In honor of our local team, the San Francisco Giants, and their amazing run to 2010, 2012, and 2014 World Series victories, I’ve put together an extensive list of Giants team nicknames, player nicknames and slang, past and present.
UPDATED 8/17/15:
- Ancient Mariner — Gaylord Perry (1962–1971)
- Angel In The Outfield — Angel Pagan (2012–Present)
- Baby Giraffe — Brandon Belt (2011–Present); Giant first baseman who sports a long neck.
- “Beat LA” — “As common a term as you’ll hear at AT&T park when the Dodgers are in town, the statement refers to the long standing rivalry between the Giants & Dodgers.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- Beauty — Dave Bancroft (1920–1923, 1930)
- Big Daddy — Rick Reuschel (1987–1991)
- Big Jawn — Johnny Mize (1942, 1946–1949)
- Big Mac — Willie McCovey (1959–80)
- Big Six — Christopher “Christy” Mathewson (1900-1916)
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Big Sugar — Matt Cain (2005–present)
- Big Time Timmy Jim — Tim Lincecum (2006–Present)
- Blackbeard — Brian Wilson (2006–2012)
- Blockbuster — Marco Scutaro (2012–Present)
- Bochy Ball — “Term associated with Giants Manager Bruce Bochy’s style of managing a team.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- Boogie Bear — Kevin Mitchell (1987–1991)
- Buster — Gerald Dempsey Posey III (2009–Present)
- “Bye Bye, Baby” — “The home run call of famous Giants announcer, Russ Hodges. Also referenced in the Giants fight song of the 60s, ‘BYE BYE BABY'”. ~Giants Speakipedia
- Candy — Candido Maldonado Guadarrama (1986–1989)
- Captain Quirk — Barry Zito (2007–2013)
- Chief — John Tortes Meyers (1909-1915)
- Chili — Charles Theodore Davis (1981–99)
- Crawdaddy — Brandon Crawford (2011–Present)
- Crazy Crab — “During the early 80’s a mascot craze swept the world of professional sports. In 1984 The Giants joined in with a unique “anti-mascot”, Crazy Crab, whose presence was meant to mock the mascot craze by encouraging fans to boo every time Crazy Crab appeared. Although Crazy Crab only lasted for one year, he is infamous among Giants fans.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- Croix De Candlestick — “Pins that were given out only to fans who stayed for extra-inning night games in Candlestick Park. Pins were seen as proof of being a die-hard fan.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- Drama — Brian Wilson (2006-2012)
- Duffman — Matt Duffy (2014–Present)
- El Caballo Loco — Angel Pagan (2012–Present); Crazy Horse!
- El Divino Loco (“The Divine Madman”) — Ruben Gomez (1953–1958)
- El Gran Gato (“The Big Cat”) — Andrés Galarraga (2003)
- El Tiburón Blanco (The White Shark) — Gregor Blanco (2012–present)
- “Eliminate me” — “The term used when Kruk & Kuip use the tele-strator to scratch out a fan or something they disapprove of on Giants telecasts.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- Fadeaway — A new pitch invented by Christy Mathewson (1900-1916), which later became known as the screwball.
- Fear the Beard — Brian Wilson (2006-2012)
- Flakey / Flake — Jackie Brandt (1956, 1958-1959)
- Gamer Babe — “The [controversial] ‘Gamer Babe’ meme appears to have started during the 2011 season, when the Giants broadcast showed four women sitting together and Krukow referred to them as Gamer Babes from Half Moon Bay, a seaside town about 30 minutes south of San Francisco.” Read all about it here: The “Gamer Babe” Problem
- “Got Heeem'” — An expression coined by Giants pitcher Brian Wilson, employed, for instance, when an opposing baserunner is caught stealing.
