» March 6, 1884: High winds in New York destroy much of the fence and blow off part of the Polo Grounds grandstand roof, depositing it a block away.

» February 8, 1889: In NYC, workers are dismantling fences at the Polo Grounds to cut a street through the property, leaving the Giants without a home for the coming season.

» January 4, 1896: A portion of the fence surrounding the Polo Grounds blows down in a fierce storm.

» February 16, 1896: New York City Parks Commissioner McMillan announces a plan to cut a street through the Polo Grounds leading to the Speedway, a new privately constructed horse track. The street is never built.

» December 1, 1898: Club president Andrew Freedman renews the Giants' lease on the Polo Grounds for the next 10 years.

» April 26, 1900: On their way to the Polo Grounds, New York Giants George Davis, Kid Gleason, and Mike Grady spot smoke rising from an apartment building and rush to help with the rescue. Davis climbs a fireman's ladder to rescue a woman who fainted in the heat, and Gleason and Davis help a woman and child down a fire escape. Forty five families are left homeless from the major blaze. Then the trio, with Davis stroking a triple, help the Giants tie Boston 5-5 after nine innings, then rally with a five spot to tie again in the bottom of the 10th.

» September 6, 1900: At the Polo Grounds, the Cardinals jump on Giants starter Ed Doheny, scoring eight runs in the first three innings. Christy Mathewson makes his first appearance in a month, giving up three runs on seven hits in five innings of relief. St. Louis wins, 11-4.

» September 13, 1900: At the Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson makes his first start, pitching a complete game loss to the Colts. Chicago wins, 6-5, scoring four runs in the first, thanks to an error by 1B Jack Doyle.

» September 14, 1900: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants pull off the first triple play of the 20th century. With Chicago's Johnny Kling behind the plate, Jack Doyle, George Davis and Kid Gleason do the deed. It'll be another 10 years before a trifecta is pulled off in the NL.

» April 19, 1901: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants open a day late, losing 7-0 to Boston. Dummy Taylor is hit hard and takes the loss.

» May 21, 1901: Giants fractious owner Andrew Freedman accuses umpire Billy Nash of incompetence and bars him from the Polo Grounds. Pirate Chief Zimmer and the Giants John Warner are forced to officiate. Mathewson then wins his 7th straight, 2-1, but his scoreless streak stops at 39 innings when the Bucs score an unearned run in the 9th.

» May 24, 1901: At the Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson wins his 8th straight, beating Cincinnati's Bill Phillips, 1-0. Matty gives up just three hits.

» June 1, 1901: At the Polo Grounds, the first-place Giants top Boston Somersets' Kid Nichols, 2-1, behind Christy Mathewson's 5-hitter. Matty fans 10 Boston batters, much to the delight of the overflow crowd. He strikes out Gene DeMontreville in the 6th and when the bat sails out of the DeMontreville's hands on the 3rd strike, Matty tosses it to 1B to complete the play.

» July 1, 1901: Colts 1B Jack Doyle, harassed by a Polo Grounds fan, jumps into the stands and hits him once with his left reinjuring his hand, which he had broken several weeks before. The Giants' Dummy Taylor trims Chicago's Jack Taylor, 6-4.

» July 29, 1901: At the Polo Grounds, Boston's Kid Nichols and Christy Mathewson square off for a ten-inning shootout, with Boston prevailing, 5-4. Matty gives up 11 hits in bringing his record to 15-11.

» August 8, 1901: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants and Brooklyn split two, Brooklyn winning the opener, 3-0, before losing the nitecap to Christy Mathewson, 4-1. Brooklyn threatens in the 6th, putting two on with no outs, but Matty K's Cozy Dolan, allows a single, then strikes out Tom Daly and Bill Dahlen to end the threat.

» April 17, 1902: After the playing of "The Star Spangled Banner" before infield practice at the Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson tosses a four-hit shutout over the Phillies. New York wins, 7-0, beating Harry Felix, before a a crowd of 24,000.

» May 30, 1902: In front of a Polo Grounds crowd of 26,000, the Phillies sweep two from the Giants, winning 5-3 and 6-0.

» June 16, 1902: At the Polo Grounds, the Reds rattle Mathewson for 12 hits to beat the Giants, 6-4. Matty strikes out just one.

» August 1, 1902: At the Polo Grounds, the Cards and Giants split a pair, St. Louis topping Joe McGinnity in the opener to win, 4-3, then losing 4-2. Christy Mathewson scatters 11 hits in beating Alex Pearson.

» September 1, 1902: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants follow a successful road trip (7-4) by dropping two games to the Cards. St. Louis wins, 6-4 and then pummels Christy Mathewson for 12 hits in the nitecap to win, 8-2.

» April 17, 1903: At the opener at the Polo Grounds, Brooklyn scores four in the first against Christy Mathewson, but New York counters to take a 5–4 lead. Matty allows another five runs as his teammates contribute six errors. Brooklyn wins, 9–7.

» May 7, 1903: At the Polo Grounds, Giants 1B Dan McGann steals four bases to lead New York to an 8-4 win over the Phillies. Christy Mathewson beats the Phils for the 2nd time in a week, scattering nine hits. Teammate Iron Joe McGinnity, a bench spectator, is tossed in the 8th inning by umpire August Moran for mouthing off too much.

» May 16, 1903: A record 31,500 at the Polo Grounds see the Giants beat Pittsburgh, 7-3, behind Christy Mathewson. Matty allows eight hits in beating William Kennedy, who is bricked for 13 safeties. The first-place New Yorkers will soon fade, and the Pirates, now in 3rd place, will win their 3rd straight pennant.

» May 26, 1903: The first place Giants (22-9) top Chicago, 4-3, at the Polo Grounds, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the 9th. Mathewson is the winner over Jack Taylor.

» May 29, 1903: At the Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson tosses his 2nd shutout of the year, blanking Boston, 3-0, to keep New York in first place. A split with Boston tomorrow will drop them a half game off the pace.

» June 18, 1903: Opening a home stand at the Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson and Chicago's Jake Weimer battle with Matty taking the loss, 1-0. A walk to Jimmy Slagle with the bases loaded in the 6th provides Chicago with the needed margin. It is Matty's first loss in his last 10 decisions.

» June 22, 1903: At the Polo Grounds, a crowd of 19,000 is on hand for the twinbill with Chicago; Iron Joe McGinnity wins the opener, 5-4, in 10 innings, over Jack Taylor. But Chicago takes the nitecap, scoring six runs against Christy Mathewson in the 9th inning to enable Jock Menefee to pick up a win, 10-6. Matty gives up 13 hits and 10 runs in losing his 4th game of the year.

» August 7, 1903: The Giants sweep the Phillies at the Polo Grounds, taking the opener 7-5 behind Christy Mathewson. Matty surrenders five hits, but fans 10. Dummy Taylor wins the nitecap, 6-2, to put the Giants back into 2nd place.

» August 24, 1903: The Cubs split with the Giants at the Polo Grounds, beating Joe McGinnity 7-3 in the opener. Iron Joe is not helped by eight Giant errors, including five by SS Charlie Babb. The nitecap is called after Chicago's at-bats in the 7th with the score 8-1. Christy Mathewson picks up the victory for New York over Jock Menefee.

» April 21, 1904: In the Giants home opener, more than 32,000 fans crowd the Polo Grounds for the match against the Phillies. The visitors fail to cooperate, hammering Christy Mathewson for six hits and seven runs in the 5th inning. Rookie Hooks Wiltse relieves, but Philadelphia coasts to a 12-1 win.

» May 27, 1904: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants Dan McGann steals five bases in a 3-1 victory over Brooklyn, a feat not duplicated in the NL until August 24, 1974, by Davey Lopes. Otis Nixon will steal six for the record. Christy Mathewson (5-5) is victorious over Ned Garvin. The win gives the Giants (21-10) a tie with Chicago for first place, with the Reds in 3rd place by .001.

» May 28, 1904: The Superbas score a run in the 10th against the Giants to take a 3-2 lead at the Polo Grounds, but the Giants answer with a pair for a 4-3 win. After a walk by Billy Gilbert, Jack Warner lines a pitch down the RF line into the stands, 258 feet away for the dramatic win, Joe McGinnity's 12th straight.

» June 4, 1904: At the Polo Grounds, the largest baseball crowd ever (37,223) cheers Iron Joe McGinnity, trying for his 14th straight win, against Cincinnati's Jack Harper. The game ends in a 2-2 deadlock after 11 innings.

» June 10, 1904: In the opener of the battle for first place at the Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson pitches a brilliant one-hitter to beat Chicago, 5-0. The lone hit is Johnny Kling's 4th-inning single. The other action is provided by ump Charlie Zimmer, who ejects Sam Mertes on a strike call. He also thumbs John McGraw, coaching at 3B, to the bench, and sends Dummy Taylor, the 1B coach, to the clubhouse. One wag said later that Taylor was making too much noise.

» June 11, 1904: Before a record-breaking 38,805 at New York's Polo Grounds, Iron Joe McGinnity pitches nine innings of scoreless ball against Chicago. The Colts Bob Wicker goes one better, tossing nine innings without allowing a hit before former Cub Sam Mertes singles with one out in the 10th to break the no hitter. Chicago win it in the 12th, 1-0, when Johnny Evers 2-out single off McGinnity scores Frank Chance. It is Iron Joe's first loss after 14 straight wins. Wicker is flawless, allowing no other hits and striking out 10. Mertes also broke up another no-hitter on May 9th.

» June 13, 1904: At the Polo Grounds, Chicago tops the Giants, 3-2, as Three Finger Brown outduels Christy Mathewson for the win. Frank Chance leads the Chicago offense by hitting for the cycle. The loss drops New York back into 2nd place, one-half game behind Chicago.

» July 4, 1904: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants sweep a doubleheader from the Phils to run their win streak to 18 games. This ties the record of the 1894 Orioles. New York wins the opener, 4–1, behind Dummy Taylor then take the nitecap 11–3 behind Christy Mathewson. Matty leaves after seven innings, leading 11–1. The streak of 18 games matches one rung up by the 1885 White Stockings and the 1894 Baltimore Orioles: the record is 20 games, held by the 1884 Providence Grays.

» August 6, 1904: At the Polo Grounds, 20,488 watch the Giants roll over St. Louis, 8–1. Christy Mathewson, the winner, exits after six innings, and is replace by Red Ames.

» August 11, 1904: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants paint the Reds, 5–2, with Christy Mathewson striking out 11. Bob Ewing is the loser.

