The Giants honored Vin Scully with a special plaque, a Willie Mays visit and Kruk & Kuip toast
Well, the day finally came. Sunday marked the very last game of Vin Scully's 67-year career in the booth for the Dodgers, and as fate would have it the game took place against the Giants at AT&T Park.
Since this was the 80th anniversary to the day(!) of the moment Scully said he first fell in love with the game, the Giants (whom 8-year-old Vin became enamored with at the time) rolled out several fantastic tributes during the afternoon. Scully even retold that story during the broadcast:
When fans entered the ballpark on Sunday, they were given these cheer cards with "Thank You Vin" printed across the front (in orange and black, of course):
#ThankYouVin pic.twitter.com/oDVpeOd7ks
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 2, 2016
Then, during a break between innings, the Giants presented Scully with a special commemorative plaque that will take up permanent residence in the AT&T Park broadcast booth:
Forever enshrined in the visiting TV broadcast booth. #ThankYouVin pic.twitter.com/vaXZkeuLfJ
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) October 2, 2016
As seen atop this post, the segment also included a surprise visit from Scully's old friend Willie Mays and, using the cheer cards, another toast from the fans in the stands:
Thank you, @SFGiants. #ThankYouVin pic.twitter.com/uQqUk5p5hC
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 2, 2016
The Giants' television broadcasters, Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper, then saluted Vin during the seventh-inning stretch, dedicating a rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" to him:
Take Me Out to the Ballgame 🎶 #ThankYouVin 🎙 #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/wjYrOJE5q7
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) October 2, 2016
Naturally, Scully took part in the special moment:
All in all, it was all just a perfect send-off for Scully, a man whose spirit for the game has always been bigger than most.
At the end of the day, the Giants won, 7-1 (clinching a Wild Card matchup with Noah Syndergaard and the Mets on Wednesday in Queens), and Scully bid goodbye for the last time but not without saying, "Don't be sad that it's over, smile because it happened" during the top of the ninth.
His final send-off? An appropriately self-deprecating "I have said enough for a lifetime, and for the last time, I wish you a very pleasant good afternoon.''
Farewell, Vin, we all already miss you.
Dear friends... pic.twitter.com/akgzIU1UdW
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 2, 2016