- “Grab Some Pine, Meat” — “Popularized by Giants announcer and former Giants starting pitcher, Mike Krukow. It is used as a way of telling a player to go sit on the bench after striking out.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- HacMan / Hackman — Jeffrey Leonard (1977–90)
- Hendu — Dave Henderson (1981–94)
- “Hey, Meat” — “A term for a ballplayer, shortened from ‘Grab some pine, meat’ [above].” ~Giants Speakipedia
- Hillbilly Machiavelli — Roger Craig (1985–1992)
- Huff Daddy — Aubrey Huff (2010–2012)
- “Humm Baby” — “The Rally cry of former Giants Manger Roger Craig, originated in the 1987 season, leading the Giants to a NL West Division Crown.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- Iron Man — Joe McGinnity (1902–1908)
- Joe Baseball — Joe Panik (2014–present)
- King Carl — Carl Hubbell (1928-193)
- Kobe — Joaquín Árias (2012–Present); he has a resemblance to Kobe Bryant, so lots of fans call him that
- Kung Fu Panda — Pablo Sandoval (2008–2014); named by teammate Barry Zito for his rotund build and loveable nature.
- Los Gigantes — Spanish for Giants. Used on the team’s uniform on Cinco de Mayo of 2007.
- Mac — Willie McCovey (1959–80)
- Mad Bum — Madison Bumgarner (2009–present)
- Mandrake the Magician — Don Mueller (1948–1957)
- Master Melvin — Melvin Thomas Ott (1926–1947)
- Matt the Bat — Matt Williams (1987–1996)
- McCovey Cove — The unofficial name of “the body of water beyond the right field wall of AT&T Park. Named after Giants Hall of Fame 1st Baseman, Willie McCovey, who was one of the most feared left-handed power hitters of all time.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- McCovey Point — At the northeastern portion of the China Basin Park, San Francisco, overlooking McCovey Cove.
- Moon Man — Greg Minton (1975–1987)
- Nenth Inning — When closer Robb “The Terminator” Nen (1998–2002) entered the game
- Old Country — Madison Bumgarner (2009–present)
- One Flap Down — “Nickname for former Giant Jeffrey Leonard originating from his home run trot where he would leave one arm hanging downward as if motionless.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- One Hunter Percent — Hunter Pence (2012–present)
- Orange Friday — “Giants fans wear orange on Fridays during the season to show support for their Giants. You can see orange throughout the city of San Francisco on Friday, whether the team is home or away.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- Orator Jim — James Henry O’Rourke (1885 – 1892, 1904)
- Panda — Pablo Sandoval (2008–2014); named by teammate Barry Zito for his rotund build and loveable nature.
- Pandoval — Pablo Sandoval (2008–2014)
- Panik Attack — Joe Panik (2014–present); this is Zinzin’s creation and recommended nickname for a truly amazing young player.
- Pat The Bat — Pat Burrell (2010–2011)
- Patty Baseball — Pat Burrell (2010–2011)
- Penitentiary Face — Jeffrey Leonard (1977–90)
- Planet Zito — Barry Zito (2007–2013)
- Pocket Full of Posies — Buster Posey (2009–Present); when clears the bases with a home run
- Rags — Dave Righetti (1979–95, coach 2000–present)
- Red Ass — Gaylord Perry (1962–1971)
REDACTED— All slang related to disgraced performance-enhancing drug-using Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera: “Got Melk?” has become “Got Juice?,” “Bad Melk” or “Spoiled Melk.”- Rube — Richard William Marquard (1908-1915)
- Sarge — Gary Matthews (1972–87)
- Shooter — Rodney Roy “Rod” Beck (1991–1997)
- Shotgun — Matt Cain (2005–present)
- Silent Mike — Mike Tiernan (1887–1899)
- Smiling Mickey — Michael Francis Welch (1883-1892)
- Snotrocket — Madison Bumgarner (2009–present)
- Splash Hit — “Name for a home run that lands into McCovey Cove.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- Stamos — Brandon Crawford (2011–Present)
- Stonewall — Travis Jackson (1922–1936)
- Stretch — “Nickname for Giants Willie McCovey [1959–80] earned because of his ability to catch hide and wide throws to first baseman.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- The Baby Bull — Orlando Cepeda (1958–1966)
- The Barry Shift — “A common sight when Barry Bonds [was] at bat, it is when the opposing team shifts its defensive allingment so that the shortstop and center fielder are playing on the right half of the field, the third baseman is playing near shortstop and the left fielder is almost in center field.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- The Bay Bombers — A geographic nickname, alluding to San Francisco, which is situated by the SF Bay.