» August 16, 1904: The Pirates disappoint 23,000 at the Polo Grounds by sweeping two from the Giants, 7–2 and 4–1. The Bucs jump on Christy Mathewson for five runs in two innings of the opener. It's the first doubleheader loss for New York this year.

» September 5, 1904: In Front of 37,000 fans the Giants sweep the Beaneaters, beating Boston 6-1 and 4-3. Christy Mathewson wins the opener, beating Irv Wilhelm, and is not scored upon until the 9th when Jim Delahanty and Tom Needham triple. Red Ames wins the nitecap. Following the Giant sweep, excited fans hoist John McGraw up to carry him to the Polo Grounds field house. But McGraw gets dropped during the excitement, sustaining a sprained ankle.

» September 15, 1904: Giants rookie Hooks Wiltse wins his 12th straight game, beating Boston, 3-2 at the Polo Grounds. Hooks sets a ML mark for consecutive games won at the start of a career, a record that will be tied by relief hurler Butch Metzger, in 1976. He'll end up at 13-3.

» September 24, 1904: At the Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson wins his 32nd, defeating the Pirates, 3-1. Matty allows just four hits-two each to Ginger Beaumont and Tommy Leach-in beating Joe Robitaille.

» April 14, 1905: Wait Till Next Year: Boston's Kaiser Wilhelm loses to the Giants' Joe McGinnity 10-1 in the opener at the Polo Grounds before an enthusiastic estimate of 40,000. He will finish the year 4-22, one of four Beaneaters who will lose 20 or more this year. The other three are Irv Young, Vic Willis, and Chick Fraser. The only other team ever to have a quartet of 20-game losers will be the Beaneaters again in 1906.

» May 6, 1905: At the Polo Grounds, Boston's Irv "Little Cy" Young wins a duel with Christy Mathewson, beating the Giants, 2-1. New York (13-4) keeps its hold on first place.

» May 19, 1905: Banished yesterday for brawling with Pittsburgh manager Fred Clarke, John McGraw roams the Polo Grounds before today's game with the Pirates, shouting insults at Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss. McGraw accuses him of controlling the NL umpires through league president Harry Pulliam and welching on gambling debts. McGraw is again ejected during the game. Dreyfuss will files a formal protest with the league about McGraw's behavior, his swearing, and his shouting "Hey, Barney" at Dreyfuss from the field. He also contends that the Giants manager offered to wager $10,000 that the Giants would win the game. McGraw responds to Dreyfuss' complaint by stating that NL President Pulliam could not "forget his former role as the secretary to Dreyfuss." A meeting of the Leagues directors results in a $150 fine and 15-day suspension for McGraw, but John Brush immediately gets a Superior Court injunction blocking the suspension and further hearings exonerate McGraw.

» May 27, 1905: At the Polo Grounds, Mathewson stops Brooklyn, 4-1, beating Oscar Jones. Except for a poor throw by Roger Bresnahan, Matty would've had his 3rd shutout.

» June 24, 1905: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants beat Boston, 2–1, in 12 innings, with Christy Mathewson getting the win. With two outs in the 12th, Matty hits a flyball to CF Rip Cannell, who drops the ball. Catcher Frank Bowerman, on 1B, chugs around with the winning run. Irv Young is the unfortunate loser.

» July 21, 1905: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants score six runs in the 2nd inning against St. Louis, with Sam Mertes' grand slam providing the big blow. Christy Mathewson is given the afternoon off after five innings, with New York in command, 10-2. New York wins, 14-2, pinning the loss on Jack Taylor.

» July 24, 1905: Giant LF Sam Mertes makes an unassisted double play to help New York stop the Reds, 4-3, at the Polo Grounds. In the 2nd inning, the Reds have one out and a runner on 3rd, outfielder Cy Seymour, once a wild pitcher for the Giants. Mertes catches a short fly off the bat of George Schlei and continues running to double off Cy.

» September 1, 1905: At the Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson allows three hits, strikes out nine and allows no earned runs as New York whips the Phillies, 4-1.

» September 12, 1905: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants and Brooklyn split a twinbill. Christy Mathewson wins the opener, 3-2, when Bill Dahlen singles home the winner in the 9th. The 2nd game is called after seven innings with Brooklyn leading, 8-5.

» April 20, 1906: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants win their home opener, 8-2 over the Brooklyn Superbas. Red Ames is the winner for the defending world champions.

» June 1, 1906: Women appear at the Polo Grounds ticket windows for the first time. Coincidentally, new ticket-selling machines are also introduced.

» June 17, 1906: At the Polo Grounds, Mathewson appears in old form, yielding eight hits in beating the Cardinals, 2-1. Jack Taylor takes the loss when 2B Pug Bennett bobbles Roger Bresnahan's grounder in the 8th and a run scores.

» June 21, 1906: At the Polo Grounds, umpire Bob Emslie tosses John McGraw in the 4th inning, but his fellow ump Hank O'Day goes one better, banishing Joe McGinnity and first sacker Dan McGann in the 5th. Down 4-2, Christy Mathewson relieves for the Giants and shuts out the Pirates over the last four innings. The Giants load the bases in the 9th and Chappie McFarland relieves a tired Sam Leever. A single scores one and with two outs, Doc Marshall singles to score the winning run. Mathewson wins, 5-4.

» June 23, 1906: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants whip the Phils 5-0 in a match that takes one hour: 20 minutes. Christy Mathewson allows six hits in outpitching Lew Richie.

» June 30, 1906: At the Polo Grounds, the Beaneaters score four runs in seven innings off Christy Mathewson to beat the Giants 4-3.

» July 5, 1906: At the Polo Grounds, Boston's Big Jeff Pfeffer and Christy Mathewson match zeros for eight innings before the Giants finally score in the 9th on a single by Sammy Strang. Matty allows six hits in the 1-0 win.

» July 30, 1906: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants jump on Cincy's Bob Wicker, lighting him up for 17 hits to win 9-1. Christy Mathewson and Cy Seymour each have three hits, with Matty exiting the game after six innings. The umps call the game after eight innings on account of darkness.

» August 7, 1906: On John McGraw's orders, umpire James Johnstone is refused admittance to the Polo Grounds, and the ump, standing outside the Polo Grounds, forfeits the match to the Cubs. McGraw insists the game go on with a player from each team umpiring. McGraw picks reserve Sam Strang, but Cubs manager Frank Chance refuses to go along, pointing out the game has already been forfeited.

» September 3, 1906: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants flatten the Beaneaters twice, 4-0 and 3-2. Christy Mathewson wins his 17th in the opener, beating a wild Big Jeff Pfeffer. Cy Seymour completes the scoring with a solo homer in the 8th inning. Hooks Wiltse, in relief of Red Ames, wins the nitecap.

» October 3, 1906: The smallest crowd in Polo Grounds history-300-watches the Phils beat the Giants 3-1. The Giants will attract about 400,000 over the season and be outdrawn by the Highlanders by about 20,000.

» October 4, 1906: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants light up Tully Sparks for six runs in the first inning, and Christy Mathewson coasts to a 7-6 win over the Phils. Matty ends the season at 22-12.

» May 3, 1907: At the Polo Grounds, Brooklyn's Elmer Stricklett allows just three Giant hits but Christy Mathewson goes one better, and the Giants win, 1-0.

» May 17, 1907: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants sweep two from the Cards by the scores of 2-1 and 4-0. Christy Mathewson wins the opener, allowing just three hits in 12 innings, while striking out 11. Matty's single in the bottom of the 12th off Fred Beebe provides the winning score. Joe McGinnity's shutout in the nitecap is New York's 16th victory in a row.

» May 21, 1907: Three Finger Brown and Christy Mathewson hook up in a pitching duel, with the Chicago ace emerging the winner, 3-2. Matty's batterymate Roger Bresnahan makes two errors to cause Mathewson to lose his 1st of the year. Mobbed at the Polo Grounds after the loss, umpires Hank O'Day and Bob Emslie require police protection. The crowd is egged on by John McGraw, who will be thrown out of games seven times this year. The next day AL ump Billy Evans needs a police escort after argumentative Hugh Jennings incites a riot. Jennings will be suspended.

» May 24, 1907: At the Polo Grounds, Boston pitcher Pat Flaherty clubs the first grand slam by an NL pitcher when he connects in the 2nd inning off Hooks Wiltse of the Giants.

» May 30, 1907: In an a.m.-p.m. doubleheader, The Phils edge the Giants in the morning contest as Lew Moren bests Hooks Wiltse, 5-2. The afternoon match attracts 25,000 to the Polo Grounds. Christy Mathewson scatters eight hits to beat the Phillies, 6-1.

» July 19, 1907: At the Polo Grounds, the visiting Cubs beat up on the Giants, winning 12-3.

» August 15, 1907: At the Polo Grounds, Hooks Wiltse edges the Reds for a 4-3 Giants win. Christy Mathewson preserves the win with a scoreless 9th.

» August 17, 1907: A matchup of Three Finger Brown and Christy Mathewson attracts a crowd of 20,000 at the Polo Grounds. Matty is unhittable for eight innings, with only a bunt single for the Cubs. But Chicago scores two in the 9th to tie as reliever Jack Pfiester matches Matty for the last three innings. Johnny Kling wins it, 3-2, for the Cubs in the 12th with a drive into the LF bleachers.

» June 6, 1908: At the Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson beats the Cardinals, 3-2, for his 20th straight win over St. Louis stretching back to June 16, 1904. Art Fromme takes the loss. Matty allows four hits and strikes out 8, including Joe Delahanty three times. He also walks two in a row, an unusual occurrence.

» June 23, 1908: The Braves and Giants split a doubleheader a the Polo Grounds, with the Giant taking the opener 6-3 and the Braves winning the nitecap, 9-7. Christy Mathewson preserves Joe McGinnity's win in game 1, pitching a perfect 9th inning; in the nitecap, he relieves Dummy Taylor in the 9th with the score 7-7, but the Braves score twice for the win. Fred Merkle cracks his 1st ML homer, against Patsy Flaherty, in the nitecap.

» July 24, 1908: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants edge the visiting Pirates, 2–1, behind Hooks Wiltse. Larry Doyle leads the offense with a single, double and RBI triple.

» August 10, 1908: Twenty thousand fans, the largest ever to watch a Monday game, crowd the Polo Grounds to see the matchup of Christy Mathewson and the Cubs Orval Overall. Matty doesn't disappoint, winning 3-2.

» September 25, 1908: At the Polo Grounds, Rube Marquard makes his ML debut and the Reds rough up the Giants $18,000 rookie for seven hits and five runs in five innings.

