Madison Bumgarner
| Birthdate | 8/1/1989 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 2009 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Diamondbacks, Giants |
| Position | Pitcher |
In five World Series appearances Madison Bumgarner has 4 victories and a 5-inning Game 7 save; the 2014 Series MVP has an 0.25 Fall Classic ERA.
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Madison Bumgarner was one of the majors' best pitchers during the 2010s
Madison Bumgarner was one of the majors' best pitchers during the 2010s
Any summary of Major League Baseball during the decade of the 2010s must include Madison Bumgarner. An All Star four times, he received votes in Cy Young balloting five times from 2011-2016. Overall in the decade Bumgarner posted 119 wins and a 120 ERA+. He also earned Silver Slugger Awards in consecutive seasons starting in 2014.
When it mattered most, he shined the brightest. A three-time World Series champ during the 2010s, Bumgarner pitched in 16 October games. His playoff record during the 2010s stands at 8 wins, 3 losses, with 3 shutouts, 1 save and a 2.11 ERA.
In 2014 he was the MVP of both the NLCS and the World Series. That October he pitched to a 1.03 ERA while setting the record for most innings pitched in a single postseason (52 2/3). In the World Series MadBum was even better – four wins in four starts, one save in one relief appearance, and a sparkling 0.25 ERA.
An article on MLB.com ranks Bumgarner the 5th-best pitcher of the 2010s. Clayton Kershaw was ranked #1 followed by Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Chris Sale.
Shown here is a ticket to the June 28, 2008 contest between the Hickory Crawdads and the Augusta GreenJackets. Pitching in his first professional season, Bumgarner earned his 10th win against three losses for the Giants Single-A August club.
Facing a lineup of Braves farmhands that included future MLB All Stars Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman, Bumgarner sparkled. He scattered 5 hits in 7 scoreless innings and struck out 6.
The future Atlanta teammates each reached base vs MadBum. Heyward got hit by a Bumgarner pitch; Freeman hit a double. In Hickory’s 2-0 loss they combined to go 1-for-7 with two strikeouts.
Bumgarner’s autograph is across the front of the ticket.
Buster Posey and MadBum became first MLB battery to hit a grand slam in the same game
Buster Posey and MadBum became first MLB battery to hit a grand slam in the same game
Pitcher Madison Bumgarner and catcher Buster Posey broke in together with the Giants three days apart in September, 2009. Soon they formed one of the league’s best battery duos.
During their 11 years together the pair saw great personal and team success. Bumgarner made four consecutive All Star teams starting in 2013. He finished in the top-9 in Cy Young balloting each of those seasons, highlighted by a pair of fourth-place finishes. Adept at bat, MadBum also earned two Silver Slugger Awards.
As Bumgarner’s teammate, Posey earned the 2010 Rookie of the Year Award, was the 2012 NL MVP, and gained selection to 6 All Star Games. He also earned 4 Silver Sluggers during their time together.
The pair won three Fall Classic titles with Bumgarner taking both the NLCS and World Series MVP in 2014.
On July 13, 2014 they also did something no other pitcher/catcher battery had ever done before.
In the bottom of the 5th in the Sunday afternoon contest Posey hit a grand slam to put the Giants ahead 4-1. Bumgarner hung a zero on the Diamondbacks in the top of the 6th to maintain the momentum. In the San Francisco half of the inning each of the first three Giants batters reached base to bring Bumgarner to the plate.
The right-hand hitting Bumgarner ambushed the first pitch and drove it over the left field fence. Posey and MadBum became the first pitcher-catcher combo to hit grand slams in the same game. With the universal designated hitter now in place, it’s likely no one will ever match their feat.
Shown here is the receipt Posey signed to receive his 2015 All Star Game ring.
Madison Bumgarner's 0.25 World Series ERA is the lowest among pitchers with at least 20 innings
Madison Bumgarner's 0.25 World Series ERA is the lowest among pitchers with at least 20 innings
Madison Bumgarner might be the greatest pitcher in World Series history. He appeared on baseball’s biggest stage in 2010, 2012, and 2014 and dominated each time. His overall performance is historically supreme.
In 2010 he pitched eight scoreless innings to get the Game 4 victory. Bumgarner allowed only three hits and struck out twice as many. Two years later in 2012’s Game 2 win Bumgarner was masterful once more. He surrendered just two hits while striking out 8 over seven shutout innings.
The left-hander saved his best for the 2014 Fall Classic. The Game 1 starter, MadBum set the tone by hanging six straight zeroes on the Royals before giving up a run in the 7th. Then in Game 5 he twirled his finest World Series performance – a complete-game shutout. The outing included eight strikeouts and half as many hits allowed.
Three days later skipper Bruce Bochy summoned him out of the bullpen after the Giants recorded just 12 outs in Game 7. Inserted in the bottom of the 4th inning with a slim 3-2 lead, Bumgarner retired 15 of the next 17 Kansas City batters to secure the save and the championship. The two-win, one-save performance included 17 strikeouts and one walk in 21 innings. The World Series MVP, Bumgarner threw 21 innings in 9 days and had a stingy 0.43 ERA.
MLB.com ranks Bumgarner’s 2014 Fall Classic performance as the greatest in World Series history. His overall ERA in 36 Fall Classic innings is 0.25 – the lowest in history for anyone with at least 20 innings pitched.
Shown here is the receipt for a 2011 All Star Game ring signed by Hunter Wendelstedt. An umpire during MadBum’s 2014 October showcase, Wendelstedt called balls and strikes for the pitcher’s Game 5 complete-game shutout.
On Opening Day 2017 MadBum hit 2 homers to pass Babe Ruth on the all-time list for pitchers' HRs
On Opening Day 2017 MadBum hit 2 homers to pass Babe Ruth on the all-time list for pitchers' HRs
Madison Bumgarner was quite a hitter. Only 13 pitchers in baseball history hit more homers than the two-time Silver Slugger. On Opening Day, 2017 he had a day he’ll never forget.
On the April 2 contest Bumgarner hit two dingers on Opening Day. They were momentous shots. The first one off of Zack Greinke in the 5th inning was the 15th of Bumgarner’s career. That moved him past Babe Ruth on the all-time list for home runs by a pitcher.
Bumgarner hit another homer in the 7th inning. That tied him with Hall of fame pitcher Jim Kaat, Schoolboy Rowe, and two others.
By the time the universal designated hitter rule came into affect, Bumgarner had 19 career home runs. That’s good for 15th on the all-time list, tied with Jack Harshman and one ahead of the legendary Cy Young.
Shown here is a document signed by Zack Greinke who gave up the homer that pushed Bumgarner past the Sultan of Swat.
When Zack Greinke signed the document shown here, he was a high school sophomore trying out for a collegiate showcase. Signed just three weeks past his 16th birthday, the document gets Greinke a spot in the prestigious Team One Florida showcase.
Among the pitchers to play for Team One Florida are Cy Young Award winners Roy Halladay, CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander.
The young Greinke lists his primary position as shortstop and his secondary position as catcher. Interestingly the two-time Silver Slugger also writes that he hits both right and left.
Two years later Greinke was voted the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year. Gary Sheffield (1986), Alex Rodriguez (1996), and Clayton Kershaw (2006) have also received the honor.
Bumgarner had a surprise proposal for his former manager for Game 7 of the 2023 ALCS
Bumgarner had a surprise proposal for his former manager for Game 7 of the 2023 ALCS
Bruce Bochy created a Hall of Fame resumé with three World Series titles in San Francisco and one in Texas. A constant in the Bay Area trio of championships was pitcher Madison Bumgarner.
The left-hander was stunning in Fall Classic play. In four starts and one relief appearance, MadBum recorded four wins, one save, and a stingy 0.25 earned run average.
After the 2019 season both Bochy and Bumgarner left San Francisco. In December the pitcher signed a 5-year $85M contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 64-year old Bochy took three seasons off then returned as skipper of the Texas Rangers.
Bumgarner’s time in the desert was tough to watch. An assortment of injuries limited the southpaw to a 15-32 record and a 5.23 ERA. The end came early in 2023. In his first four starts Bumgarner went a combined 16 2/3 innings, allowing 20 runs on 25 hits and 15 walks. Despite a contract that ran through the end of the following season, he was released.
