Tony Bennett had ties to the San Francisco Giants
n”,”providerName”Twitter”, “providerUrl”: “https://twitter.com”, “type”: “oembed”, “width”: 550, “contentType”: “rich”}, {“__typename”: “Markdown”, “content”: Bennett’s most resonant mini-concert came before the Giants’ home opener at Candlestick Park on April 12, 1993, after the off-season franchise was sold to the Peter Magowan-led investor group , which prevented the team from moving to Tampa-St. Petersburg. That afternoon, the song’s ending lyrics (“When I get home to you, San Francisco, your golden sun will shine for me”) held special meaning for any Giants fan.nnAnother performance from Bennett was a welcome surprise. On October 31, 2012, he left San Francisco City Hall to sing “I Left My Heart…” and close the ceremony following the parade celebrating the ball club’s four-game World Series victory over Detroit ,”credit”:null,”contentType”:null,”format”:”jpg”,”templateUrl”https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/ipnc5 0p4diyewgojamjm”,”type”image”},{“__typename”:Markdown”,”content”: Bennett also sang “I Left My Heart…” before Game 1 of the Giants’ 2010 World Series opener, including against the visit to Texas, and Game 3 of the 2002 series when San Francisco hosted the Angels. He also led the audience in “God Bless America” during the seventh inning of Game 3 of the NL Division Series 2014 between the Giants and the Nationals.nnThe Giants cemented their bond with Bennett when they celebrated his 90th birthday at a pregame event at Oracle Park in August 2016. Giants legend Willie Mays joined Bennett on the field during the celebrations. That night, the Giants began flying the victory flag after each home win at Willie Mays Plaza. The flag is embellished with a Giants logo and a heart – a visual symbol of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”. .com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/inrs9xw7zfgucmdquupia”,”type”:”image”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content=”The Oracle Park suite at the end of the right row of fields is named in Bennett’s honor. Vintage Bennett record albums and other Bennett-related memorabilia dominate the suite’s decor.nnBefore or after his ballpark appearances, Bennet was The team’s clubhouse was sometimes a place to relax – particularly the office of former Giants clubhouse manager Mike Murphy, where many celebrities have sought refuge over the years.Murphy and Bennett originally met in the 1960s through influential mutual friends – the Swig family, former owners of the famed Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.The Fairmont was a regular stop for Bennett when he was on tour.nnIn his 2020 autobiography, “From the Stick to the Cove” Murphy fondly recalls crossing paths with Bennett.nn”He called me about an autographed baseball from \.[Buster\] Posey a few years ago and I sent it to him,” Murphy wrote. “Our relationship deepened when I saw him play tennis at the Hilton Hotel in Pittsburgh after the Swigs introduced us. We sat in the lobby and chatted for about an hour. We were just talking about baseball. He’s a huge baseball fan.””,”type=”text”}],”contentType”:”news”,”subHeadline”:null,”summary”:”The Giants have lost an artist they cannot replace.nTony Bennett, the acclaimed singer who died Friday at the age of 96, shed light on some of the Giants’ biggest events by accompanying them with live renditions of his signature hit “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” the song Bennett wrote in 1962 recorded,”tagline({“formatString”:”none”})”:null,”tags”:[{“__typename”:”InternalTag”,”slug”:”storytype-article”,”title”:”Article”,”type”:”article”},{“__typename”:”ContributorTag”,”slug”:”chris-haft”,”title”:”Chris Haft”,”type”:”contributor”},{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-137″,”title”:”San Francisco Giants”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:137″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”offbeat”,”title”:”offbeat”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”apple-news”,”title”:”Apple News”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”GameTag”,”slug”:”gamepk-717326″,”title”:”2023/07/21 sf@was”,”type”:”game”}],”type”story”,”thumbnail”https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/plscsqz5h2ixa9w6vssm”,”title”Tony Bennett had ties to the San Francisco Giants”}},”Team:137″:{“__typename”:Team”,”id”:137}}} window.adobeAnalytics = {“report ingSuiteId “:”mlbglobal08,mlbcom08”, “linkInternalFilters”: “mlb”} window.globalState = {“tracking_title”: “Major League Baseball”, “lang”: “en”} window.appId = ” /*–>*/
July 21, 2023
The Giants have lost a key player they cannot replace.
Tony Bennett, the acclaimed singer who died Friday at the age of 96, shed some light on some of the Giants’ biggest events by accompanying them with live renditions of his signature hit “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” The song, which Bennett recorded in 1962 and released later that year, was played on the public address system after every Giants home win for decades.
The #SFGiants are saddened by the loss of Tony Bennett, a true legend whose music will live on at Oracle Park. We keep the memories of his friendship and many visits. We will remember him because he left his heart in San Francisco. Our deepest condolences go to his family. pic.twitter.com/tYzAsuEc5F
— SFGIants (@SFGIants) July 21, 2023
Bennett’s biggest mini-concert came before the Giants’ home opener at Candlestick Park on April 12, 1993, after the franchise was sold offseason to the Peter Magowan-led group of investors, prompting the team’s relocation to Tampa-St. Petersburg. That afternoon, the song’s ending lyrics (“When I get home to you, San Francisco, your golden sun will shine for me”) held special meaning for every Giants fan.
Another appearance from Bennett was a welcome surprise. On October 31, 2012, he left San Francisco City Hall to sing “I Left My Heart…” and close the ceremony following the parade celebrating the ball club’s four-game World Series victory over Detroit.
Tony Bennett performs during the 2012 Giants’ World Series parade. (Getty)
Bennett also sang “I Left My Heart…” before Game 1 of the Giants’ opening game of the 2010 World Series against Gast from Texas and before Game 3 of the 2002 Series when San Francisco hosted the Angels. He also led the crowd on “God Bless America” in the seventh inning of Game 3 of the 2014 NL Division Series between the Giants and the Nationals.
The Giants cemented their bond with Bennett in August 2016 when they celebrated his 90th birthday at a pregame event at Oracle Park. Giants legend Willie Mays joined Bennett on the field during the celebrations. That night, the Giants began flying the victory flag after each home win at Willie Mays Plaza. The flag is embellished with a Giants logo and a heart – visually representing “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”.
Two legends in the stadium: Willie Mays and Tony Bennett. (Getty)
The Oracle Park suite at the end of the right field line is named after Bennett. Vintage Bennett record albums and other Bennett-related memorabilia dominate the suite’s decor.
Before or after his ballpark appearances, Bennett would sometimes relax in the team’s clubhouse — particularly at former Giants clubhouse manager Mike Murphy’s office, where many celebrities have taken refuge over the years. Murphy and Bennett originally met in the 1960s through influential mutual friends – the Swig family, former owners of San Francisco’s famed Fairmont Hotel. The Fairmont was a regular stop for Bennett when he was on tour.
In his 2020 autobiography, From the Stick to the Cove, Murphy fondly recalls crossing paths with Bennett.
“He called me about an autographed baseball [Buster] Posey a few years ago and I sent it to him,” Murphy wrote. “Our relationship deepened when I saw him play tennis at the Hilton Hotel in Pittsburgh after the Swigs introduced us. We sat in the lobby and chatted for about an hour. We were just talking about baseball. He’s a big baseball fan.”