» September 29, 1908: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants split with the Phils, winning 6-2 and losing 7-0. Mathewson wins the opener, despite giving up nine hits. Philadelphia then operates on Doc Crandall for a 2nd game win.

» October 4, 1908: The Cubs and Pirates play their last game of the year before 30,247, the largest crowd ever at Chicago's West Side Grounds. The Cubs win, 5–2, behind Three Finger Brown to eliminate the Pirates. Chicago ends the year at 98-55 while the Pirates finish at 98-56. Then they await the results of the three Giants games with Boston. Back in Pittsburgh, 50,000 people watch the progress of the Cub's game on temporary scoreboards. Fans fill New York's Polo Grounds to watch the action in the same way. Men with megaphones announce each pitch.

» October 8, 1908: According to published reports, nearly 250,000 fans show up at the Polo Grounds to watch the disputed replay of the September 23 game between the Cubs and Giants. The gates were closed at 1:30 for the 3:00 game, but still fans tried to storm the gates. Fireman with high pressure hoses knocked down fans who tried to scale the walls. Nearly 40,000 fans watched from Coogan's Bluff, telephone poles and other vantage points. Two fans are killed when they fall from a pillar on the elevated subway platform. Later admitting he had nothing on the ball, Christy Mathewson loses, 4–2, to the Cubs, giving way to Hooks Wiltse in the 8th.: Three Finger Brown, relieving Jack Pfiester in the first, gets the win. The Giants played to a record 910,000 in attendance for the year, a figure that will be unmatched until 1920.

» May 28, 1909: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants and Phils split two. The Phils win the opener, 11-1, then lose to Christy Mathewson 3-0 in a rain-shortened six inning affair.

» June 23, 1909: At the Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson wins a doubleheader against Boston. Matty relieves Rube Marquard in the opener with the score tied 4-4 in the 9th. After shutting down Boston, the Giants score a run for the 5-4 win. Matty then coasts in the nitecap to an 11-1 win. Mathewson leaves after two innings with a 4-1 lead, and Doc Crandall operates the rest of the way. The official scorer awards the game to Christy.

» September 6, 1909: In the holiday doubleheader at the Polo Grounds, the Boston Doves take the opener, 2-0 and New York wins the nitecap, 5-4. Christy Mathewson wins his own game for the Giants with a 10th inning triple to score Admiral Schlei.

» April 20, 1910: At the Polo Grounds, Hooks Wiltse tosses a 3-hit shutout over the Doves in the Giants' home opener. New York tops Boston, 4–0.

» June 6, 1910: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants cut the Cards, 6–1, as Christy Mathewson is victorious over Harry Sallee.

» June 29, 1910: At the Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson relieves in the 9th with the Giants ahead of the Phils, 2–0. The Quakers rattle Matty for four hits and two runs to tie, but in the bottom of the 10th, Mathewson lines a single to score Fred Merkle with the game winner.

» August 2, 1910: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants score four runs in the 1st off Orval Overall, but Overall tightens his belt and allows no more scoring. The Cubs come back with five runs off Christy Mathewson to win, 5–4.

» September 7, 1910: At the Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson allows seven hits in beating the Boston doves, 2–0. Sam Frock is hung with the loss.

» September 30, 1910: In a shootout at the Polo Grounds, Beals Becker hits a pinch grand slam inside-the-park as the Giants outslug Brooklyn, 17–8. It is the 2nd pinch slam IPHR in ML history; Mike O'Neill hit the first.

» October 13, 1910: At the Polo Grounds, 25,000 fans show up for the start of the City Series between the Giants and Highlanders, and to watch Christy Mathewson and rookie phenom Russ Ford square off. The score is 1–1 when Mathewson and Devore single in the bottom of the 8th. An error loads the bases and Ford plunks Al Bridwell to score the winning run. The Giants score three more for a 5–1 win, with Matty striking out 14 Highlanders. The American Leaguers will win tomorrow when Jack Warhop tops Hooks Wiltse, but the Giants take the game on the 15th when Matty preserves the 5–1 win for Drucke. Matty will win game four by another 5–1 score.

» April 12, 1911: At the Polo Grounds, the Phillies' Earl Moore shuts out the Giants, 2–0, in the season opener. Red Ames is the loser as Christy Mathewson is being held out for Saturday's game.

» April 13, 1911: Phillies P Jack Rowan allows just three hits while his teammates pepper Christy Mathewson for 14 hits in 18 innings. The Quakers beat the Giants, 6–1. Hours later, the Polo Grounds grandstand and LF bleachers ignite in a mysterious fire, lighting up the night sky with flames. President Frank Farrell of the Highlanders invites the Giants to use the AL grounds, Hilltop Park; the offer is accepted, paving the way for the Giants' invitation for the AL team to use the Polo Grounds when the Hilltop Park lease expires after the 1912 season. A $500,000 steel-and-concrete structure will replace the wooden stands of the Polo Grounds.

» June 28, 1911: Just two and a half months after a fire destroyed the old Polo Grounds, the new grounds open for business. The old bleachers, seating 10,000, were untouched, but the new double-decker seats another 16,000. Only 6,000 fans show up for the inauguration as Christy Mathewson shuts out the Rustlers, 3–0, on nine hits. On the front end of a double steal, Mathewson swipes home in the 4th inning. While guests at the Highlanders' Hilltop Park, the Giants won 21 of 29 games.

» July 8, 1911: New York's Rube Marquard hits his only career home run, off Chicago's Harry McIntire, to help himself to a 5–2 win at the newly refurbished Polo Grounds.

» July 10, 1911: At the Polo Grounds, Chicago scores unearned runs in three innings to beat Christy Mathewson, 3–2, in 10 innings.

» August 16, 1911: At the Polo Grounds, it take Christy Mathewson just 92 pitches to top the Reds, 6–1. Big Six allows just two Cincy hits in beating George Suggs. It is Matty's 22nd straight win over the Ohioans.

» August 19, 1911: Thirty-five thousand gather at the not-yet-completed Polo Grounds to watch the Reds finally get to Christy Mathewson after 22 straight losses, beating him for the first time since May 1908. Matty, after saving the 5–4 opener for Hooks Wiltse with two scoreless frames, starts the nightcap, goes five innings, and loses 7–4. Mike Mitchell leads the Reds in the nitecap by hitting for the cycle off Matty, and adding a double. A crowd of 35,000 view the loss.

» August 26, 1911: Pittsburgh, playing without Honus Wagner, is no match for Christy Mathewson, as the Giants win, 6–2. Tommy Leach, filling in for Wagner at SS, makes three errors behind Howie Camnitz. The Giants announce that for the first 11 playing days at the new Polo Grounds, the average attendance was 23,864.

» October 7, 1911: With just 1,000 fans on hand at the Polo Grounds, New York Giants' mascot Victory Faust hurls an inning against Boston, allowing a hit and a run. Faust also hits, circling the bases for a score as the Rustlers deliberately throw wildly. Faust will reprise his act on October 12th against Brooklyn: he allows a hit in his one inning; is hit by a pitch and then steals 2B and 3B, and scores on a grounder.

» October 14, 1911: The Athletics go into the World Series minus their star rookie 1B Stuffy McInnis. The veteran Harry Davis replaces him and drives in the first run as Chief Bender tries again to outpitch Christy Mathewson. The Giants are dressed in the same black uniforms they wore in their 1905 conquest of the Mackmen, and this Series starts as their last meeting ended: Mathewson wins it 2–1. The largest crowd ever to watch a ball game—38,281—is at the Polo Grounds. Gate receipts are $77,379.

» October 25, 1911: Before 33,228 at the Polo Grounds, the Giants put three hits together off Coombs in the last of the 9th for two runs and a 3–3 tie. The A's Eddie Plank comes on in the 10th and gives up the winning run in the 4–3 contest. Relief specialist Doc Crandall gets the win after working two scoreless innings.

» April 17, 1912: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants and Yankees play an charity game to raise money for the survivors of the Titanic, which sunk on April 14. The Giants belt the Yankees, now clad in their new pinstriped uniforms, to win 11–2.

» August 3, 1912: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants score runs on two solo homers by Fred Merkle and one by Beals Becker, off Art Fromme, to beat the Reds, 3–2. In a typical game, Christy Mathewson scatters 10 hits and walks none for the win. Armando Marsans is 4-for-4 for the Reds.

» September 2, 1912: In a rainy doubleheader at the Polo Grounds, Red Sox ace Joe Wood tops the Yankees in the nitecap, 1–0, for his 30th win and his 13th straight victory. It is Wood's 8th shutout and 2nd in a row. Boston takes the opening squeeker, 2–1 to finish the year in New York with 10 wins in 10 tries. With three wins last year, and five wins in their first five road games with New York in 1913, Boston ties the major-league record for most consecutive wins on the road against one team (18).

» September 9, 1912: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants sweep two from Brooklyn, 2–1 and 7–2. Jumbo Jeff Tesreau takes the opener and Christy Mathewson the nitecap.

» October 5, 1912: The Highlanders also play their last game at their field, Hilltop Park, beating the Senators, 8–6, on the strength of Hal Chase's 3-run home run. Next year the team will play at the Polo Grounds. Homer Thompson, in his only game in the majors, is behind the plate for New York; pitching is his brother Tommy, the first brother battery in AL history.

» January 22, 1913: The Giants give the Yankees permission to use the Polo Grounds for the 1913 season only, as the lease on the Hilltop grounds has expired. The Yankees will remain as tenants through 1922.

» April 17, 1913: Before 25,000 at the Polo Grounds, Washington mars the debut of new manager Frank Chance, but routing his Yankees, 9–3. The Yanks are renting the Polo Grounds on a temporary basis.

» May 28, 1913: At the Polo Grounds, Grover Cleveland Alexander goes the first eight innings against the Giants, and exits with the score 66. Tom Seaton relieves, but the Giants finally score in the 14th to win, 7–6.

» May 31, 1913: Before 35,000, the Giants finish a series with the NL-leading Phils by taking all four games. Christy Mathewson wins today, 3–2 over Eppa Rixey, allowing six hits and no walks. The four games draw 100,000 to the Polo Grounds.

» June 23, 1913: Before 25,000 at the Polo Grounds, the Giants split with Brooklyn, losing the opener in 10 innings, 4–2, and winning the 2nd, 5–1. Christy Mathewson walks none in beating Cliff Curtis in the 2nd.

