McCovey Cove


McCovey Cove is the unofficial name of a section of San Francisco Bay beyond the right field wall of Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, named after famed Giants first baseman Willie McCovey. The proper name for the cove is China Basin, which is the mouth of Mission Creek as it meets the bay. The cove is bounded along the north by Oracle Park, with a ferry landing and a breakwater at the northeast end. The southern shore is lined by China Basin Park and McCovey Point. To the east, it opens up to San Francisco Bay, while the west end of the cove is bounded by the Lefty O'Doul Bridge, named after San Francisco ballplayer and manager Lefty O'Doul.

Naming

The name was coined thanks to two sportswriters. Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News wrote an article suggesting naming the body of water after McCovey, though his original suggestions were 'McCovey Channel,' 'McCovey Stream' or 'McCovey Run.' Purdy then noted the more 'lyrical' name of 'McCovey Cove' was suggested by his colleague Leonard Koppett, a writer for the Oakland Tribune. The name did not take long to become very popular, although the moniker has never become official.

Features

On game days, fans take to the water of McCovey Cove in boats and even in kayaks, often with fishing nets in the hope of collecting a home run ball. This echoes what used to happen during McCovey's playing days. Before Candlestick Park's upper deck was extended, the area behind right field was occupied by three small bleacher sections and a lot of open space. Kids in those bleachers would gather behind the right field fence when "Stretch" would come to the plate. There may also be a link to the fact that Willie McCovey was one of only a few that hit home runs over the scoreboard and into a public swimming pool at Montreal's Jarry Park, the Expos' home from 1969 to 1976. The fact that balls can be hit into a water basin over the right field wall in San Francisco is somewhat of a tribute/salute to Willie McCovey's legend when he visited Montreal.
Just beyond the wall is a public waterfront promenade. Across the cove from the ballpark is McCovey Point and China Basin Park, featuring a statue of McCovey at the mouth of the Cove. At his feet are small plaques commemorating the winners of the Willie Mac Award, named in McCovey's honor. Along the southern shore of the cove, between McCovey Point and the O'Doul Bridge, is a walkway featuring plaques showing the Opening Day Roster of every Giants team from 1958 through 1999. Just south of the statue of Willie McCovey is Barry Bonds Junior Giants Field, a t-ball sized baseball diamond.

Splash hits

"Splash hits" are recorded only when Giants players hit home runs that land in McCovey Cove on the fly. These hits are tallied on an electronic counter on the right field wall. As of July 29, 2020, 82 "splash hits" have been hit into the Bay by Giants players since the park opened; 35 of those were by Barry Bonds. The only Giants other than Bonds to have reached the Cove more than once are Brandon Belt with nine, Pablo Sandoval with eight, Denard Span with five, and six players with two each: Felipe Crespo, Michael Tucker, Ryan Klesko, Aubrey Huff, Andrés Torres, and Brandon Crawford. Twelve other Giants' players have accomplished the feat just once. Carlos Beltrán's "splash hit" on September 14, 2011, marked his 300th career home run. Klesko is currently the only player to have splash hits as both a Giant and as an opposing player through the 2019 season. Tyler Colvin's "splash hit" on May 12, 2014, was also his first hit for the Giants and occurred in his first at bat at Oracle Park since joining the team.
Three "splash hits" have been walk-off home runs: Barry Bonds' on August 19, 2003, Brandon Crawford's on April 13, 2014, and Mike Yastrzemski's on July 29, 2020.
As of the end of the 2019 season, Bonds is the only Giant to record a "splash hit" in the postseason. Bonds did so in the 5th inning of Game 3 of the 2002 National League Championship Series on October 12, 2002.
When the stadium hosted the 2007 Home Run Derby, McCovey Cove was heavily featured in promotional materials, and the namesake slugger presented each participant with special bats before the competition. However, the difficulty of hitting McCovey Cove with a home run was shown, as none of the eight sluggers competing were able to hit water, and all four left-handed batters were eliminated in the first round of the contest. The only player to hit water was Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers, who did so on a foul ball. Fielder would eventually hit McCovey Cove with a fair ball on July 20, 2008, as the 17th visiting player to hit a home run into the Cove.
No right-handed hitter has ever hit an opposite field home run into McCovey Cove, though Giants catcher Buster Posey has come close several times.
Three visiting pitchers have surrendered multiple "splash hits": Liván Hernández, Rodrigo López, and John Thomson. López is the only pitcher to give up a splash hit as a member of two visiting teams.
No.PlayerDateOpponentPitcher
1 New York Mets
2 St. Louis Cardinals
3 St. Louis Cardinals
4 Montreal Expos
5 San Diego Padres
6 Cincinnati Reds
7 Los Angeles Dodgers
8 Los Angeles Dodgers
9 Colorado Rockies
10 Arizona Diamondbacks
11 Arizona Diamondbacks
12 Anaheim Angels
13 Milwaukee Brewers
14 Philadelphia Phillies
15 Florida Marlins
16 Colorado Rockies
17 San Diego Padres
18 Atlanta Braves
19 Florida Marlins
20 Florida Marlins
21 Arizona Diamondbacks
22 Houston Astros
23 St. Louis Cardinals
24 Houston Astros
25 Chicago Cubs
26Minnesota Twins
27 Oakland Athletics
28St. Louis Cardinals
29 Philadelphia Phillies
30 Atlanta Braves
31 Milwaukee Brewers
32 Milwaukee Brewers
33 Milwaukee Brewers
34 Colorado Rockies
35Colorado Rockies
36 St. Louis Cardinals
37 Cincinnati Reds
38 Colorado Rockies
39San Diego Padres
40 Los Angeles Dodgers
41 Arizona Diamondbacks
42 St. Louis Cardinals
43 Houston Astros
44 Arizona Diamondbacks
45 Washington Nationals
46Cincinnati Reds
47Chicago Cubs
48 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
49 Philadelphia Phillies
50 Colorado Rockies
51 Colorado Rockies
52 Baltimore Orioles
53 Florida Marlins
54 Chicago Cubs
55 Arizona Diamondbacks
56 San Diego Padres
57New York Mets
58 Chicago Cubs
59San Diego Padres
60 Colorado Rockies
61 Houston Astros
62 Arizona Diamondbacks
63 Atlanta Braves
64 Colorado Rockies
65Atlanta Braves
66 Atlanta Braves
67Los Angeles Dodgers
68 San Diego Padres
69 Boston Red Sox
70 Milwaukee Brewers
71 New York Mets
72 Cincinnati Reds
73 June 10, 2017Minnesota Twins
74 Miami Marlins
75 Cleveland Indians
76 Los Angeles Dodgers
77 Seattle Mariners
78 Cincinnati Reds
79Philadelphia Phillies
80Philadelphia Phillies
81 San Diego Padres
82San Diego Padres

