Madison Bumgarner did not pitch for the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night, but the World Series hero proved he doesn’t need to take the mound to help his team pick up a victory.
Dealing with an injured Hunter Pence and an undermanned bench, Giants manager Bruce Bochy decided to call on Bumgarner as a pinch-hitter with two outs in the seventh. Naturally, Bumgarner ripped a single that led to an eventual insurance run in San Francisco’s 2-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. You can see the video here.
“Yeah, now we’ve got to hear it from him for a few days saying how easy that was,” Bochy joked after the game, per MLB.com’s Joe Harris. “Good at-bat, good two-out rally. Getting that second run, that’s huge.”
Gregor Blanco and Matt Duffy worked walks after Bumgarner’s hit and Brandon Belt was later hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Bumgarner. It was the pitcher’s first pinch-hit in five career attempts.
As many of you know, Bumgarner is a good hitter — and not just for a pitcher. The lefthander is hitting .259 this season with four home runs. He hit .258 with four homers and 15 RBI last season. Not bad for a guy who typically only faces live pitching once ever five or so days, right?
It’s no wonder Bumgarner got so animated when a fellow pitcher said the National League needs to adopt the DH. The three-time World Series champion loves swinging the lumber.