» July 18, 1913: At the Polo Grounds, the Cards win the opener of two, 4–3, with help from the error-prone Giants. In blanking the Cards 5–0, in the nitecap, Christy Mathewson finally yields a base on balls, ending a record string of 68 walkless innings pitched. Ed Konetchy draws the pass in the 8th. Matty's record won't be topped until Bill Fischer, in 1962.

» August 14, 1913: At the Polo Grounds, the Pirates broadside Christy Mathewson for eight hits and eight runs in just three innings. Honus Wagner goes 4-for-5 on the afternoon with two hits off Matty: one a single and the other a 3-run homer. The only time the Giants get Hans out is when a pitch hits his bat as he tries to get out of way and the ball rolls fair. The Giants make a game of it, but lose 8–6.

» October 9, 1913: In game 3, the A's have no trouble solving Jeff Tesreau. Rookie P Bullet Joe Bush throws a 5-hit 8–2 win before 36,896 at the Polo Grounds, the largest crowd of the Series. Again, the Giants use Wiltse at 1B when Snodgrass pulls up lame.

» April 14, 1914: Before 22,000 at the Polo Grounds, the Yankees rock the World Champion Athletics, 8–2, driving Joe Bush from the mound after two innings. With only one starter, Roy Hartzell, back from last year's opening lineup, New York scores four in the first and would have scored another in the 2nd inning but Jeff Sweeney falls rounding 3B. When the burly catcher is helped to his feet by coach and manager Frank Chance, he is declared out by Billy Evans: a new rule prohibits coaches from helping runners. Sweeney redeems himself when he and pitcher Marty McHale pull off a double steal. New York has seven steals, including two by Sweeney and Fritz Maisel, who steals 2B and 3B in the 4th inning. Maisel will swipe 74 bases on the year, while Sweeney will pick up 19, tops for Yankee catchers.

» May 4, 1914: At the Polo Grounds, the Dodgers hit for the cycle against Christy Mathewson in the 4th inning to take a 3–0 lead. Casey Stengel's double caps the scoring. But New York is gifted with two runs on an errant throw by catcher Lew McCarty in the 4th, and they go on to win, 4–3.

» June 29, 1914: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants and Dodgers battle to a split. Brooklyn lurches to an 8–7 win in the opener. In game 2, Giants starter Jeff Tesreau is tossed in the 3rd inning for disputing a call, and Christy Mathewson rushes in to relieve with the score 1–1. New York scores four in the 3rd off Frank Allen and goes on to win, 8–6.

» July 4, 1914: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants sweep an A.M.-P.M. twinbill from the Phils, winning 5–4 and 3–0. Christy Mathewson, in winning the shutout, records his 350th victory.

» August 15, 1914: At the Polo Grounds, 32,000 watch as Lefty Tyler and Christy Mathewson throw goose eggs for nine innings. In the 10th, Red Smith singles and Hank Gowdy triples him home. Matty then wild pitches home Gowdy for 2–0 lead. New York loads the bases in the 10th with no outs, but Tyler slams the door with no Giants scoring. The Braves trail by three 1/2.

» September 11, 1914: At the Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson stops Brooklyn seven hits and the Giants schmeer Charlie Schmutz, 3–0.

» September 22, 1914: At the Polo Grounds, the Cubs score five runs in the 1st inning against Christy Mathewson. It is all Larry Cheney needs, as he tosses a 3-hitter to win, 5–0. The Giants now trail the Braves by five games.

» May 6, 1915: Red Sox P Babe Ruth clouts his first ML home run, off the Yankees Jack Warhop in the 3rd inning at New York's Polo Grounds. Ruth has two other hits but loses the game in the 13th, 4–3, as the Sox makes four errors behind him. Cy Pieh is the winner.

» May 12, 1915: At the Polo Grounds, veteran Christy Mathewson wins his 1st, topping the Reds, 6–5. Gene Dale is the loser.

» May 27, 1915: At the Polo Grounds, the Cards jump on Christy Mathewson for four runs in the first inning. Matty stays to the 7th and the Giants tie the game at five runs apiece. The Cards push across the winning run in the 10th off Ralph Stroud.

» June 2, 1915: At the Polo Grounds, Babe Ruth and the traveling Red Sox stop the Yankees, 7–1. Today's game is the last stop on a 29-day road trip for the Sox. Ruth allows five hits and bangs his 2nd ML homer, a 3-run shot, again connecting off Jack Warhop. After his 2nd inning drive, the Babe is given two intentional walks. Ruth ends up kicking the bench and breaking his toe, sidelining him for two weeks.

» July 5, 1915: At the Polo Grounds, Phils ace Grover Cleveland Alexander fires a one-hitter to win, 2–0. The only baserunner for the Giants is Fred Merkle, who doubles off Pete in the second inning.

» July 12, 1915: At the Polo Grounds, Cincinnati's Gene Dale pitches an 8-hit shutout to beat the Giants, 6–0. Christy Mathewson takes the loss.

» July 23, 1915: In the first of two at the Polo Grounds, Pittsburgh's Doc Johnston clouts a 3-run homer in the 3rd, off Christy Mathewson, to lead the Pirates to a 6–1 win. The Bucs take the nitecap as well, 4–3.

» August 23, 1915: At the Polo Grounds, the Cardinals sweep two from the Giants, winning 5–4 and 4–3. New York is in 7th place, eight 1/2 games in back of the leading Phillies.

» April 12, 1916: Before 20,000 at the Polo Grounds, the Yankees and Nationals battle 11 innings before the Nats push across an unearned run against starter Ray Caldwell to win 3–2. Walter Johnson strikes out 10 and walks none in the win. Frank Baker, after sitting out last season in a salary protest, has two of the five hits for New York, while Clyde Milan homers for the Nats.

» April 25, 1916: At the Polo Grounds, Boston's Babe Ruth goes 10 innings to defeat the Yankees, 4–3. The Babe gives up two earned runs on eight hits, but is hitless at the plate.

» June 2, 1916: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants lose to the Reds in 13 innings, 6–4. The Reds knock out starter Christy Mathewson with four runs in the first three innings, then score two in the 13th off Bill Perritt for the win. The last score in the 13th on Hal Chase's steal of home.

» June 21, 1916: At a soggy Polo Grounds, the Braves edge the Giants, 5–4, in 10 innings. Christy Mathewson, in relief of Bill Perritt in the 9th, takes the loss.

» June 26, 1916: The Dodgers split with the Giants, losing 11–8 before winning the nitecap, 2–1. New York takes a 6–0 lead in the opener, but the Dodgers score five in the 5th off starter Bill Perritt, then put two on against reliever Rube Schauer. Christy Mathewson then takes over and George Cutshaw cranks a 3-run homer to give the Dodgers an 8–6 lead. Matty allows just one other hit and New York comes back against Duster Mails to win. It is Mathewson's last major league victory. During the game, police at the Polo Grounds and arrest three fans for not throwing back baseballs hit into the stands.

» August 26, 1916: The Reds, led by Christy Mathewson, top the Giants at the Polo Grounds, 4–2, beating up on the newly re-acquired Slim Sallee.

» September 7, 1916: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants Ferdie Schupp beats Brooklyn's Nap Rucker, 4–1, to launch New York's record 26–game winning streak.

» April 11, 1917: In pregame drills before the Yankees Opening Day at the Polo Grounds, the Yankees impress General Leonard Wood by marching in drills. The Sox, having not practiced, decline, but then drill New York 10–3 in the game. Boston breaks a 3-3 tie with four runs in the 7th, three coming home on round tripper by Dick Hoblitzell. Tilly Walker adds a double, two triples and four RBIs for Boston, while Babe Ruth allows just three hits, all singles, in beating Ray Caldwell.

» June 18, 1917: At the Polo Grounds, Yankee pitcher Ray Fisher walks Burt Shotton, the Browns leadoff batter, who comes around to score the game's only run. It's Fisher's only walk, but he loses to Bob Groom, who tosses a six-hitter.

» August 14, 1917: The Giants and the Brooklyn Robins split a doubleheader at the Polo Grounds,. New York's Ferdie Schupp takes the opener, 5–4, and ex-Giant Rube Marquard wins the 2nd game for Brooklyn, 3–1. A highlight of the nitecap is a fight between Brooklyn Casey Stengel and Giant SS Art Fletcher.

» September 11, 1917: The Giants sweep the Robins at the Polo Grounds. New York takes the opener 3–2 by scoring the winning run in the 10th on George Burns' inside-the-park homer. They do it again in the nitecap, scoring two runs in the 9th to beat Jack Coombs. Pol Perritt, with relief help in the 9th, wins.

» September 15, 1917: At the Polo Grounds, Boston's Babe Ruth takes an 8–0 lead into the 9th before allowing three Yankee runs. He finishes with a complete game 8–3 win and slugs his 2nd and last homer of the season.

» September 17, 1917: At Boston, the Braves whip the Pirates, 4–1. Honus Wagner makes his last appearance of the year and is pinch hit for by Bill Wanger. Wanger strikes out. Wagner has played sparingly since being spiked by Stengel on July 14; at the Polo Grounds on August 29, he played SS, the only game of the year at that position.

» September 24, 1917: At the Polo Grounds, Slim Sallee tops the Cards, 2–1, and clinches the N.L. pennant for the Giants, their 6th under McGraw. The New Yorkers manage just four hits (and six walks) off Bill Doak, but they come when needed.

» April 16, 1918: In their season openers, the Reds' Pete Schneider and the Red Sox' Carl Mays each pitch one-hitters. The Giants play before a record crowd of 30,000 at the Polo Grounds, beating Brooklyn 6-4.

» September 10, 1919: The Indians' Ray "Slim" Caldwell, struck by lightning 2 weeks earlier, no-hits his former teammates the Yankees 3-0 at the Polo Grounds.

» September 20, 1919: Babe Ruth ties Ned Williamson's major-league HR mark of 27 with a game-winner off Lefty Williams of the White Sox. Four days later he will hit No. 28 over the roof of the Polo Grounds.

» May 1, 1920: Babe Ruth hits his first HR as a Yankee in a 6-0 win over the Red Sox. The HR clears the roof of the Polo Grounds.

» July 13, 1920: The fans are flocking to see the mighty Ruth hit home runs (12 in June). A twin bill with the Browns draws a Polo Grounds record of 38,823, the third record-breaker of the year.

» September 27, 1920: At the Polo Grounds, the Braves eliminate the 2nd-place Giants in game two by a 3–2 score on Tony Boeckel's homer in the 9th. The Giants win the opener, 2–1. The loss cinches the pennant for Brooklyn.

