Last season, the Giants bid farewell to two highly beloved pitchers in Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong. Although fans won’t see them take the mound every fifth day in the orange and black, they will forever be able to see Cain and Vogelsong enshrined outside of AT&T Park when their plaques are added to the Giants’ Wall of Fame before the team’s 6:05 game against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 28.
Adding some more bronze to our Wall of Fame this summer. #ThanksCain | #VogelStrong | #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/KIfbRv3GoW
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) January 24, 2018
Cain finished his career as one of the few baseball players that wore the same uniform during his entire time in the Major Leagues. Over the course of his 13-year career, Cain gave the Giants several unforgettable moments, most notably the first perfect game in franchise history. In June 2012, Cain faced 27 Houston Astros and retired them all while striking out 14. Five years later, he pitched the final game of his career on September 30 in front of a full crowd at AT&T Park.
The final moments of Matt Cain's career: pic.twitter.com/4F0DaW4a4k
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) September 30, 2017
Although Vogelsong didn’t spend his entire career with the Giants, San Francisco was where he truly blossomed. He first reached the Major Leagues in 2000 with the Giants and didn’t find his way back to the Bay Area until 2011, where he went 13-7 with a 2.71 ERA to finish 11th for the Cy Young Award.
Vogelsong spent the final year of his career in 2016 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, his team in 2001, and from 2003-2006, but returned to San Francisco last season to bring his time in the Major Leagues to a close as a Giant. He took the mound in full uniform before the Giants faced the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 17. He threw three warmup pitches as the team prepared for the game behind him until Bruce Bochy came to the mound and brought an end to his career.
One final time. #ForeverGiant pic.twitter.com/lNjAAd0fjH
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 17, 2017