The Giants were not supposed to be here. Before the season began, the NL West arm’s race was between the almighty Dodgers and the pesky Padres. The Giants were an afterthought; that is, if they received much thought at all.
This was an organization in transition, featuring aging stars whose best years were behind them and a manager who was fired by the team with the National League’s longest playoff drought. San Francisco was five years removed from its most recent winning season, and its next window of contention was still a few years away.