Giants' Bumgarner's text from his dad: 'You’re so much more than awesome'
Kevin Bumgarner was nestled in his recliner in rural North Carolina as he watched his son Madison make World Series history Wednesday night.
The ace of the San Francisco Giants induced Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez to pop up for the final out as the Giants and Bumgarner claimed their third World Series title in the last five years.
Bumgarner, the darling of the postseason, received MVP honors for his historic performance. On just two days rest, the 25-year-old tossed five shutout frames in Game 7, bringing his total workload for the playoffs to a record 52 2/3 innings.
“I didn’t know if he had enough left tonight,” the elder Bumgarner told Michael Powell of the New York Times. “But I did know that boy would try to steal a steak off the devil’s plate.”
Though he didn't make the trip to Kansas City to sit with the 40,535 in attendance at Kauffman Stadium for Game 7, Kevin was with his son the entire time he was on the mound and felt compelled to text him in eighth inning.
“OMG. You’re so much more than awesome,” Kevin wrote in a text to his son. “To see you work on the mound reminds me of watching you in high school. You are willing yourself to perfection and dragging the team along with you. I couldn’t be more proud of your baseball accomplishments.”
Kevin acknowledged that he knew Madison wouldn't read the message until after the game, but that didn't matter.
"I wanted him to know this was what his daddy thought of him,” Kevin said.