Will the Thrill's 22 immortalized at Oracle Park

Will Clark officially joined the pantheon of Giants legends on Saturday afternoon, when the club retired his No. 22 during a pregame ceremony at Oracle Park.

Clark became the 11th Giant to have his number retired, taking his place between Monte Irvin’s No. 20 and Willie Mays’ No. 24 on the row of numbers that hang off the club level in the left-field corner of the ballpark.

“This right here is my Hall of Fame,” Clark said during an emotional 15-minute speech. “To be recognized with the incredible names of this historical franchise is beyond belief. I always wanted to win and have others around me be winners. We all did that together here. I am Will ‘the Thrill’ Clark, I am part of San Francisco and I am forever a Giant.”

The Giants had traditionally only retired numbers of Hall of Fame inductees, but the policy began to change after they opted to retire Barry Bonds' No. 25 in 2018. During the 30-year reunion of the 1989 World Series team the following year, the Giants announced that they would also bestow the honor on Clark, one of the most popular and consequential players in franchise history.

The Giants had initially planned to hold Clark’s number retirement ceremony in 2020, but the event was put on hold for over two years due to the pandemic. Still, it felt fitting that Clark was ultimately feted in 2022 -- 22 years after he played his final big league season, no less.

“It took two years to get to this position, a lot of anticipation leading up to it,” Clark told reporters afterward. “It was a lot of fun being on the field. I was soaking it all in. Especially when they did the video montage, and then to be able to go out on the field, thank the fans, thank all my teammates. It was really special to me.”

Selected with the second overall pick of the 1985 MLB Draft out of Mississippi State, Clark played for the Giants for eight seasons, earning five All-Star appearances and finishing in the top five in National League MVP voting four times. Known for his sweet left-handed swing, signature eye black and relentless intensity on the field, Clark’s arrival in 1986 played a major role in reviving a franchise that had lost 100 games the previous season.

“Perhaps the most important thing he did was he made it cool to be a Giants fan again,” said Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow, Clark’s former teammate. “His chapter in the book of Giants was long and it was rich and it was rich with accomplishment. There was not one time that we took the field with Will that we didn’t think we were playing with a guy that would someday become immortal and leave his mark on the game.”

In 1989, Clark batted .333 with 23 home runs to help San Francisco win 92 games and reach the World Series for the first time since ’62. He delivered a legendary performance during the ’89 NLCS against the Cubs, crushing a grand slam off Greg Maddux in Game 1 en route to going 13-for-20 (.650) with six extra-base hits and eight RBIs over the five-game series. Clark finished second in NL MVP voting that year, behind only Giants teammate Kevin Mitchell.

Several Giants luminaries were on hand to celebrate Clark on Saturday, including Bonds, Mitchell, Buster Posey, Bruce Bochy, Robby Thompson, Jeffrey Leonard and Mike Murphy. Others -- including Clark’s former managers Roger Craig and Dusty Baker and Hall of Famers Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry and Mays -- weren’t in attendance but sent along congratulatory messages.

“Will, I’m very proud of you, my friend,” Bonds said. “You were a tough person to like when I played for the Pirates. … It was great to play against you, but it was better to be your teammate.”

Clark delivered a gracious speech after stepping up to the podium, thanking his wife, Lisa, and his two kids, Trey and Ella, before recognizing the countless friends and teammates who helped him throughout his career. He even took a moment to pay homage to Candlestick Park, his home ballpark during his tenure with the Giants.

“That place made us, all of us, grow into the adults that we are now,” Clark said. “You had to have a thick skin to play there. I’ll just call it moxie, but you know what I mean. Everybody talks about how cold it was and the wind blowing and all that stuff. It’s going to sound a little sadistic, but I absolutely loved it. Standing at home plate and watching 40 hot dog wrappers blow around and going, ‘Oh, Jesus, one of them has got to be a baseball.’”

Clark closed his remarks by thanking the fans, whom he credited for sticking with the Giants through the lean years.

“The turnaround from 100 losses in ’85 to being in the playoffs to ’87 to being in the World Series in ’89 was absolutely amazing,” Clark said. “We could have not done it without your fabulous support. You guys made playing at Candlestick so much easier. I want to thank you guys for coming out and bearing all the elements and watching the change in this organization. You guys are such knowledgeable baseball people, and it was my pleasure to play in front of you guys.”