Bumgarner: Scherzer didn't mind hitting when he signed his big deal
San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner likes the rules in the National League just the way the are.
Despite St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright suffering a season-ending Achilles injury while batting Sunday, Bumgarner doesn't believe it's time to implement a designated hitter in the NL.
"What if he got hurt pitching? Should we say we can't pitch anymore?" Bumgarner told Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News. "I hate what happened to him. He works his butt off out there. But I don't think it was because he was hitting. What if he gets hurt getting out of his truck? You tell him not to drive anymore?
"That's the way the game has to be played. I appreciate both sides of the argument and I get it. But (ending pitcher plate appearances) isn't the way to go about (addressing) it."
In response to Wainwright's injury, Washington Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer, who agreed to a seven-year, $210-million deal in January after five seasons in the American League, declared that it's time to implement a league-wide DH.
"They want to see V-Mart (Victor Martinez) hit," Scherzer told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. "Those kids don't want to see me hit. No one wants to see a pitcher hit. No one pays money for that."
Bumgarner believes, however, that Scherzer knew what he was signing up for in choosing the Nationals.
"He knew the rules," Bumgarner said. "Whatever much he signed for - what did he get, again? - he didn't have a problem signing his name. He didn't have a problem with hitting then. I'm sure he had his pick of anywhere he wanted to go."
Not your prototypical hitting pitcher, Bumgarner slashed .258/.286/.470 with four home runs and 15 RBIs last season and hopes an injury doesn't result in the league taking the bat out of his hands.
"It's a beautiful game to me the way it is," Bumgarner said. "That's obviously the way baseball started and I'm a traditional guy. I'm not much for change. I know people argue both sides, but for me, from what I see, it's a more challenging game.
"It's more challenging for managers. There's so much more that goes into it in the National League than, 'Let 'em pitch until they can't get outs anymore.'"