» May 30, 1921: A memorial to Captain Eddie Grant, killed in action in the Argonne Forest October 20, 1918, is unveiled at the Polo Grounds.

» June 13, 1921: The first pitch to Ruth goes 460 feet into the CF bleachers in the Polo Grounds, the first HR ever hit to that spot. He adds HR number 21 in a 13-8 win over Detroit. He also pitches five innings for the win, giving up four runs, but striking out Ty Cobb. The next day Ruth hits two more HRs, his sixth and seventh in five games, in a 9-6 win.

» September 25, 1921: At the Polo Grounds, the Yankees thrash the 2nd place Indians 21–7 to move a full game ahead of the Tribe. The Yanks knock out Caldwell in the 2nd and dust Mails for 10 runs in his two innings. Carl Mays goes the distance for the win.

» September 29, 1921: With New York in 1st place by one 1/2 games over Cleveland, and facing the Indians in the 4th game of the series, Miller Huggins polls his players to find out who they'd like to see start. The team elects to go with veteran Jack Quinn, but the spitballer comes up dry giving up three runs in the 1st inning before Waite Hoyt relieves. Ruth hits a 1st inning home run, adds an RBI double in the 3rd and a 2-run home run in the 5th to give the Yankees the lead. Carl Mays, who took over in the 5th, strikes out Steve O'Neill with two on in the 9th to end it 5–4. The win increases New York's lead to two 1/2 games. The four-game series at the Polo Grounds draws a record 147,000 people.

» October 5, 1921: In the first one-city World Series since 1906, the Polo Grounds will be the site for all nine games. Carl Mays (27-9) is at his best, needing 86 pitches to set the Giants down with five hits—4 of them by Frank Frisch. Ruth drives in the first run of the Series in the opening inning of this 3–0 Yankee win. Mike McNally, subbing for Frank Baker at 3B, steals home in the 5th while Phil Douglas (15-10) is winding up. The game is broadcast on KDKA radio, with Grantland Rice announcing. It is the only game of the season's World Series to be aired.

» April 25, 1922: Promising rookie outfielder Ralph Shinners is beaned by Phils righty George Smith in a 9–2 Giants win. When Shinners returns in a few days he is not the same hitter. An angry John McGraw accuses Smith of a deliberate beaning and Shinners and Smith will later brawl at the Polo Grounds over the beaning. McGraw will finally send the Giants rookie down on August 3rd.

» May 20, 1922: Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel (and since-traded pitcher Bill Piercy), suspended on October 16, 1921, by Judge Landis, are reinstated and return to the New York lineup going hitless in New York's 8–2 loss to the rallying Browns at the Polo Grounds. The Browns, down 2–0 after 7, score one in the 8th and seven in the 9th, six of them coming after the game-ending out is called by ump Ollie Chill at first base. Pitcher Sam Jones, taking the throw at 1B from Wally Pipp, apparently makes the 3rd out and fans swarm the field. But Jones does not hold onto the ball cleanly and plate ump Brick Owens instructs Chill to make a safe call. The tying run scores on the play and, when the action resumes 15 minutes later, Wally Gerber singles to make the score 3–2. Walks to Sisler and Williams force home another run, and Baby Doll Jacobson clears the bases with a grand slam into the RF stands to complete the scoring. Winner Urban Shocker allows just three hits, including a two-run homer by second baseman Aaron Ward. The loss to Jones starts him on a 10-game losing streak, while a cold Ban Johnson will let umpire Ollie Chill go after the season.

» May 26, 1922: In the nitecap at the Polo Grounds, Heinie Groh walks five times as New York pounds the Braves, 10–2.

» June 4, 1922: At the Polo Grounds, Carl Mays collects three hits and beats the A's for the 21st straight time. The Yanks win 8–3. Ruth clouts a 3-run HR over the RF fence for NY.

» June 10, 1922: The Giants raise their WS pennant on George Burns Day; it’s the first appearance at the Polo Grounds for the popular outfielder now with the Reds after 10 years in a Giants uniform.

» July 29, 1922: At the Polo Grounds, the under-performing Pirates crack five homers and trounce the league-leading Giants, 8–3. Max Carey hits two and starter Wilbur Cooper another.

» August 22, 1922: At the Polo Grounds, Indians P George Uhle singles in the sixth inning and the Yankees (as noted by Retrosheet) allow a courtesy pinch runner Les Nunnamaker while Uhle gets his shoe repaired. Uhle returns to mound to finish the game, winning, 6–2. The loss drop New York to second place behind St. Louis.

» August 25, 1922: In the first of a doubleheader before a sold-out Polo Grounds, the Browns beat the Yankees, 3–1, behind Urban Shocker. Waite Hoyt is the loser, but stops Ken Williams hit streak at 28 consecutive games. George Sisler hits in his 24th straight game. In game two, the Yankee jump to a 2–0 lead on Ruth's 2-run triple, then extend it to 6–1 behind Joe Bush. The Browns close to 6–5, but that is it.

» September 4, 1922: At the start of the day, both New York teams are on top, and both Boston teams are on the bottom. But today, the Red Sox will take two and knock the leaders off their perch as they sweep the Yankees, 4–3 and 6–5. Babe Ruth hits his last regular season home run, in the Polo Grounds. He gets it off Herb Pennock, who also gave up Ruth's first Yankee homer, also at the Polo Grounds.

» September 10, 1922: The Yankees play their farewell home game in the Polo Grounds. An estimated 40,000 overflow the stadium with another 25,000 turned away. Joe Bush beats the Philadelphia A's 10–3 in the opener, and Waite Hoyt edges the A's in the second 2–1. Plans are in the works to expand the park to 56,000 capacity, but this is the last regular season American League game at the Polo Grounds. The Yanks will play their next 18 games on the road, and then open in Yankee Stadium next spring.

» September 23, 1922: Rogers Hornsby belts his 40th homer, a solo shot in the 6th at the Polo Grounds, but the Giants hang on to win, 7–5. Ross Youngs saves a homer in the 9th when he leaps to snag Jack Smith's drive. Jack Scott hits 4-for-4 and goes all the way for the win to keep the Giants six games in front of Pittsburgh.

» May 20, 1923: With the Polo Grounds newly expanded, the Giants set a National League attendance record with 42,000+ fans on hand. The Giants clip the Cardinals, 14–4, on 20 hits.

» October 3, 1923: Babe Ruth, playing in an exhibition game for John McGraw at the Polo Grounds, bashes the first home run ever hit over the RF roof.

» October 11, 1923: Babe Ruth hits two home runs, and Aaron Ward one, as Herb Pennock (19-6) scatters nine hits for a 4–2 Yankee win at the Polo Grounds.

» October 23, 1923: Babe Ruth makes a post-season appearance in a Giants uniform, as the Giants defeat the Baltimore Orioles 9–0. Ruth hits a home run over the RF roof at the Polo Grounds. The game is a benefit for destitute former Giants owner John Day.

» September 9, 1924: At the Polo Grounds, Brooklyn ace Dazzy Vance wins his 13th in a row, beating the Giants and pulling the Robins within a half game of the top.

» September 10, 1924: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants rip the Braves 22–1 in the opener of a doubleheader. Frankie Frisch goes 6-for-6 before grounding out.

» September 20, 1924: Pete Alexander slows the pennant-bound Giants and earns his 300th career victory in the process. The Cubs top the Giants in 12 innings at the Polo Grounds, 7–3.

» August 22, 1925: After a disastrous western trip, the Giants trail the Pirates by three as the leaders come to the Polo Grounds for a 5-game series. Before crowds of more than 50,000 at two weekend doubleheaders, the Pirates take three out of 4. On Monday they beat Wayland Dean 9-2, and the NL race is over. When the Giants go west again, McGraw will stay home. The Pirates boast a team BA of .307 and a deep pitching staff of five pitchers winning 15 to 19 games.

» April 13, 1926: More than 45,000 at the Polo Grounds watch Brooklyn's Jess Petty post an Opening Day, 3-0 one-hitter over the Giants. The Giants will win 7 in a row after the opener, only to be beaten again by Petty 2-1 on April 24th.

» September 24, 1926: At the Polo Grounds, the Cardinals clinch the pennant by beating the Giants 6–4 behind Flint Rhem and Bill Sherdel. Billy Southworth homers to help beat his old teammates, negating Bill Terry's 3-run home run off Rhem. The Cards are now ahead of Cincinnati by three games with two to play. The Reds lose to the Phillies today, 9–2.

» July 19, 1927: It's John McGraw Day at the Polo Grounds, in honor of his 25 years as Giants manager. The Cubs spoil the day with an 8-5 win.

» September 11, 1928: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants take two games from the Braves, 11–6 and 7–6. Freddie Lindstrom goes 8-for-10 to pull New York into 2nd place, two 1/2 games behind St. Louis. The Giants will continue to feast on Braves pitching, winning doubleheaders from Boston on the 13th and the 14th to tie the National League record for twinbills won on consecutive days.

» September 20, 1928: A crowd of 50,000 at the Polo Grounds sees the Giants and Cardinals split a doubleheader. The Cards take the first game 8–5 behind pitcher Willie Sherdel plus three homers by former Giant George Harper. The Giants salvage the nightcap 7–4 when they score five runs in the 8th inning to give rookie Carl Hubbell the win over Grover Cleveland Alexander. Shanty Hogan's grand slam off Alexander is the big blow. New York remains two games behind the National League-leading Cardinals.

» May 25, 1929: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants belt four homers -- 2 by Travis Jackson and one by Edd Roush and Jim Welsh -- to whip the Braves, 10–3. Roush's home run is the 2,000th in Giants history.

» August 25, 1929: At the Polo Grounds, fans are able to hear the calls of home plate ump Cy Rigler, who is wired for sound, a first in ML history. Wearing a mike, wearing metal-plated shoes, and standing on a flat metal sheet, Cy's calls are broadcast over speakers. The Giants top the Pirates, 10–5.

» August 31, 1930: With a chance to pick up a game and a half on the leading Cubs, the Giants edge the Braves 4–3 in the opener a doubleheader before 40,000 fans at the Polo Grounds. In the 2nd game, Mel Ott hits a double and three consecutive home runs to drive in six runs, but the Braves counter with a homer by George Sisler and two by slugging rookie Wally Berger among their 18 hits. Ott is the 4th major leaguer to hit three straight homers, joining Goose Goslin (August 19, 1930) Carl Reynolds (July 2, 1930), George Kelly (September 17, 1923), and Cap Anson (August 6, 1884). The final score is Boston 14, New York, 10.

