Bumgarner’s possible last acts with Giants highlight his special run with franchise
SAN FRANCISCO — Seven different pitchers earned three World Series rings with the Giants at the beginning of the decade, including three of the most accomplished starters in franchise history.
Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner earned the adoration of a fan base through their postseason exploits, but to reach the playoffs, all three needed to excel in the regular season, too.
In what could be one of his final home starts at Oracle Park on Tuesday, Bumgarner turned in a performance that reminded fans of where he stands in Giants history.
With 11 strikeouts against the Rockies, Bumgarner passed former teammate and long-time mentor Matt Cain for the third most regular season strikeouts (1,695) in the club’s San Francisco-era history.
“It’s pretty special to me to be on any kind of leaderboard or close to the top on certain things for this organization,” Bumgarner said. “It’s been around a long time and a lot of really good players have come through here. So that’s definitely an honor.”
Bumgarner is the last man standing from the pitching staffs that guided the the franchise to an unprecedented level of success, but his days with the club are likely coming to an end. A pending free agent, Bumgarner is considered one of the most attractive starters expected to be available through a trade this summer.
An 11-strikeout performance is likely to generate more interest from clubs that may have been disappointed when Bumgarner failed to complete four innings in his last outing against the Dodgers. Bumgarner’s seventh loss of the season left him frustrated and searching for solutions to problems that have ailed him this season.
Against the Rockies, Bumgarner may have found one.
He said he’s been too focused on painting the outside corner with his offerings this year and hasn’t done enough to keep hitters guessing. Bumgarner showed a willingness to pitch inside against Colorado on Tuesday and it paid off as the starter recorded double digit strikeouts for the first time since April 2, 2017.
“I’ve been getting caught pitching just to one side, pretty much every pitch,” Bumgarner said. “Guys are too good to do that to, and the plate’s small enough as it is, so better use the whole thing.”
After passing Cain on the San Francisco-era strikeout leaderboard, his next target is Lincecum, who ranks second behind Juan Marichal with 1,704 strikeouts.
Lincecum reached that mark in 1,643 2/3 career innings with the Giants while Bumgarner has already thrown 1,741 regular season innings.
Bumgarner already owns the most regular season wins (114) of the trio of World Series-era starters, but with one or two more starts in a Giants uniform, he’ll pass Lincecum on the strikeout leaderboard.
The Giants’ dynasty is over and the window on their championship run has closed, but Bumgarner is still around. That may not be a true in a month, so the Giants ace and his teammates are savoring the time he has left.