Gigantes get kick out of unveiling Marichal statue in 2005
This story was originally published on May 21, 2005.
The celebration of Juan Marichal on Saturday extended far beyond the dedication of the bronze statue outside SBC Park which freezes his unforgettable pitching motion for all time.
The Giants wore jerseys emblazoned “Gigantes” to honor Marichal, a native of the Dominican Republic, and the team’s Hispanic heritage.
The Dominican flag flew alongside its American counterpart. “The Star-Spangled Banner” was preceded by the Dominican national anthem. Fans received not only commemorative pictures of Marichal but also signs that read “Vamos Gigantes” (Spanish for “Go Giants”).
Marichal, 67, expressed gratitude during the dedication ceremony: “I had a fan come up to me the other day and say, ‘Juan, thanks for the memories.’ Today it is I who say to the fans, ‘Thanks for the memories.’ “
Those memories began on Marichal’s first game with the Giants, when he burst upon the major league scene with a flourish, throwing a 1-hitter (with 12 strikeouts) against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1960.
Using a distinctive high leg kick he copied from his childhood hero Bombo Ramos, Marichal delivered a confounding array of pitches, speeds and arm angles. He charged through the 1960s with the most wins (191), shutouts (45) and complete games (197) of any major league pitcher. He won 20 games six times, was selected to eight All-Star games, and in 1963 he outdueled future Hall of Famer Warren Spahn 1-0 in an epic 16-inning game decided on a Willie Mays walk-off homer.
For all his accolades and achievements during the 1960s, the fiery, flamboyant Marichal never got a single Cy Young vote.
Despite his overwhelming credentials, he was denied entry to the Hall of Fame the first two years he was on the ballot, no doubt because he had infamously clubbed Dodgers catcher John Roseboro’s head with a bat during a brawl at Candlestick Park. Ultimately Marichal, who was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1983, forged a genuine friendship with Roseboro.
The memories Saturday were decidedly warm and happy, as was the mood.
Marichal poked fun at Barry Bonds, who was among the many past and present Giants in attendance. Flashing the cockiness that helped him win 243 games and record 52 shutouts in a Hall of Fame career, Marichal said, “I feel like I’m facing you with the bases loaded. But . . . I think I can get you out.”
Marichal — accompanied by wife Alma, five daughters and one son — even recalled a much younger Bonds accompanying his daughter Vyette to tapings of “Romper Room,” the bygone children’s television show, in Oakland.
Dr. Leonel Fernandez, president of the Dominican Republic, deemed the event important enough to visit San Francisco with his wife and a sizable delegation.
“Juan is a national symbol of pride,” Fernandez said.
“This is a wonderful day for all Latin players,” Hall of Fame first baseman Orlando Cepeda said. Indeed, Pedro Feliz, Deivi Cruz, Moises Alou and Omar Vizquel represented the Giants’ current Latin contingent.
Alou contributed an RBI double in the Giants’ three-run first inning — “That was a big rally for us, the way we’ve been playing lately,” he said — and acknowledged that the Marichal festivities helped motivate him.
“You want to show off in front of your friends, and the president was here, too,” Alou said.
Marichal and Giants owner Peter Magowan unveiled the statue, which stands outside Lefty O’Doul Plaza. Sculptor William Behrends, who also created the statues of Willie Mays and Willie McCovey, captured Marichal’s celebrated leg kick at its zenith. Marichal also displayed a reasonable facsimile of his kick as he threw the ceremonial first pitch.