – LHPMadison Bumgarner becomes the leadoff pitcher in the starting rotation, swapping spots withTim Lincecum.
August 15, 2012 – OFMelky Cabrera is suspended for 50 games after testing positive for elevated levels oftestosterone. At the time, he had a major league-leading 159 hits and was second in the NL with a .346 batting average.[1][2]
August 31, 2012 – OFXavier Nady, previously acquired on a minor-league contract, is promoted to the major league roster.
September 15, 2012 – OFÁngel Pagán sets the Giants' San Francisco-era record with his 13th triple of the season at Arizona'sChase Field, breaking a record jointly held byWillie Mays andSteve Finley.
October 2, 2012 – The Giants defeat theLos Angeles Dodgers 4–3 atDodger Stadium, eliminating the Dodgers from postseason contention.
October 11, 2012 – The Giants defeat theCincinnati Reds 6–4 atGreat American Ball Park, winning theNLDS 3 games to 2.Buster Posey caps a six-run fifth inning with a grand slam home run offMat Latos to propel the Giants to a 6–0 lead. The Reds would slowly come back, but with two runners on, the Giants holding a two-run lead, and the potential winning run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning,Sergio Romo retiredJay Bruce on a fly ball following a 12-pitch struggle before striking outScott Rolen to end the series. The Giants become the first National League team of the Wild Card era to come back from a two-game deficit to win a five-game postseason series, and are the first team overall to do so by winning the final three games on the road.
October 22, 2012 – The Giants defeat theSt. Louis Cardinals 9–0 atAT&T Park to win Game 7 of theNLCS and the National League pennant.Matt Cain pitches 5 2/3 shutout innings as the Giants break the game open with a five-run third inning highlighted by a bases-clearing broken bat hit byHunter Pence. In a driving downpour,Sergio Romo getsMatt Holliday to pop out to seriesMVPMarco Scutaro to end the game. Scutaro tied an LCS record with 14 hits in the series. The Giants outscore the Cardinals 20–1 over the last three games to come back from a 3–1 series deficit and tie the1985 Kansas City Royals with six consecutive wins while facing elimination in the same postseason.
October 24, 2012 – In Game 1 of the2012 World Series,Pablo Sandoval ties a World Series record by hitting three home runs in one game, two of them against starting pitcherJustin Verlander, the reigning 2011 winner of the AL Cy Young, the AL PitchingTriple Crown, and theAL MVP. The Giants defeat theDetroit Tigers 8–3.
The Giants swept theDetroit Tigers 4–0 to win the World Series Championship. The sweep marks as the franchise's first-ever in a playoffs or championship while in San Francisco.
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts