Was the San Francisco Giants 2009 Season a Success or Failure?

What was expected of the San Francisco Giants at the start of the 2009 Major League Baseball season? Good pitching and poor hitting. What did the Giants produce? Good pitching and poor hitting. So the real question becomes was the SF Giants season a success or failure? The argument can go either way.

Success

The season was a major success. The Giants have not been relevant in the league since 2004. That is five years of below .500 baseball and that is frustrating for fans. This season definitely had its highs and lows but to end with a winning record tips the scales in favor of this year being a success.

The Giants' pitchers were the highlight of the season. Actually the starting pitchers were the enjoyable players, the bullpen left a bit to be desired. Seeing Barry Zito work his way back to a relevant pitcher was admirable. Jonathan Sanchez pitching a no-hitter and showing flashes of potential was promising. Randy Johnson winning his 300^th game in a Giants' uniform and eating up innings for the first half of the year was entertaining. Matt Cain finally getting some run support and learning to pitch instead of throw was refreshing. And Tim Lincecum continuing to display greatness was impressive.

This year's Giants team had the feeling of a winner. Every game the fans could confidently say "The Giants are going to win. Look who's pitching for us." And the pitchers came through. Even when a starter didn't have his best outing there was forgiveness granted because that wasn't the norm. The standard set by the team was to see grit, passion, and a true team spirit. That made the season a success.

Failure

The 2009 season was an utter failure. The SF Giants were competitive for five months and then decided to give up when it counted. That's the true difference between a team ready to be a winner and team stuck in the mire of losers.

The starting pitching was sound. The coaching staff appeared to make reasonable calls. Where was the hitting? Where was the small ball the Giants were built for? Where were the intelligent moves of the front office to take this team to the next level? Nonexistent! A person cannot say this season was a success when so many facets of a winning franchise were missing.

Was the San Francisco Giants 2009 season a success or a failure? Yes!