San Jose's Historical Season By-The-Numbers
* San Jose has won two league championships in the last three seasons and three titles in the last five years. Since 1998, the Giants have won five championships (1998, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009). During that stretch, San Jose and Inland Empire/San Bernardino (four) have combined for nine titles while Stockton has won twice and Modesto and Lake Elsinore each possess one championship.
* San Jose's 93 victories set a team record for most wins in the regular season. The 1991 club managed by Ron Wotus held the previous record at 92-44. That team (.677) still owns the highest winning percentage in Giants history. This year's club finished at .664.
* The 93 wins were the most in the California League since the 1994 Modesto A's finished 96-40. San Jose's 51-19 mark after the All-Star break set a team record for most wins in a half. It was also the most wins in a half for any team in the California League since 1984 (Redwood Pioneers, 53-17).
* The Giants led the California League in team ERA for the sixth consecutive season (2004-2009). San Jose has qualified for the playoffs in all six of those years. Additionally, the Giants .976 fielding percentage tied a league record set by the 2005 San Jose club.
* San Jose proved to be incredibly tough to beat at home throughout 2009. The Giants set a team record with a 51-19 mark at Municipal Stadium during the regular season. San Jose lost only two series' at home all year and none after May 21. The Giants were a remarkable 36-8 in their last 44 home games dating back to June 5. In the postseason, San Jose was a perfect 4-0 at Municipal Stadium.
* The Giants set a franchise attendance record for the fourth consecutive season in 2009. San Jose finished the regular season with a total attendance figure of 211,054 (3,015 per game) - third in the California League. It marked the first time in Giants history that they surpassed the 200,000 mark. San Jose's combined regular and postseason attendance was 223,107, an average of 3,015 fans per game.
* San Jose won the season-series against all other nine teams this year. Among teams in the North Division, San Jose's best winning percentage came against the Stockton Ports (24-10, .706) while their worst was versus the Bakersfield Blaze (11-8, .579). The Giants were 70-37 (.654) against the North and 23-10 (.697) versus the South. San Jose won 17 out of their last 20 games against South Division opponents during the regular season before sweeping High Desert in the Championship Series.
* Four Giants players received California League All-Star recognition: pitcher Craig Clark, catcher Buster Posey and outfielders Roger Kieschnick and Thomas Neal. Clark (16-2, 2.86) was named California League Pitcher of the Year marking the third time in the last four seasons that a San Jose player won the award (Brian Anderson -2006, Kevin Pucetas - 2008). Kieschnick was named California League Rookie of the Year as he and Neal were both selected to the Midseason and Postseason All-Star teams. Posey was the starting catcher for the California League in the June All-Star game versus the Carolina League before receiving a promotion to Triple-A Fresno in July.
* San Jose's only month with a losing record was May (14-15). San Jose's top two months were June (20-6) and July (22-8). The 22 victories in July tied the team record for most wins in a month.
* The Giants typically finished a series strong with a .714 winning percentage (30-12) in series finales. They were also 12-3 (.800) in rubber games.
* San Jose enjoyed playing under the sun as the club won 14 out of their 18 games in the afternoon.
* How good a year did Craig Clark have ... the Giants posted a 22-3 record in games that he started. Clark didn't suffer a loss after his May 7 start at Bakersfield. He shattered the team record for longest win streak (15) and was only one victory shy of tying the California League mark. His 16 overall wins was one behind the most in San Jose history. Clark was second in the league in wins, second in ERA and fifth in strikeouts. He also enjoyed a span of 25 consecutive scoreless innings in the middle of a stretch of seven consecutive starts that he won.
* San Jose's two longest win streaks were nine games - tied for the fifth-best in team history. The Giants won nine in a row during the first half of July before another nine-game win streak from August 26 through September 5. San Jose remarkably avoided a long losing streak for the entire season. The Giants never lost more than three in a row at any point in 2009.
* How valuable a player was Buster Posey during his stint on the club ... the team was 46-19 in games that he started at catcher. In addition to outstanding offensive numbers (.326, 13 HR, 58 RBI), Posey threw out 49% of runners attempting to steal.
* Fellow power hitters Roger Kieschnick and Thomas Neal can now find their names all over the Giants single-season record book. Kieschnick finished second in team history in RBI's (110) and tied for third in home runs (23). Neal's 41 doubles is third-most and his 22 homers is tied for fifth. Neal also concluded the regular season with a .337 batting average - fourth-highest in club history.
* On the career records list, pitchers Clayton Tanner and Garrett Broshuis are now tied for first in wins (22). Tanner won 10 games last year before posting a 12-6 record this season. Broshuis won four times in 2004, logged 12 victories on the 2005 squad and then was 6-1 with the Giants this year. Craig Clark's 16-2 record gives him the highest career winning percentage (.889) in San Jose Giants history. Additionally, Thomas Neal is now second in career batting average (.337) while Tyler Graham's 75 stolen bases is third-most in the Giants record book.
* David Mixon, Ryan Shaver and Rafael Cova combined on the second no-hitter in team history when the trio accomplished the feat on September 3 at Inland Empire. Mixon, who was making just his second start of the year, worked the first six innings and retired 18 out of the 19 batters that he faced. He struck out 10 and walked one. Shaver (2 BB, 2 SO) then pitched the seventh and eighth innings before Cova (1 BB, 2 SO) worked the bottom of the ninth. Boof Bonser (6 IP) and R.D. Spiehs (3 IP) combined on the only previous San Jose Giants no-hitter on May 5, 2002 at Rancho Cucamonga.
* The Giants lost only two games the entire season when they carried a lead into the eighth inning (82-2). They suffered a defeat only once (87-1) when leading after the eighth inning.
* Brian Bocock continued to produce in the biggest games as the shortstop was San Jose's most clutch postseason performer this year. Bocock led the club with four doubles and nine RBI's to go with a team-high six walks and a .292 batting average. The nine RBI's set a Giants single-season playoff record. He also played errorless baseball from the shortstop position throughout the entire postseason. Bocock, who delivered the biggest hit of the 2007 Championship Series when he blasted a three-run homer in Game Five versus Lake Elsinore, has 12 career playoff RBI's with the Giants - a team record.
* Team Leaders:
Batting Average - Neal (.337), Posey (.326), Ford (.300)
Home Runs - Kieschnick (23), Neal (22), Posey (13)
RBI - Kieschnick (110), Neal (90), Gillaspie (67)
Runs Scored - Neal (102), Kieschnick (86), Ford (81)
Hits - Neal (160), Kieschnick (153), Gillaspie (134)
Stolen Bases - Ford (35), Graham (28), Kieschnick/Noonan (9)
Wins - Clark (16), Barnes/Tanner (12)
Innings - Clark (147), Tanner (139), Odle (117)
Strikeouts - Clark (135), Tanner (121), Barnes (99)
Saves - Cova (8), Edlefsen/Turpen (7)
Appearances - Rodriguez (48), Turpen (46), Mixon (39)
Opponents Batting Average - Runzler (.104), Cova (.128), Edlefsen (.149)
* Odd-number year success ... the Giants won the California League title in all four odd-numbered years this decade in which they qualified for the postseason. San Jose was declared co-champions in 2001 with Lake Elsinore before knocking off the Storm in 2005 and 2007. 2009 marked the first time in team history that the Giants swept the Championship Series.