Sixty years ago this year, the Giants played their final season in New York before moving to San Francisco. Team owner Horace Stoneham had been looking for a new ballpark, and he found one on the other side of the country.
The Giants called the Polo Grounds home from 1891-1957, and on September 29 of 1957, the club played their final game at the old ballpark. The End of an Era, a film chronicling the team's move to San Francisco, includes color footage, shot by Moe Resner, of the Giants' final game at the Polo Grounds. SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research, has uploaded a clip to YouTube. Check it out:
That's a young Willie Mays signing autographs for fans behind the dugout. Mays was only 26 and six years into his Hall of Fame career when the Giants moved from New York to San Francisco.
It's worth noting the Polo Grounds did not close its doors after the Giants left. The NFL's New York Titans/Jets franchise played there from 1960-63. Also, the Mets played their first two seasons at the Polo Grounds before moving into Shea Stadium in 1964.
The Polo Grounds closed for good in 1963. It was demolished the following year.
(h/t Cut4)
