San Francisco Giants: Top 30 players of all-time
40. . . . Juan Marichal . 6
NY/SF Giants best players all-time: No. 6-Juan Marichal
60.6 WAR
Juan Marichal is one of the first players I think of when someone mentions the Giants.
He is the second-best pitcher in franchise history and it isn’t too close. From the Dominican Republic, Marichal was a very flexible and fun pitcher to watch. Known for his high left leg kick, he made his debut with the Giants in 1960 when he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning vs the Philadelphia Phillies.
It was a sign for what was to come in Marichal’s career, as he would make 10 All-Star Game appearances (nine of them were in a row), the 1968 NL Wins Leader, and the 1969 MLB and NL ERA leader.
He was involved in what some title “the greatest game ever pitched.” He faced the great Warren Spahn in a regular-season game on July 2, 1963 at Candlestick Park. Both pitchers threw 15 scoreless innings until Willie Mays hit a walk-off homer off of Spahn in the 16th inning to win the contest, 1-0.
Future MLB commissioner Bud Selig attended the game as a fan.
Marichal would finally get a no-hitter on June 15, 1963, which was the first no-hitter ever thrown by a Giants pitcher in franchise history.
He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983 when he received more than 83 percent of the vote. Pedro Martinez has said that Juan Marichal was his idol and I’m sure there are many others who would say the same if they had the opportunity to watch him pitch.