- The Bays — Short version of The Bay Bombers.
- The Bulldozers / The Dozers – In reference to winning all six elimination games on the way to the 2012 World Series Championship, especially in the NLDS when they lost first two games at home and won all three elimination games in Cincinnati. Nobody in San Francisco actually calls them this. Perhaps Detroit, St. Louis, and/or Cincinnati fans did.
- The Count of Montefusco — John Montefusco (1974–1980)
- The Fordham Flash — Frankie Frisch (1919–1926)
- The Franchise — Tim Lincecum (2006–Present)
- The Freak — Tim Lincecum (2006–Present)
- The G-Men — A Giants team nickname and reference to nickname for a government agent.
- The Gnats — Used by Giants detractors, especially Dodgers and Athletics fans.
- The Gyros — A Giants team nickname
- The Hembreenator — Heath Hembree (2013)
- The Horse — Matt Cain (2005–present)
- The Jints (rhymes with “pints”, not “mints”) — Slang version of “Giants”
- The Kid — Roger Kieschnick (2013)
- The Lord / The Lord Voldemort — Barry Bonds (1993-2007)
- The Machine — Pat Burrell (2010–2011) and Brian Wilson (2006–2012)
- The Meal Ticket — Carl Hubbell (1928-193)
- The Misfits – Nickname for the 2010 Giants team that won the world series with a group of players that were not considered super stars… Also a play on the “SF” in “miSFits”, as seen on many bootleg shirts bearing the band logo of the same name.
- The Old Flash — Frankie Frisch (1919–1926)
- The Orange and Black — Reference to the team’s colors.
- The Orange Giants — Reference to the team’s colors.
- The Orange Nation — Reference to the team’s colors.
- The Pacific Sock Exchange — The nickname for Will Clark (1986–1993) and Kevin Mitchell (1987–1991)
- The Rajah — Rogers Hornsby (1927)
- The Reverend — Hunter Pence (2012–present)
- The Riot – Ryan Theriot (2012)
- The Say Hey Kid — “Nickname for Giants legend Willie Mays [1951–73] originated because when he first came up to the Majors he didn’t know everyone’s name so he always used to call out ‘say hey’ to everyone.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- The Staten Island Scot — Bobby Thomson (1957) (Hitter of “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” the most famous single hit in Baseball history)
- The Stick — Candlestick, in San Francisco, home of the SF 49ers and Giants.
- The Terminator — Robb Nen (1998–2002)
- The Willie — “Nickname for the statue of Willie Mays found in Willie Mays Plaza. A popular meeting destination before and after Giants games.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- The Year of the Fox — “The nickname refers to the 1971 team that, after finishing in 3rd place the year before, surprised the baseball world and unexpectedly captured the Western Division Title. Led by manager Charlie Fox, the mix of aging stars and rising youngsters snuck up on the baseball world, much like a fox.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- Tito — Rigoberto (Peat) Fuentes (1965–78)
- Triples Alley — “The large gap in right center field as formed by the sharp deepening of the fence wall. When a ball is hit in this area it usually results in a triple for the batter.” ~Giants Speakipedia
- Ugly Finder — When a ball is hit Into the dugout, coined by Giants announcer and former Giants starting pitcher, Mike Krukow
- “UUUU – RIBE!” — Chant by Giants fans for Jose Uribe (1985-1992)
- VogelSTRONG — Ryan Vogelsong (2000-2001, 2011-present); for when he’s in a slump or injured or when he’s on a roll
- Vogie — Ryan Vogelsong (2000-2001, 2011-present)
- Will The Thrill | The Thrill — Will Clark (1986–1993)
- Woody — Kirk Rueter (1996–2005)
- Zeets — Barry Zito (2007–2013)
Who was the Giants that had fans, like 4 or 5 of them dress up like waiters, or were they bell boys, or valets that would do some jaunty maneuver up and down the steps with jazz hands? I know it sounds weird, but that’s how fuzzy memories are like!
