On September 17, 1997, in one of the most iconic Giants games of the last 20 years, Rod Beck miraculously worked his way out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam against the Dodgers, sending Kruk, Kuip, Dusty and 54,000 Candlestick faithful into hysterics. Two innings later, Brian Johnson hit an unforgettable walk-off home run in the bottom of the 12th to sweep the Dodgers and put the Giants in an unexpected tie atop the NL West.
That game remains one of my favorite Giant memories and "Shooter" Beck is one of the most beloved Giants ever. Beck posted 199 saves in a Giants uniform between 1991 and 1997. He sported the mullet, the Fu Manchu, the pendulum arm swing and a devastating split-finger fastball. Beck is arguably one of the best closers of the 1990s.
Beck passed away at the young age of 41. No Giants fan can forget the image of Beck striking out the Padres' Greg Vaughn on the second-to-last day of the season, giving the overachieving 1997 Giants the NL West title.
