2012 SF Giants title run considered one of the best in last 25 years from surprising source

Former backstop and current play-by-play announcer A.J. Pierzynski listed his top-5 World Series teams in the last 25 years. In a bit of a surprise, the 2012 SF Giants were recognized on this list, coming in at No. 4.

2012 SF Giants title run considered one of the best in last 25 years from surprising source

Why is it a surprise? Pierzynski played for 19 seasons, including one year with San Francisco. That tenure was not the most positive memory from a recent Giants player.

In November of 2003, the Giants shipped three players, including Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano, to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for the veteran backstop. Nathan went on to be an elite closer for the next 10 seasons, and Liriano put together a long and successful 14-year career on the mound.

The Giants traded a lot to acquire Pierzynski, but that move turned out to be a heist from Minnesota's standpoint. The left-handed bat won his arbitration case in his lone season with San Francisco, had an incident with head trainer Stan Conte, and led baseball by grounding in 27 double plays.

Pierzynski posted a .729 OPS with 11 home runs and 77 RBI in 510 plate appearances with the Giants in 2004. He was non-tendered by the club after that season and latched on with the Chicago White Sox for the next eight years. The White Sox won a World Series in his first season in Chicago.

Not surprisingly, Pierzynski put that team as the best World Series team in the last 25 years. That White Sox team won 99 games during the regular season and swept the Houston Astros in the World Series.

Pierzynski mentioned the 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers, 2004 Boston Red Sox, and 2000 New York Yankees as the other top World Series teams since 2000.

Of course, that 2012 World Series run will have a special place in the hearts of Giants fans. They improbably won six straight elimination games against the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals. This included a memorable pre-game speech in Cincinnati from Hunter Pence, who was new to the team at the time.

They faced off against the Detroit Tigers in that World Series. The Tigers were viewed as the heavy favorites in the series, as they had a roster led by Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Miguel Cabrera, and Prince Fielder. Despite this, the Giants convincingly swept the Tigers after facing elimination again and again just to reach the World Series.