Giants take NL West with 107th victory, ending eight-consecutive Dodgers title streak

With an 11-4 victory over the Padres on the final day of the 2021 MLB regular season, the San Francisco Giants won the National League West title. The division title is the Giants ‘first since 2012, and it ended the Dodgers’ eight-crown streak in NL West. The Giants end the regular season with the best record in baseball at 107-55, but it took all 162 games to fend off the defending champions Dodgers who will head to the NL Wild Card Game against the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Sunday’s victory came with relative ease after a loss in extra sets on Saturday. A Buster Posey two-RBI single put the Giants ahead in the third inning and they opened the game with a five-run fourth. Starting pitcher Logan Webb ended his breakout season playing the two-way show. He even hit a home run:

Considering the score at the time, we will call it a victory lap. It was Webb’s first career homerun. He’s actually hit three times, having gone 2 for 3 with a walk and three runs scored in addition to the home run and two RBIs seen above.

Webb threw over seven innings of the six-hit ball over the mound, allowing four runs while striking out eight. He did not take anyone for a walk. His line was actually much better going into the eighth, but he was left in the game and allowed three hits before being put out. It was a stellar exit through seven (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER). This puts the finishing touches on a bubbly season for Webb. He finishes 11-3 with a 3.03 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP and 158 strikeouts in 148 1/3 innings and numbers to be a key component if the Giants do a run in October.

The divisions were first set up for the 1969 season. This is the Giants’ ninth title at NL West. The others: 2012, 2010, 2003, 2000, 1997, 1989, 1987 and 1971. The Giants also have three World Series titles in San Francisco: 2010, 2012 and 2014. In his fourth season overall and second with the Giants, it is the first division title for Gabe Kapler, probably the manager of the year 2021 of the NL.

It actually looked like things were heading for a clinch on Friday night, with the Giants leading the Padres and Dodgers trailing the Brewers by four runs in the fifth inning. The magic number was two back then. The Dodgers then tied with a grand slam from Trea Turner and won. The Giants won their game, which means the magic number has been reduced to one. Then it looked like it would happen on Saturday afternoon, but the Padres made a late comeback and then fought off the Giants in extra innings. The Dodgers would then win on Saturday night to force meaningful games on Sunday. And the Giants took care of business from there. They are now finally the champions of NL West.

Coming back to the spring, that would have been a pretty shocking result. The Giants ‘pre-season wins over / under total was 73.5 while the Dodgers’ was 103.5. The Dodgers cashed too much! And they’re still not winning the division, as the Giants may be having the best season in franchise history.

The Giants were first tied for first place on April 26 and regained it alone on April 30. They would lose control of the division twice the rest of the way, but only for very short thrusts. After April 25, the Giants were only behind the division for 10 days. They were the first MLB team to score 50 wins, 60 wins, 70 wins, 80 wins, 90 wins and 100 wins. All of this is just a perfect illustration of the consistent excellence of this ball club most of the season.

In San Francisco history, the previous record for wins was 103 (1993 and 1962). The franchise record – remember, they were the New York Giants before the move west – was 106 (1904), which this team has now surpassed. It’s a new franchise record for one of the league’s most successful baseball clubs.

Another feather for the Giants here, which must be especially soft given who it is: The Dodgers are the first team in MLB history to win at least 105 games and not finish in first place.

The next meaningful game the Giants play is on Friday, October 8, when they host the NL Wild Card Game winner at Oracle Park. That means it will be either the Cardinals or the rival NL Dodgers.

For now, however, the Giants have won the NL West despite facing a powerhouse in the same division. It’s quite an accomplishment for a team that few thought they could play this season.