» September 28, 1930: Bill Terry goes hitless as the Giants edge the Dodgers for third place with a 10-inning win over the Phillies at the Polo Grounds. He finishes at .401, and is the last NL player to hit over .400. The Giants set a 20th-century single season batting average record of .319 (the Philadelphia Phillies hit .349 in 1894).

» November 23, 1930: At the Polo Grounds, St. Louis Browns outfielder Red Badgro, playing for the NFL New York Giants, catches a TD pass against the Green Bay Packers. It is Badgro's 3rd TD catch of the season, all from Benny Friedman. In 1981, Badgro will be elected to the Hall of Fame—for football.

» May 30, 1931: The Cards retake first place and hold it the rest of the season, as they win a Memorial Day doubleheader from the Reds and the Giants lose a pair to Brooklyn. In the 2nd game at the Polo Grounds, Robins 3B Wally Gilbert has six consecutive hits but falls one short of the major-league record held by his manager, Wilbert Robinson. The Robins' Gordon Slade adds a grand slam in the sweep.

» June 30, 1931: The New York Giants' Ethan Allen pinch-hits a grand slam off the Cubs' Pat Malone to tie the game, but Chicago scores again to win at the Polo Grounds 11-10. Sparky Adams also homers in the game, his first since 1925. He had been to bat 3,104 times without a HR.

» September 24, 1931: The round-robin playoff among New York City's three ML teams, to raise money for the unemployed, concludes with Brooklyn losing to both the Giants and the Yankees at the Polo Grounds. Again, a near capacity crowd turns out and adds $48,000 to bring the fund to $108,000. In field events held between games, Babe Ruth, normally a left-handed hitter, bats right and wins the fungo hitting contest. He breaks the old distance record held by Big Ed Walsh. Ruth's drive lands in deep center field, 421 feet away. The old record, set 20 years earlier, was 4191/2 feet.

» September 15, 1932: At the Polo Grounds, Kiki Cuyler continues to haunt the Giants by clouting an 11th-inning homer to give the Cubs the 8–7 win.

» September 20, 1932: At the Polo Grounds, Fred Fitzsimmons coasts to a 15–3 win over the Braves. Boston catcher Johnny Schulte bangs a 9th inning solo shot for the final score, the homer coming in his last ML at bat. The veteran caught on with the Braves when Pinky Hargrave broke a leg in a game that Schulte was watching at Sportsman's Park. Earlier in the year, he was watching at game at the same park when the Browns C Rick Ferrell broke a hand, and Schulte was signed for the recovery period.

» June 25, 1933: At the Polo Grounds, 25,000 see the Giants win twice over the Reds and increase their National League lead to three games. Hal Schumacher, the June graduate of St. Lawrence, wins the opener, 7–1, giving up a run on an error. New York scores five runs in two innings to knock out Ray Kolp. The Giants take the 2nd game, 6–3, as Johnny Vergez drives in four runs. Fred Fitzsimmons is the winner over Benton, in relief of Benny Frey.

» June 29, 1933: In the top of the 2nd, Ethan Allen of the Cards races around the bases for an inside-the-park home run at the Polo Grounds, but is out for batting out of turn. Joe Medwick was the correct batter. Allen then bats for himself and grounds out. But St. Louis prevails, 7–3.

» May 26, 1934: Fans will vote for players in the 2nd All-Star Game, to be played on July 10 at the Polo Grounds. The managers will pick the lineups from 20 players chosen.

» June 7, 1934: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants score six runs in the 8th to whip the Boston Braves, 14–5. Johnny Vergez collects a home run and double in the inning, while Ott clouts two homers and drives home four runs in the game.

» July 4, 1934: After the finish of the holiday doubleheaders by all the teams, the Giants, by winning two from the Braves at the Polo Grounds, have a clear lead. They are 3 1/2 games ahead of the Cubs and 4 1/2 in front of the Cardinals.

» September 16, 1934: The largest turnout in Polo Grounds history, 62,573, suffers as the Deans take 2 from the Giants. Diz needs relief from Tex Carleton for a 5-3 opener, but Paul goes 11 innings for a 3-1 win.

» September 29, 1934: Brooklyn's Van Mungo knocks the Giants out of the lead at the Polo Grounds 5-1 while Paul Dean is beating the Reds in St. Louis 6-1.

» May 30, 1935: The Memorial Day twin bill at the Polo Grounds breaks all National League attendance records when 63,943 see the Giants take a pair from the Dodgers, 8–3 and 6–0. Thousands are turned away and the gates are closed 40 minutes before game time. Roy Parmelee coasts in the opener after Mel Ott hits a grand slam in the first inning. In his first appearance at the Polo Grounds as a Giant, Al Cuccinello also homers in the same inning. Fred Fitzsimmons twirls a 2-hitter in the nitecap.

» July 5, 1935: Tony Cuccinello, with Brooklyn, and brother Al, with New York, both homer in a game at the Polo Grounds. The next time brothers homer in a game against each other will be on June 30, 1950, when Joe and Dom DiMaggio do it.

» August 14, 1935: The largest midweek crowd in NL history, 50,868, sees the Giants and Cards split at the Polo Grounds.

» May 20, 1936: The Giants take first place from the Cardinals, defeating them at the Polo Grounds 10–7. tomorrow, Paul Dean will pitch the Cards back on top, as the NL lead seesaws.

» July 31, 1936: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants manage just four hits off Chicago's Larry French and lose, 3–1. The Terrymen's only tally is a homer by Hank Lieber. The loss leaves the front-running Cubs a game ahead of the Cards.

» September 13, 1936: The Cardinals and Giants split a doubleheader at the Polo Grounds before 64,417, the largest crowd in the 60-year history of the NL.

» May 9, 1937: At the Polo Grounds, Carl Hubbell wins his 4th straight and his 20th in a row, subduing the Cubs, 4–1. The game is scoreless for six innings. Hubbell matches the mark of Rube Marquard, who won one game in 1911 and 19 straight more in 1912.

» May 31, 1937: A Memorial Day crowd of 61,756, the 2nd-largest crowd in Polo Grounds history, sees the Dodgers end Carl Hubbell's consecutive-game winning streak at 24 over two seasons. Babe Phelps leads the way, going 5-for-6, as Brooklyn routs King Carl in the 4th inning and wins 10–3. Although Hubbell loses the first game of the doubleheader, he is honored in between games when Babe Ruth makes the presentation of the National League's 1936 MVP Award. The Giants take the nitecap, 5–4.

» September 15, 1938: Brothers Lloyd and Paul Waner of the Pirates hit consecutive HRs off Cliff Melton in the 5th inning at the Polo Grounds.

» May 7, 1939: Before 36,005 at the Polo Grounds, the Giants crush the Cubs, 10–3. Mel Ott has a triple double, and two singles, while ex-Cubbies Billy Jurges and Frank Demaree have two hits apiece. Cliff Melton is the winner for the Giants, now 8-8.

» May 8, 1939: In a 4–2 Cubs win at the Polo Grounds, Cubs first sacker Phil Cavarretta breaks his leg sliding into a base. He'll be out of action until July 25, and will appear in just seven more games this year, all as a PH.

» July 2, 1939: In a doubleheader with the Dodgers before 51,435 at the Polo Grounds, the fireworks start two days early. The Dodgers take a uneventful opener 3-2, but in the fourth inning of the nitecap, Dodger player-manager Leo Durocher ends the inning by grounding into a DP and spikes 1B Zeke Bonura as he crosses the bag. Bonura takes off after Durocher, chases him down the RF line, and throws his mitt at him. He finally wrestles him to the ground. Both players are ejected, and the Giants go on to win 6-4. To Bonura's charge of intentional spiking, the Lip retorts, "If that big clown hadn't got his foot in my way, I wouldn't have been close to him."

» July 15, 1939: A disputed call on a fly ball down the LF foul line at the Polo Grounds touches off a melee in which the Giants Billy Jurges and umpire George Magerkurth spit at each other. Both will be fined $150 and suspended for 10 days. NL President Ford Frick announces that 2-foot screens are to be installed inside all foul poles to prevent future arguments. The Al eventually also adopts the rule. The Giants lose 8-4 to the Reds and will add another eight in a row to take them out of contention.

» September 2, 1939: Nine players hit homers, as the Giants beat the Dodgers 10-6 in the opener of a doubleheader at the Polo Grounds, falling one short of the record for two teams in one game set in 1923.

» September 24, 1939: OF Johnny Cooney of the Boston Bees, playing at the Polo Grounds, hits his first HR after 15 years as P/OF in the ML. Tomorrow he will repeat the feat, hitting his last HR in what will be a 20-year career.

» May 24, 1940: Before 22,260, the New York Giants rip the Boston Bees 8–1 in the first night game at the Polo Grounds. Harry Gumbert is the winner.

» June 23, 1940: With 52,657 in attendance at the Polo Grounds, the Giants Billy Jurges is hit on the head by a pitch thrown by Bucky Walters of the Reds He leaves the field on a stretcher. A shaken Walters then allows two runs and is lifted. The Giants have a 4–2 lead with two out in the 9th, but the Reds score five runs on six hits to win 7–4. Cincy takes the 2nd game 2–0. Jurges will stay in the hospital six days and the Giants will go 39–61 and tailspin from 2nd place to 6th after his injury.

» August 7, 1940: A crowd of 53,997, an National League record for a night game, watches the Dodgers beat the Giants 8–4 on Mel Ott Night at the Polo Grounds. Only Chicago and Boston are without lights in the NL. New York's large turnout is due to its being Mel Ott Night.

» May 7, 1941: At the Polo Grounds, Reds SS Eddie Joost accepts a record 19 chances as Cincinnati edges New York, 1–0. In addition to his 10 assists and nine putouts, Joost has a throwing error and the game's only stolen base. Ernie Lombardi's homer accounts for the only run as Bucky Walters is the winner over Prince Hal Schumacher in a battle of veterans. Both pitchers keep the ball down and each outfield accounts for a single flyout, tying the ML mark for fewest chances by two teams.

» May 27, 1941: At the Polo Grounds the score 1–1 between the Giants and Braves when umpire Jocko Conlan calls time in the 7th. The crowd and the two teams then listens for 45 minutes while President Roosevelt's radio message about the war in Europe is heard on the loudspeakers. When play resumes, the Braves lift Jim Tobin for Manny Salvo, while the Giants take out starter Hal Schumacher, replacing him with Carl Hubbell. Hubbell's single wins it for New York, 2–1.