Other McCovey Cove hits

36 non-Giants players have hit the cove 51 times. Of visiting players who have hit the cove, Carlos Delgado, Carlos González and Adam LaRoche have performed the feat the most, doing it three times each. Current Major League Baseball players Max Muncy, Curtis Granderson, and Bryce Harper, and former Major League Baseball players Luis Gonzalez and Cliff Floyd are the only other visiting players to do so twice. David Ortiz, Mitch Moreland, and Adam Dunn are the only three American League players to hit the cove. Delgado, LaRoche, and Harper are the only three players to have hit home runs into McCovey Cove as members of two visiting teams.
Two visiting players have hit McCovey Cove on the fly in the postseason. Rick Ankiel hit the water on the fly in the 11th inning of Game 2 of the 2010 National League Division Series on October 8, 2010; his run would go on to be the winning run for the Atlanta Braves. Ankiel's home run was the second in postseason history to be hit straight into the cove. Bryce Harper became the second visitor to hit the water in the postseason in the 7th inning of Game 4 of the 2014 National League Division Series on October 7, 2014, as a member of the Washington Nationals.
Tim Lincecum has surrendered the most McCovey home runs to visitors, having done so five times. The other Giants to give up multiple are Madison Bumgarner, with four; Johnny Cueto, with three; and Matt Cain, Kevin Correia, Tim Hudson, Matt Morris, Hunter Strickland, Brett Tomko, and Ryan Vogelsong twice each. Correia is the only pitcher to have given up a splash hit both as a Giant and as a visiting pitcher.
Players from opposing teams have hit home runs into McCovey Cove in the same game three times: on May 28, 2001 ; on May 12, 2014 ; and on August 9, 2019.
No.HitterTeamDatePitcher
1Los Angeles Dodgers
2 Arizona Diamondbacks
3Arizona Diamondbacks
4 Arizona Diamondbacks
5San Diego Padres
6Florida Marlins
7Chicago Cubs
8 New York Mets
9Milwaukee Brewers
10St. Louis Cardinals
11 Florida Marlins
12 New York Mets
13 New York Mets
14 New York Mets
15 Pittsburgh Pirates
16Houston Astros
17Milwaukee Brewers
18San Diego Padres
19Arizona Diamondbacks
20Boston Red Sox
21 Arizona Diamondbacks
22 Arizona Diamondbacks
23Atlanta Braves
24Los Angeles Dodgers
25Texas Rangers
26Colorado Rockies
27Philadelphia Phillies
28Atlanta Braves
29 Colorado Rockies
30Pittsburgh Pirates
31 Colorado Rockies
32San Diego Padres
33Atlanta Braves
34 New York Mets
35Chicago White Sox
36Colorado Rockies
37Arizona Diamondbacks
38Washington Nationals
39Philadelphia Phillies
40Chicago Cubs
41Los Angeles Dodgers
42 New York Mets
43Kansas City Royals
44Los Angeles Dodgers
45Los Angeles Dodgers
46St. Louis Cardinals
47Los Angeles Dodgers
48 Los Angeles Dodgers
49New York Mets
50Chicago Cubs
51 Philadelphia Phillies