future Hall of Famer, then won the award in 1959. Cepeda would hit his first career home run at Seals Stadium on April 15, 1958. The Giants drew well at Seals Stadium. Finishing 80–74 in 1958, they drew 1,272,625 fans. That increased to 1,422,130 in 1959, when the Giants finished 83–71. Prevailing winds to left field aided right-handed hitters; of the 45 home runs hit in its first 19 major league games in 1958, 36 were to left field. All-Star Giants pitcher Johnny Antonelli was not a fan of the ballpark, telling reporters after a loss, "A pitcher should be paid double for working here. Worst ballpark in America. Every time you stand up there, you’ve got to beat the hitter and a 30-mile-per-hour wind." A brewery was just north of the venue. At the time, its weather was thought to be considerably less favorable than the site of the park under construction at Candlestick Point. The final game at Seals Stadium took place on September 20, 1959. The Giants lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 8–2 in front of 22,923. 1959 demolition and site usage With Candlestick Park nearing completion, Seals Stadium was demolished in November 1959. Many of the seats and the light towers were eventually repurposed at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Washington. After demolition, the site (bounded by Bryant Street, 16th Street, Potrero Avenue and Alameda Street) initially housed a White Front department store. For many years after, there were several automobile dealerships after the 1982 demise of Van Ness Avenue's famed auto row. In the late 1990s, the area was converted to a shopping center. 2008: 50 year anniversary tribute On April 15, 2008, the San Francisco Giants paid tribute to the 50th Anniversary of their move to Seals Stadium. There was a ceremony at the Seals Stadium site and another at Oracle Park to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1958 Opening Day. The Giants' home game that day – against the Arizona Diamondbacks – was started at 1:35 p.m. That start time commemorated the same time of day that Giants' pitcher Ruben Gomez threw the first pitch at Seals Stadium on Opening Day, April 15, 1958. The first 20,000 fans attending the Diamondbacks-Giants game received a commemorative poster print of the Gomez' first pitch from 1958. Orlando Cepeda and Gino Cimoli, the first man at bat on that historic day, threw out the ceremonial