» May 30, 1941: With Brooklyn three games in back of the Cards, 59,487 jam the Polo Grounds to watch the Dodgers and Giants. Whitlow Wyatt shuts a out the Giants to win the opener, and Brooklyn overcomes a 2–1 deficit in the nitecap to score five runs in the 9th and win 6–2.

» May 14, 1942: The Giants score 10 runs in the 8th inning to whip the Pirates 12–6 at the Polo Grounds. Pinch hitter Babe Young bangs a double and a triple in the rally.

» July 6, 1942: First-inning HRs by Lou Boudreau and Rudy York off Mort Cooper lead the AL to a 3-1 triumph over the NL in the All-Star Game at the Polo Grounds. Mickey Owen also homers for the third run. He does not hit a single HR during the regular schedule.

» August 3, 1942: A military relief game at the Polo Grounds with the Dodgers attracts a Polo Grounds record crowd of 57,303. The Giants, losing 7–4, have two on and no out in the 9th when the game is called. A government order mandates that lights must be turned out at 9:14. Giants President Horace Stoneham states that twilight games would be terminated since "playing against the clock was too tough."

» August 4, 1942: The Giants-Dodgers game ends in a 1–1 tie as Pee Wee Reese's grand slam in the top of the 9th is wiped out. As was the case the day before, the game is called because of the government's 9:14 curfew on lights. It is the last twilight game played at the Polo Grounds. The Dodgers have held the National League lead for 144 days. The margin over the Cardinals is 10 games. Until the season's end, Brooklyn will win 17, lose 18.

» August 18, 1942: After going 1–6 before the All-star break, Carl Hubbell posts his 8th straight win, beating the Braves 10–2. The 39-year-old veteran is backed by Mel Ott's three hits, including a home run into the LF stands at the Polo Grounds.

» September 25, 1942: With the Giants' 3rd-place finish secure, OF Hank Lieber pitches a complete-game 9-1 loss against the Phillies at the Polo Grounds. He yields 9 hits and strikes out 5 in his only ML pitching appearance. The Phils score 5 of their runs without a hit.

» September 26, 1942: Youngsters, admitted free for bringing scrap metal to aid the war effort, get restless and invade the field at the Polo Grounds in the 8th inning of the 2nd game with the Giants leading 5-2. Umpire Ziggy Sears forfeits the game 9-0 to the Braves. Boston P Warren Spahn is not charged with a loss, although he was losing at the time of the forfeit. But he is given credit for a complete game, his only one in 4 appearances for the year.

» November 1, 1943: League statistics show the White Sox Luke Appling leading the AL hitters with .328, the lowest since Cobb hit .324 to lead in 1908. Conversely, of course, the pitchers' marks were topped by Spud Chandler's 1.64 ERA, the best since 1919. Spud also has the best percentage at .833, on a 20-4 won-lost mark. The White Sox aging OF Wally Moses stole 56 bases after stealing only 3 two years before. The veteran Mel Ott hits only .234 for his Giants, but he still has 18 homers -- all in the Polo Grounds.

» April 30, 1944: Before 58,000 at the Polo Grounds, the Giants pummel the Dodgers 26-8. Player/manager Mel Ott reaches base 7 times, scoring 6 runs for the 2nd time in his career, and Phil Weintraub drives in 11 runs with a homer, triple, and 2 doubles. Dodger pitchers gives up 17 walks, including 6 in a row. But the Dodgers earn a split as Hal Gregg wins the nitecap 5-4.

» May 20, 1945: Before 51,340 fans at the Polo Grounds, the Giants and Pirates split a doubleheader. Bill Voiselle wins his 8th straight to give the Giants a 5–1 win in the opener. New York ends the day atop the National League by three 1/2 games.

» June 19, 1945: Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower, just back from Europe, is given a tremendous round of applause from fans at the Polo Grounds. The Braves beat New York 9-2.

» August 1, 1945: Mel Ott hits the 500th home run of his career, a total exceeded only by Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx. He will hit 10 more this season and one on Opening Day of 1946 to finish with 511. Ott leads the Giants to a 9–2 win over the Braves at the Polo Grounds.

» August 18, 1945: Scheduled demonstrations at the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field to end segregation in organized baseball are called off.

» May 23, 1946: The Cardinals, the pre-season favorites to win the National League pennant, suffer a blow when pitchers Max Lanier and Fred Martin, and infielder Lou Klein jump to the Mexican League. Lanier was 6–0 in six starts this season. The 2nd-place Cards win today at the Polo Grounds behind Johnny Beazley's 4-hitter, but will lose three of their next four starts and drop into 2nd place.

» June 23, 1946: Eddie Waitkus and Marv Rickert of the Chicago Cubs hit back-to-back, inside-the-park HRs in the fourth inning, but the team loses 15-10 to the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds.

» September 15, 1946: Ernie Lombardi of the Giants slams the ball 483 feet under the stairway in right-center of the Polo Grounds, but barely makes 3B. It is the 3rd triple in 7 years for Schnozz and the last of his career.

» May 27, 1947: Before 51,780 fans at the Polo Grounds, the Dodgers defeat the Giants, 7–3. Da Bums score in the first inning when a Dixie Walker single drives home Jackie Robinson.

» May 21, 1948: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants drop an 8–3 decision to the Cubs. New York rookie Les Layton, in his first ML at bat, hits a pinch homer in the 9th off Johnny Schmitz.

» May 5, 1949: At the Polo Grounds, Johnny Mize pounds a 10th-inning homer and the Giants beat the Pirates 3–2 to sweep their three-game series. The homer, off Murry Dickson, is Big John's 300th. Reliever Hank Behrman, in for Sheldon Jones, pitches out of tight jams in the 9th and 10th to win. Wally Westlake is stranded in the 10th after reaching Behrman for a leadoff triple.

» May 30, 1949: Jackie Robinson hits a 13th-inning home run to give the Dodgers a 2–1 win at the Polo Grounds.

» July 7, 1949: Dave Koslo hits the first two HRs of his career while beating the Phils 11-3 at the Polo Grounds.

» April 18, 1950: At the Polo Grounds, Sam Jethroe becomes the first black to play for the Boston Braves. In his ML debut, he goes 2-for-4, including a home run to lead the Braves to an 1–4 beating of the Giants. Spahn is the winner. Jethroe will go on to become National League Rookie of the Year.

» April 19, 1950: Sid Gordon of the Braves hits the first National League grand slam of the season, as Boston beats the Giants 10-6 at the Polo Grounds. There will be 35 grand slams in the league this year, a NL single-season record, later topped. Giants pitcher Jack Harshman hits his first homer, off Johnny Sain, but it's not enough.

» May 18, 1950: At the Polo Grounds, Rube Walker poles a grand slam in the 6th inning for the Cubs. In the bottom of the inning, Monte Irvin hits a grand slam for the Giants, the first time in history that each team has slammed in the same inning. The game is called on account of rain after six innings, and the Giants win, 10–4, behind Clint Hartung. Johnny Schmitz, the first of four pitchers, is the loser.

» August 5, 1950: Jim Hearn gives up a leadoff single to Bob Dillinger, then throttles the Pirates the rest of the way for a 5–0 win at the Polo Grounds. It is his second win since joining the Giants on July 10,

» August 16, 1950: At the Polo Grounds, Henry Thompson of the Giants hits two HRs, both inside-the-park, as the Giants pummel the Dodgers, 16–7. Thompson is the first to do this since Terry Moore hit two for the Cardinals at Forbes Field on this same date in 1939. Don Mueller adds a grand slam. The Giants jump on Erskine in the first inning as 13 of the first 14 batters reach first safely. Sal Maglie is the winner despite giving up two homers, good for six runs, to Gil Hodges. The win leaves the Dodgers in third place, seven games out and the Giants in fifth, 10 games in back of the Phils.

» September 13, 1950: Sal Maglie’s string of scoreless innings ends at 45, but he beats the Pirates 3–1 in a rain-shortened seven-inning game. Pirate Gus Bell’s 257-foot fly ball barely clears the RF wall at the Polo Grounds. For Maglie, it is his 11th straight win.

» September 28, 1950: The Phils lose their second doubleheader in a row at the Polo Grounds. Sal Maglie tops them in the opener 3–1, and Sheldon Jones outmatches Roberts to win 3–1 in the second game.

» May 2, 1951: Before 4,976 at the Polo Grounds, the Giants score six runs in the 7th to defeat the Cubs, 8–1. George Spencer, who won the final game of the 1950 season, makes his 1951 debut a successful one, allowing six hits. Johnny Schmitz takes the loss for Chicago. Ray Noble has two ribbies for New York. Noble is playing for Wes Westrum, who broke his finger yesterday when he was hit by a foul tip.

» May 6, 1951: The Reds a Giants split a pair at the Polo Grounds, with the Reds taking the opener, 4–3, in 10 innings. Reds 2B Connie Ryan nabs Whitey Lockman in the 10th with the hidden ball trick, the 2nd time in two years that he's pulled it off against New York. The Giants take the nitecap, 8–5, behind Dave Koslo.

» June 26, 1951: Fresh from a doubleheader loss on the 24th at Forbes Field, the Dodgers get further bad news at the Polo Grounds. Sal Maglie shuts out Brooklyn on three hits, and Preacher Roe takes his first loss after ten wins. Eddie Stanky and Whitey Lockman hit homers.

» July 6, 1951: At the Polo Grounds, the Braves smack two HRs (Willard Marshall and Walker Cooper) in the top of the third, only to have the Giants answer with three HRs—by Westrum, Thomson, and Mueller—in the bottom of the inning. The Giants outslug the Braves for the game 12–10.

» July 13, 1951: Both Wes Westrum and Davey Williams of the Giants hit grand slams, as the Giants beat St. Louis 14–4 at the Polo Grounds. The win moves New York into second place.

» August 12, 1951: The Giants (59-51) start the day 13 games behind first place Brooklyn (70-36). On Wes Westrum Day at the Polo Grounds, Sal Maglie wins the first game against the Phillies 3–2, and rookie Al Corwin takes the 2nd game 2–1. Eddie Stanky returns to the lineup after a week's absence and has five walks in the two games while leading off. The sweep launches a 16-game win streak and a spurt of 39 wins in 47 games.

» August 22, 1951: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants win their 11th straight, again coming from behind to top the Reds, 4–3. Irvin homers in the 2nd off Ewell Blackwell, but it is Whitey Lockman's double in the 8th that wins it for reliever Sheldon Jones.