How can you forget ‘The Caveman’ Don Robinson!
I always liked Mike Krukow’s term “outhouse or castle”, meaning all or nothing when it came to the result of contact from a swing.
Aubrey Huff started wearing a rhinestone-encrusted red “Rally Thong” In 2010
“Torture” describes the 2010 season because many games was a low scoring nail biter. it was coined by kuip
Who was the “Refridgerator”? He was cut for drug use. Thanks
“Here comes the BEER TRUCK!” (Pablo Sandoval)
coined by Kuiper?
How about “Thunder”? That’s what they used to call Kevin Mitchell.
“You goin’ to jail!” –Post Season battle cry of the 2012 Giants.
How about “battle of the bay” it’s the name for the 1989 World Series.
Wasn’t much of a battle. Not a Series worth remembering.
How about “Dynasty” or ” The Dynasty” it is coined for the 2010, 2012 and 2014 World Series championship. Even tho it wasn’t consecutive. And it was named for the 2014 team for being the third World Series win.
How about “Yes! Yes! Yes!” It’s the 2014 rally chant started by hunter pence.
How about “buster hug” it’s when you achieve something great.. like pitching a no hitter, completing a perfect game or winning the World Series you will receive a buster hug.
Here’s more…
“Hesto Presto” is Chris Heston
And “Huddy” is Tim Hudson
My ex and I would always call Brian Wilson “Drama” because every time he came to the mound you could expect drama like loading the bases to a full count before closing the game. I told this to Kruk when I met him at Spring Training once and I swear I had heard him refer to him as Drama after that. Anyone else heard this or remember this?!
Thanks Erin, I added Drama to the list.
Don’t forget “Baby Giraffe” for Brandon Belt.
We have that one on the list above. Thanks.
Here’s another one that’s not on the list kevin Mitchell’s nickname “Boogie Bear”
Great! I added this too. Cheers.
How about “The Pacific Sock Exchange”? The nickname for Will Clark and Kevin Mitchell.
Great. I added it. Thanks.
Duffman!!
Yes! My favorite new young superstar of the year. I added it. Cheers.
See Willie Mays under the “T”s — “The Say Hey Kid” — above.
“SAY HEY!”
The term “Splash Hit” is only applied to Giants home runs into McCovey Cove on the fly (without bouncing). All other team’s dingers into the bay are just ordinary homeruns.
Total Giants splash hits through 2014: 68
Total opponent’s homeruns into the bay through 2014: 36
Scud: a pitch that bounces in front of home plate.
Ugly finder when a ball is hit Into the dugout coined by krukow
In the 70’s the Giants had a relief pitcher, Frank Reberger, who the players thought looked like, and there for called “Crane”. And Tom Haller was called “Hatch” by his teammates, who thought he looked like a hachet. I am sure I can think of more
Madison bumgarners nicknames madbum and the snotrocket.
Please don’t forget “GAMER BABE!” 😉
How’s about Angel Pagan’s nickname. El Caballo Loco.
How about ” The Reverend”. For Hunter Pence. CrawDaddy for Brandon Crawford not craw baby. Angel in the outfield for Angel Pagan. The Kid for Roger Kieschnick. Pandoval for Pablo Sandoval. Zeets for Barry Zito. Old Country for Madison Bumgarner. Fear the Beard Brian Wilson. The Hembreenator Heath Hembree. VogelSTRONG for Ryan Vogelsong when he’s in a slump or injured or when he’s on a roll. Pocket full of Posies when Buster Posey goes yard clearing the bases. Kobe for Joaquin Arias since he has a resemblance to Kobe Bryant lots of fans call him that. Huff Daddy for Aubrey Huff. That’s all I cam remember for now lol hope it helps.
Great! I added El Tiburón Blanco (The White Shark) and The Horse to the list. Keep ’em coming.
How about “Horse” for Matt Cain? And “Great White Shark” for Gregor Blanco?
Thanks! I added it to the list.
How about the “Hillbilly Machiavelli” , as Giants manager Roger Craig was known in the day.