Madison Bumgarner Leads Giants to Third World Series Title in Five Years
Madison Bumgarner etched his name into World Series history on Wednesday.
After winning Games 1 and 5, Bumgarner came out of the bullpen and pitched five scoreless innings in Game 7 to lead the San Francisco Giants to their third World Series title in five years.
“MadBum’’ was lights out in the Giants’ series-clinching win over the Kansas City Royals, giving up just two hits over five innings with no walks and four strikeouts. The Royals got the tying run 90 feet away with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Bumgarner induced a pop out to Pablo Sandoval in foul territory to clinch the championship.
The Giants took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second on sac flies by Michael Morse and Brandon Crawford, but the Royals tied it up in the bottom of the frame, scoring on an Alex Gordon RBI double and an Omar Infante sacrifice fly.
Morse provided the go-ahead run for the Giants in the top of the fourth on an RBI single to put San Francisco up 3-2.
That was all the offense Bumgarner would need, as he relieved Jeremy Affeldt in the fifth and didn’t look back. Affeldt went 2 1/3 innings after starter Tim Hudson was pulled with two outs in the bottom of the second.
The seven-game series win took much longer than either of the Giants’ previous two titles; they beat the Texas Rangers in five games in 2010 and swept the Detroit Tigers in 2012.
The Royals heartbreaking loss comes 29 after years after their first – and only – World Series title, when they beat the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985. This was the first time Kansas City had appeared in the postseason since that season.
To no one’s surprise, Bumgarner was named World Series MVP, after he threw 21 total innings in the World Series, allowing nine hits and just one run in the series with one walk and 17 strikeouts.
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