» August 24, 1951: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants tie the Cards in the 9th on three singles, and with the bases loaded, Bobby Thomson scores the winner on a fielder's choice play at the plate. New York wins, 6–5, its 12th in a row and 4th in a row in coming from behind.

» August 26, 1951: At the Polo Grounds, Chuck "The Rifleman" Connors clubs his 2nd and last ML homer, a three-run shot off Sal Maglie in the 9th to give the visiting Cubs a temporary 4–4 tie. Wes Westrum then answers with his 2nd homer of the game, off reliever Walt Dubiel, and New York wins, 5–4. New York takes the nitecap, 5–1, to run their victory streak to 14 games. Jim Hearn tops Cal McLish. Mays electrifies the crowd in the 6th by singling, advancing on a balk and a short fly, and stealing home. The Giants trail by six games.

» August 28, 1951: At the Polo Grounds, the Pirates Howie Pollet (5-14) shuts out the Giants 2–0 on six hits—3 by Thomson—to end New York's 16-game winning streak, best in the National League since 1935. Errors in the 8th by Stanky and Mueller do in Sheldon Jones.

» September 2, 1951: Don Mueller hits two more home runs, giving him five in two days, to tie an ML mark. His 2nd homer, again off Phil Haugstad, comes a minute after he learns he is a new father. Bobby Thomson adds his 25th homer and Jim Hearn beats the Dodgers 11–2. After Mueller's 2nd homer, Haugstad decks Thomson and hits Mays with a pitch, evoking a warning from Al Barlick. Barlick had earlier thumbed Branca and Dick Williams in the 5th inning, Newcombe in the 6th when he objected to a call, and Jackie Robinson and rookie Clem Labine. Dressen then clears his bench to avoid any more thumbings. The Giants move to five games behind Brooklyn. The Dodgers are suspicious of the losses at the Polo Grounds, and later there are revelations about signs being flashed to Giant batters from the CF scoreboard. Did it happen? Sal Yvars later said, "yes," while Mueller remarked, "as for my home runs and the sign stealing, this has been much talked about and I would prefer not to comment." On the Dodgers side, Buzzie Bavasi denied it occurred, but Clyde Walker concluded, "it did happen."

» September 3, 1951: In a Labor Day doubleheader at the Polo Grounds, the Phils Robin Roberts stops New York, 6–3, in the opener. The Giants blow a 3–0 1st inning lead when homers by Ashburn and Swish Nicholson bring the Phils back. Dave Koslo salvages a 2nd game, winning 3–1 over Niles Jordan. Willie Mays makes another rookie error in the 2nd. After an apparent inside-the-park home run, Phils 3B Tommy Brown appeals, and Mays is called out for failing to touch 3B. He is credited with a double.

» October 1, 1951: In the National League's first best-of-three play-off since 1946, Ralph Branca of the Dodgers loses to Jim Hearn and the Giants 3–1. Branca serves up home runs to Bobby Thomson and Monte Irvin. It is the first game ever to be broadcast live coast-to-coast. With both the Dodgers and Giants tied 96–58 at the end of regulation, Brooklyn wins the coin toss and elects to play the first game of the playoffs at home. The next two games will be played at the Polo Grounds.

» October 6, 1951: Back at the Polo Grounds, the Giants win 6–2, as Whitey Lockman homers with two on in the 5th. The Giants score five in the inning after Eddie Stanky kicks the ball out of Phil Rizzuto's glove on a tag play at 2B.

» May 14, 1952: Despite eight interruptions by Reds manager Luke Sewell asking the umps to examine the ball, Sal Maglie records his 6th straight win, 6–3, at the Polo Grounds. After the last play stoppage, an angry Maglie heaves the ball over the umps head, but manager Leo Durocher calms the sizzling Sal down. Bobby Thomson starts the scoring with a triple and a steal of home in the 1st.

» April 29, 1953: Joe Adcock becomes the first ML player to homer into the CF bleacher seats in the Polo Grounds, over 475 feet away. Luke Easter, in a 1948 Negro League game, and Schoolboy Rowe, in batting practice before a 1933 exhibition game, also accomplished the feat. Lou Brock and Hank Aaron will match it is as well in 1962. The Braves win the game 3-2 on a 9th-inning wild pitch by Hoyt Wilhelm.

» August 26, 1953: Giants OF Dusty Rhodes, hitting just .167, connects for three HRs in a row at the Polo Grounds in a 13-4 win over the Cardinals. Teammate Al Dark goes 5-for-5 with his own HR.

» April 24, 1954: Marv Grissom and the Giants shut out the Phils, 1-0, at the Polo Grounds. Whitey Lockman's 300-foot home run off Robin Roberts is the only score.

» May 28, 1954: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants whip the Dodgers 17–6 with a 6-HR barrage. Four of the home runs come in the 8th as Davey Williams, Alvin Dark, Monte Irvin, and Billy Gardner connect off Ben Wade. Whitey Lockman, in the 1st, and Willie Mays, in the 2nd account for the other two. Brooklyn scores a run in the 6th when Giants P Marv Grissom balks home Rube Walker from 3B. Catcher Ray Katt is at fault, having called a time out when Grissom is in his windup.

» July 28, 1954: Giants OF Dusty Rhodes hits three consecutive HRs at the Polo Grounds to back Johnny Antonelli's 10-0 whipping of St. Louis. It is Antonelli's 10th consecutive win. Willie Mays smacks his 36th HR, a 447 foot clout to LF.

» September 29, 1954: In Game 1 of the WS, Willie Mays of the Giants makes one of the greatest catches in history when he races back to deep CF in the Polo Grounds to make an over-the-head catch of Indian Vic Wertz's 462-foot drive in the 8th with the score tied at 2-2. Wertz drove in the 2 runs in the first with a triple. In the 10th, Dusty Rhodes hits a pinch-hit, 3-run, 260-foot HR off Bob Lemon to give the Giants a 5-2 victory.

» April 14, 1955: Brooklyn P Don Newcombe hits 2 HRs in a 10-8 win over the Giants at the Polo Grounds.

» July 9, 1955: Giants P Jim Hearn does it all, hitting two HRs. and whipping the Dodgers 10-2 at the Polo Grounds.

» January 27, 1956: The New York Giants football team of the NFL switches its home games to Yankee Stadium, leading to speculation that the baseball team will soon vacate the Polo Grounds as well.

» May 7, 1956: The future National League president, Bill White of the NY Giants, homers, off Ben Flowers, in his first time up in the ML. But the Giants lose to St. Louis, 6–3 at the Polo Grounds.

» May 2, 1957: At the Polo Grounds, Don Hoak drives in five runs to lead the Reds to a 9–7 win over the Giants.

» April 13, 1962: Just 12,447 Mets' fans welcome the return of National League baseball to New York. Sherman Jones drops a 4–3 decision to the Pirates at the Polo Grounds, which sparkles after a $350,000 face-lift.

» April 28, 1962: Consecutive home runs by Frank Thomas, Charlie Neal, and Gil Hodges in the 6th inning are among a club-record five hit by the Mets against Philadelphia. The Mets win 8–6 at the Polo Grounds. For Thomas, it is the fifth time in eight years he has combined with teammates for three consecutive home runs.

» June 17, 1962: Lou Brock of the Cubs hits a home run into the right-CF bleachers at the Polo Grounds, 460-470 feet from home plate, in the first game of a Chicago doubleheader sweep, 8–7 and 4–3. He is the 2nd player to reach those bleacher seats; Joe Adcock was the first. In the nitecap, the Cubs win on Santo's home run in the 9th.

» June 18, 1962: Hank Aaron of the Braves reaches the left-CF bleachers at the Polo Grounds with a long drive, the 2nd player to find the CF bleachers in two days and only the 3rd ever. The Braves win 7–1 over the Mets.

» August 4, 1962: After a doubleheader loss to the Mets, 9–1 and 3–2 in 13 innings at the Polo Grounds, Reds manager Fred Hutchinson stays in the dugout instead of joining his players in the club house. He then calls the clubhouse and tells the players to be out of there in 15 minutes. They do. Hutch has tickets for Zero Mostel's "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," but doesn't use them.

» August 24, 1962: Dodger coach Leo Durocher suffers a near-fatal allergic reaction to a penicillin injection while in the clubhouse at the Polo Grounds before a game. An emergency intravenous injection of adrenaline saves his life.

» May 12, 1963: At the Polo Grounds, the Mets win a see saw battle with the Reds, 12–11. The Reds battle back from a 5–0 deficit in the 3rd to tie the game at six apiece in top of the 5th. The Mets score five runs to go ahead 11–6, but Cincy plates six runs in the 6th to go ahead 12–11. The Mets score twice in the 8th to win.

» July 28, 1963: The Mets' 8–2 loss at Houston is their 22nd straight away from the Polo Grounds, and matches the major-league record by the 1890 Pirates.

» September 2, 1963: At the Polo Grounds, Pete Rose hits the first pitch of the game from Jay Hook for a homer. It's the only score as the Reds win, 1–0. Jim Maloney strikes out 13 Mets in the win.

» September 17, 1963: At Polo Grounds, Frank Thomas and Joe Hicks hit pinch home runs for the Mets, but they still lose to the Reds, 4–3.

» September 18, 1963: The last ML game at the Polo Grounds draws 1,752 fans to see Philadelphia beat New York 5–1. Jim Hickman hits the final New York home run in the historic park, and Chris Short beats Craig Anderson.

» October 12, 1963: In the first (and last) Hispanic American major league all-star game, the National League team beats the American League 5–2 at the Polo Grounds. The game features such names as Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva, Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda, Julian Javier, Felipe Alou, Luis Aparicio, and Zoilo Versalles. Vic Power receives a pregame award as the number-one Latin player. NL starter Juan Marichal strikes out six in four innings, though reliever Al McBean is the winner. Pinch hitter Manny Mota drives in two against loser Pedro Ramos.

» April 10, 1964: Demolition begins on the Polo Grounds to clear the way for a housing project.

» April 17, 1964: Before 48,736 fans the Pirates defeat the Mets 4–3 in the first game played at Shea Stadium. Bob Friend is the winner over Cuban righty Ed Bauta. Friend was also the winning pitcher in the last game ever played at the Polo Grounds before the Giants moved west.

» January 31, 2001: A story in The Wall Street Journal quotes three former members of the 1951 New York Giants as admitting that they stole catchers' signs at the Polo Grounds to help the club overtake the Dodgers and win the pennant. Except for Sal Yvars, all the participants will deny using the system during the 3-game playoff with the Dodgers.