Meanwhile, in his first year in the Lone Star State, Bochy guided the Rangers to the playoffs. Texas won in the Wild Card round and the ALDS then faced off against the defending champion Houston Astros in the League Championship Series.
After losing three of the first five games, the Rangers thrashed Houston 9-2. There would be a winner-take-all Game 7 in the all-Texas affair.
In an October 23rd tweet ESPN reporter Buster Olney shared an interesting proposal Bumgarner made to his former skipper Bochy: “In the hours before another Game 7 for Bruce Bochy today, he got a text from Madison Bumgarner, offering to pitch.”
Bochy turned down the former World Series MVP tongue-in-cheek offer. The Rangers whipped the ‘Stros 11-4 to earn a trip to baseball’s biggest stage.
In the Fall Classic Bochy faced the same Arizona team that released Bumgarner that April. With each franchise in search of its first World Series crown, the Bochy magic came through again. In his fourth successful navigation of postseason play, Bochy guided his squad to 5-game Series victory. The Rangers were world champs at last.
Shown here is a lineup card with Bumgarner as the starting pitcher. Signed by Bochy at the bottom, it comes from May 1, 2019 in the pair’s final season together in San Francisco. Bumgarner allowed just one run in six strong innings but did not figure in the decision. The Giants won the game against rival Los Angeles on Buster Posey’s two-out, two-run single in the 9th inning. It was the seventh and final walk-off hit of Posey’s career.
Bumgarner's fire and temper meant he never backed down to anyone - even umpires
Bumgarner's fire and temper meant he never backed down to anyone - even umpires
Madison Bumgarner was known for his ferocity on the mound that at times bordered on over the top. Opponents drew his ire if they disagreed with a strike call, rounded the bases too slowly on a home run trot, or even if they looked at him the wrong way. Not even umpires were immune.
On September 24, 2015 the San Francisco left-hander had a famous run in with umpire crew chief Joe West. A veteran of 5,460 games – the most in big league history – West enjoyed controlling the game.
Bumgarner was on the hill with West calling balls and strikes. In the bottom of the 6th with two out, MadBum delivered a 3-1 pitch to San Diego’s Jedd Gyorko. When the 84-mile per hour offering was called a ball, the pitcher dropped an f-bomb so loud that it was audible on the Giants telecast.
Predictably, West took exception. After Bumgarner received the ball back from catcher Buster Posey,he turned his back on West and walked toward the back of the mound. West took off his masked and took a step toward the pitcher. When Bumgarner finished his stroll and looked back toward the plate he saw the umpire glaring at him. The two then began a 20-second stare-down with neither breaking eye contact.
Finally West gave the pitcher a slight nod which Bumgarner returned. MadBum then struck out the next hitter to end the inning. Video of the confrontation can be seen by clicking here.
Four years later West and Bumgarner tangled in a lighter episode. On July 28, 2019 West was again behind the plate for the Bumgarner start. Their miscommunication came in the top of the second with a bat in Bumgarner’s hand. A curveball on the first pitch nicked the strike zone. West signaled a strike but made no audible call. Bumgarner thought it was a ball.
A pitch outside the zone on the second offering led Bumgarner to believe the count was two balls and no strikes. On the next pitch he swung from his heels and missed. The fourth pitch was an 83-mile an hour curveball. Bumgarner watched as it traveled to the heart of the zone. Believing it was merely strike two, Bumgarner remained at the plate after West rang him up.
Both the catcher and the umpire looked at Bumgarner in disbelief, wondering why he chose to remain in the batter’s box. Finally West alerted the batter that he was out. As Bumgarner walked back to the dugout West enjoyed a strong and lengthy laugh at the pitcher’s expense. Video of the somewhat light-hearted episode can be found here.
The game ended well for the pitcher and his team. In the 7-6 win Bumgarner earned the 116th of his 119 victories with the Giants
Shown here is a 5×8 stat card that highlights West’s career. The umpire signed it in the bottom right corner.
