Madison Bumgarner has a postseason for the ages
What a run it was.
A five-inning save in Game 7 of the World Series capped an otherworldly playoff performance from San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner.
The Giants ace secured his place in baseball history by dominating in all seven of his playoff appearances, and became the fourth pitcher to earn MVP honors in the LCS and World Series in the same postseason.
San Francisco went 6-1 in postseason games Bumgarner pitched in. He recorded two complete games - including the wild-card contest to get the Giants to the NLDS - and threw at least seven frames in all six of his starts.
The left-hander turned it up a notch during the playoffs after putting up a 2.98 ERA with 219 strikeouts over 217 1/3 innings in the regular season.
| Player | IP | ERA | WHIP | K/BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bumgarner | 52.2 | 1.03 | 0.65 | 45/6 |
This was one epic postseason for Madison Bumgarner pic.twitter.com/EAwxZmEwNH
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 30, 2014
"He had a tremendous playoffs," said Royals designated hitter Billy Butler, according to Randy Covitz of The Kansas City Star. "He put his team on his back and carried them in this World Series. He was definitely the difference maker for them. You have to tip your hat off to him, to come back on short rest.
"He dominated every time he was on the mound. That’s what true competitors and true aces do. That’s what sets him apart from everybody else. He deserves (the MVP) the way he pitched."
Bumgarner recorded the five-inning save on two days rest after throwing a shutout in Game 6. It marked the longest save in World Series history, and tied for the most scoreless innings of relief in Game 7 of the Fall Classic. He became the first pitcher with two wins, a shutout and a save in a World Series since the save rule became official in 1969, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
The 25-year-old workhorse also set the record for most innings pitched in a single postseason with 52 2/3, surpassing Curt Schilling's mark of 48 1/3 set in 2001.
Bumgarner appears to pitch at his best when the stakes are highest, as evidenced by the 0.43 ERA he put up over 21 World Series innings. His career World Series ERA is even better - his stingy mark of 0.25 is the lowest in major league history among pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched.
Bumgarner's dominance will unquestionably be the lasting image of the 2014 season, as the three-time World Series champion provided one of the greatest performances in playoff history.