Now You Know My Name

Now You Know My Name

 

Madison Bumgarner was not a name well known around the casual baseball fan circles before last night. Diehard baseball fans and subscribers to Extra Innings knew his name and knew it well, but last night the whole world got to see what the rest of us already knew. Underrated doesn’t even begin to describe Bumgarner. He put his name on the short list of best pitchers in all of baseball.

During the pregame a lot was said about the atmosphere in Pittsburgh and last year’s wild card game was brought up. The Pirates fans got inside the head of Johnny Cueto and took him out of the game before it even started. There was actually talk, and pretty laughable talk at that, about whether the same would happen to Bumgarner. What these analysts forgot was the fact that Bumgarner, despite only being 25, is already in the league since 2010 and is a two time World Series Champion. This is not a guy who is going to get rattled in the moment. In fact, