Can’t Stay Mad About Bumgarner

I suppose like many of you, the NL Wild Card game was required viewing last night. Forget that the Royals aren’t involved in this October. The postseason is the postseason and it’s still worth watching.

And boy, was that game worth watching.

As pointed out on this site the other day, Wednesday night’s match-up was notable for being the last two Royals World Series opponents. Since the Royals are 1-1 in those series, it’s natural to root for the team they beat. Why harbor any kind of grudge against the Mets? On the other hand, you have the Giants. They employ the best postseason pitcher in baseball history. There was no question as to a rooting interest. Let’s go, Mets.

As the game unfolded, it became clear we were being treated to something special. These Wild Card games are great theater. The original Wild Card wasn’t the best idea, but the way MLB has manufactured the second Wild Card and brought about a play-in game is wonderful for so many reasons. The Giants vs the Mets (and the Orioles against the Jays from the previous evening) have kicked off the postseason in the best way possible.

Back to the actual game, as the innings ticked by, it became clear we were being treated to a pair of special performances. At first pitch, I may have been pulling for the Mets. As the game unfolded, I was rooting for baseball. Damn, Madison Bumgarner.

There’s no way I’ll ever be a fan of Bumgarner and the Giants, but there’s definitely respect. The disappointment of 2014 washed away around the time Christian Colon broke a 2-2 tie at Citi Field last November. It’s entirely possible (and fair) for your mileage to vary, but for me the wins took the sting out of the loss. Besides, when the Royals lost it was largely because they ran full on into the best postseason pitcher in baseball history.

Madison Bumgarner’s seven biggest games: G4 ’10 WS; G2 ’12 WS; ’14 WC; Gs 1, 5 and 7 ’14 WS; ’16 WC: 53 IP, 1 R, 0.17 ERA, .124 avg against.

— Barry Svrluga (@barrysvrluga) October 6, 2016

I mean, come on. Seriously. In what can truly be considered Madison Bumgarner’s biggest games of his career he’s thrown a total of 53 innings and allowed a 0.17 ERA. What? It’s easier to take the fact the Royals lost the ’14 World Series when you realize they had the misfortune of seeing Bumgarner three times. A 0.17 ERA!

Had Bumgarner been a one-hit wonder, a flash in the postseason pan, it would have been so much more difficult to swallow. But this is Bumgarner! If anyone deserves an exclamation point at the end of his name it’s him. Let the legend grow, I say. The more insane October outings he throws, the easier it is to aleve the sting of ’14. This disappointment will never disappear completely – I still harbor a grudge against all things Philadelphia just because of the 1980 World Series – but it’s impossible not to marvel at what we saw two Octobers ago and continues this year.

What a performance on Wednesday. He didn’t allow a runner to reach third all night. After a leadoff double to open the fifth he got a strikeout, a fielder’s choice where the runner was forced at third, and another strikeout. It may have induced a serious and unpleasant case of deja vu, but in my house, after a couple of innings, it was more about being awestruck than anything else. This must have been what it was like watching Koufax in the mid-60’s. After that inning, it clicked for me. It’s OK to not be angry at Bumgarner. It’s OK to marvel at what he’s doing. There is absolutely no shame in the result from 2014. This is a special pitcher in a special moment. I’m just glad there’s no chance he can face the Royals this year.

In the upcoming NLDS, I’m going to throw my lot with the Giants against the Cubs. I realize that’s an unpopular side to take, and we’re going to have to put up with a lot of “EVEN YEAR!” tomfoolery, but I just want to watch Bumgarner continue to pitch in October. Let the legend grow.