Statue honoring Giants great, Willie McCovey, returns to Oracle Park waterfront

SAN FRANCISCO - A towering bronze statue paying tribute to a San Francisco Giants great has returned to the waterfront outside Oracle Park.

On Monday, the 9-foot homage to the late Willie McCovey went back up, after it was taken down in 2020 and kept in storage to protect it from construction at Mission Rock.

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The larger-than-life sculpture featuring McCovey's left-handed power swing now stands in a new location, not far from its original site but a little closer to the street and to the ballpark. 

It’s still adjacent to McCovey Cove, the section of the Bay named after the legendary first baseman, beyond the right field wall of Oracle Park. 

Giants officials said the statue was now located in a more central spot, while visible from within the ballpark.

On Tuesday, a KTVU camera got video of the relocated statue among the construction work that's being completed in the area. 

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The bronze of the Hall of Famer, often referred to as "Stretch," is one of five statues honoring Giants legends around the ballpark.

The other sculptures pay tribute to Willie Mays, Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda and Gaylord Perry.

McCovey died in 2018 at the age of 80. He played 19 of his 22 seasons with the Giants, hitting 521 home runs during his illustrious career.