PHOENIX - In 1997, San Francisco Giants starting pitcher and Douglas High grad Shawn Estes had a remarkable year. So good in fact that his 19-5 record was the third highest single season total by a left-handed pitcher in team history.
Then in 1998, when his career seemed to be taking off, he struggled to a 7-12 record and a strained left posterior shoulder caused him to miss 44 games that season. Hoping to again bounce back in 1999, Estes managed to go just 11-11, second highest in his career but far from his 1997 numbers.
"Yeah, those were a rough couple of years," Estes said.
But this season, Estes is 15-6, second highest on the team behind Livan Hernandez, who picked up his 17th win on Friday night after the Giants 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks. He thinks that the Giants underrated pitching staff is what has helped him return to his 1997 form.
"We all are very competitive and that just gets us motivated to go out there and pitch," Estes said. "And our staff is pretty diverse in how we pitch, so we keep other teams guessing."
After opening the season with an MLB worst 4-11, the Giants now have the league's best record at 96-65 as they prepare for Wednesday's divisional playoff series against the New York Mets at Pacific Bell Park. The Giants haven't had the league's best record since 1962 when they went 103-62.
"I don't know what it was," said Estes of the teams turnaround. "I guess once our offense started heating up and we started to win some games, then our staff just fed off that. As a staff, we started out the season slow as well and then got into our stride about the third month of the season," Estes said.
Then on September 21, after trailing the Arizona Diamondbacks for the better part of the season, the Giants clinched the NL West title with an 8-7 win over the D'backs. It was the Giants second NL West title in the past four years. Estes said it seemed almost scripted.
"You couldn't have written it any better," Estes said about clinching the division at home against the Diamondbacks, who won last season. "They ended up celebrating at our place last year when they won it and it was just awesome to win it in front of our fans. I mean, the park was electric."
So, after dealing with injuries and mediocre numbers the past two seasons, Estes has gotten himself back to where he wanted to be. In the playoffs and winning ball games for his team. The maturing process since 1996, when he played his first full year with the Giants organization, has made turned him into a more mature pitcher. But he knows that he would have never realized that unless he went through those two down years in 1998 and 1999.
"My experience over the last couple of years, you know dealing with injuries and some failures, just made me a better pitcher," Estes said. " And a lot of things have came together for me. I developed a better routine. I know my body a little bit better now and how to prepare for a game. I've been able to pitch in any situation and in any atmosphere. I'm just a better pitcher."