Jeff Kent and Carlos Beltran are joining a long list of former Giants in the Hall of Fame. Counting those who also played for the New York Giants, the franchise has a connection to 63 of 354 plaques at the museum’s gallery.
Kent is the sixth Hall of Famer best known for his accomplishments in San Francisco – though Willie Mays was, well, Willie Mays on both coasts. Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry all began their storied careers in San Francisco.
Beltran, a Giant for 44 games in 2011, joins an impressive group of Hall of Famers who briefly wore Orange and Black on their way to Cooperstown. Here are a few more:
Randy Johnson (Hall of Fame Class of 2015)
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Randy Johnson works against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a baseball game in Denver on Wednesday, May 6, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The “Big Unit”, who grew up in Livermore, returned to the Bay Area in 2009 for his 22nd and final season at the age of 45. He went 8-6 with a 4.88 ERA. Johnson earned his 300th career win on June 4 in a 5-1 victory at Washington, becoming the 24th player in MLB history to reach the mark. He finished his career with 303 wins.
Goose Gossage (Class of 2008)
COOPERSTOWN, NY – JULY 27: Hall of Fame inductee Rich “Goose” Gossage gives his induction speech at Clark Sports Center during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 27, 2008 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
In 1989, at the age of 37, the former Yankees fireballing closer was signed as a free agent. He had four saves in 22 appearances, but was waived in August shortly after the Giants traded for Steve Bedrosian. Gossage played until 1994 but only recorded four more of his 310 career saves.
Gary Carter (Class of 2003)
PITTSBURGH – 1990: Catcher Gary Carter #8 of the San Francisco Giants stands on the field during a 1990 season game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)
“The Kid” was 36 when he left the Mets as a free agent and joined the Giants in 1990. He hit .254 with nine homers in 90 games, sharing catching duties with Terry Kennedy. He played two more seasons, joining the Dodgers in ‘91 and coming full circle a year later when he returned to his original team, the Montreal Expos.
Steve Carlton (Class of 1994)
San Francisco Giants pitcher Steve Carlton stands on the pitchers mound as the billboard behind him flashes his 4,000th major league career strikeout during the Giants’ night game against the Cincinnati Reds in San Francisco, Ca., Aug. 6, 1986. The Giants lost the game, 11-6. (AP Photo/Bill Beattie)
The four-time Cy Young winner with the Phillies was released by Philadelphia during the 1986 season and, at 41, signed with the Giants. He went 1-3 with a 5.10 ERA in six starts – in the win, he hit a three-run homer and pitched seven shutout innings. Shortly after collecting his 4,000th career strikeout in early August, Carlton announced his retirement, but a week later, he signed with the White Sox for the remainder of the season. He played two more seasons before retiring with 329 career wins, the second most of any left-hander in MLB history.
Joe Morgan (Class of 1990)
Giants’ Joe Morgan after game with Dodgers.
The Oakland native and sparkplug of Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine” in the 1970s held down second base for two seasons after signing as a 38-year-old free agent in 1981. Morgan earned MVP votes in 1982, when the Giants surprisingly hung with the Dodgers and the Braves for the NL West until the final weekend. Morgan provided one of the most dramatic – and for Giants fans, satisfying – moments by hitting a three-run homer that knocked the Dodgers out of the pennant race on the final day of the season.
Frank Robinson (Class of 1982)
Giants general manager Frank Robinson. (Ron Riesterer / Oakland Tribune Staff Archives)
Published May 1, 1984.
The grad of Oakland’s McClymonds High, where he was a basketball teammate of Bill Russell, was the only player to win MVP honors in both leagues before Shohei Ohtani. He never played for the Giants, but was in the second of his four seasons as San Francisco’s manager when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.