Hooks honor 1958 Giants
"We have a number of exciting activities planned for what I'm sure will be a truly special and memorable weekend," Hooks president J.J. Gottsch said. "It's a privilege to share this piece of baseball history with our fans.
"Like no other sport, baseball draws on its past to shine the light on deserving players and teams. This is an important part of Corpus Christi's baseball legacy."
Here's a quick look at '58 Giants Weekend:
Thursday, July 10, 7:05: The first 2,500 fans receive a 1958 Chevy die-cast car, courtesy of Coastal Bend Chevy Dealers.
Saturday, July 12, 7:05: The first 2,500 fans receive a 1958 Corpus Christi Giants cap, courtesy of IBC Bank. Several members of the '58 team will be in attendance and recognized during pregame festivities.
Sunday, July 13, 6:05: The first 1,500 children 12-and-under receive 1958 Corpus Christi Giants TL championship pennant, courtesy of Dr. Pepper.
Special tributes will run on the Whataburger Field video board during all games.
The Hooks plan to wear '58 Giants throwback uniforms during all four games.
Friday, July 11 is '50s Night at Whataburger Field.
Fifty years ago, the same season their parent club left New York's Polo Grounds for San Francisco, the Giants defeated the Austin Senators in seven games for the TL championship. Corpus Christi advanced to the finals after dispatching the Houston Buffs in a five-game playoff series.
Led by player-manager Ray Murray, the Giants finished third in the TL regular-season standings at 77-75. The playoff format called for the first-place Fort Worth Cats (89-64) to meet fourth-place Austin (77-76), while runner-up Houston (79-74) faced the Giants.
The two lower seeds won their semifinal series and met for all the marbles. Austin finished 12 games behind the Cats, but swept its semifinal series in four.
The seventh game of the 1958 TLCS was played on Wednesday, September 24, at Giants Field. Bo Bossard's three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth gave Corpus Christi a 5-4 triumph before 3,779. Eddie Fisher earned his fifth playoff victory with 8 2/3 innings.
Forty-eight years elapsed before the next Corpus Christi TL pennant, but that number is misleading. The Giants left Corpus Christi for Harlingen after the 1959 season and affiliated, Texas League Baseball didn't return until 2005 with the birth of the Hooks.
To purchase tickets for '58 Giants Weekend at Whataburger Field, go to cchooks.com or call 361-561-HOOK.