The San Francisco Giants were one of the best teams in the 1960s, but things suddenly turned south in the ’70s. It all started on May 11, 1972, when Willie Mays was traded to the New York Mets. That season, they had their first-ever losing season in the City by the Bay. The team bounced back and went 88-74 in 1973.
However, the Giants only drew 834,193 fans in 1973, and longtime owner Horace Stoneham had to cut corners. Willie McCovey was traded to the San Diego Padres, and Juan Marichal was traded to the Boston Red Sox shortly afterwards.