San Francisco Giants Morning Minute: One Legacy Furthered, Another Started
On this edition of the San Francisco Giants Morning Minute, we discuss the Wildcard Game, where one legacy was furthered and another was just started.
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The postseason has a way of creating legacies. In Wednesday’s National League wildcard game, one player further cemented his status as one of the all-time greats in October. Another player forever etched his name into San Francisco Giants’ lore.
In a win-or-go-home, do-or-die postseason game, the Giants handed the ball to their ace, Madison Bumgarner. It wasn’t a difficult decision. Bumgarner hadn’t pitched since last Friday, putting him on regular rest. He had dominated in six previous starts at Citi Field. And of course, there was his reputation.
He entered Wednesday’s game with a reputation as a nearly infallible presence when the lights are at their brightest. At just 27 years old, he’s already become one of the best postseason pitchers in history. He lived up to that reputation to the fullest extent on Wednesday.
Facing a powerful Mets’ offense that hit the second-most home runs in the NL this year, Bumgarner was outstanding. Early on, he used the Mets’ aggressive approach against them, throwing just 21 pitches through the first three innings. When New York became more patient, he worked through that as well. He allowed only four hits and two walks while shutting out the Mets. He threw 119 pitches, the most he’s delivered in a start this season.
The postseason résumé for Bumgarner is just absurd. He’s thrown 23 straight scoreless innings dating back to the 2014 World Series. His third shutout is tied for the second-most in baseball history, behind the legendary Christy Mathewson. His six scoreless starts of seven or more innings broke a tie for most ever with Tom Glavine. Bumgarner now stands alone.
The man on the other side, however, answered the bell. Mets’ ace Noah Syndergaard matched Bumgarner’s zeroes through seven innings, striking out 10 while allowing just two hits. But despite their inability to string anything together, the Giants’ offense did a great job of making Syndergaard work. They took three walks, and had 12 at-bats of five or more pitches.
So when Syndergaard ended the seventh inning with 108 pitches, he would go no deeper. It was up to the bullpen, and Addison Reed was the first man up. Though he allowed a single and two walks (one intentional), he struck out Hunter Pence to end the bases loaded threat and keep it tied.
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In the ninth, manager Terry Collins turned to his closer Jeurys Familia. And against Familia, another player put himself squarely into Giants’ lore.
After a leadoff double and a one-out walk, Conor Gillaspie was up, taking maybe the biggest at-bat of his life. In his first career postseason game, the weight of the game was placed squarely on his shoulders. He responded, and came up with the big hit. He turned on a 96-mile-per-hour fastball up and in, and crushed it into the bullpen in right field. The normally even-keeled Gillaspie finally showed some emotion. He pumped his fists and released a primal scream as he rounded first base. He gave Brandon Crawford a bone-shattering high five after crossing home plate.
It’s a familiar story for the Giants. A former player returns on a minor league contract with little to no expectations. That player is thrust into a big spot in October because of an injury, and comes through in a way that most players can only dream of. And though this isn’t quite Travis Ishikawa‘s pennant-winning blast of 2014, this is a home run that won’t soon be forgotten.
That blast was all Bumgarner needed. He cruised through the ninth inning cleanly, ending the game and starting a celebration on the field. That’s another familiar story for these Giants.
Next: Giants Morning Minute: Battle of the Aces
The journey is just beginning for the Giants as they hope to make a trek to their fourth straight even-year championship. Next up, they face the 103-win Chicago Cubs, who look like this year’s team of destiny. The Giants played them tough in a four-game series in September, which each game decided by a single run. This should be fun.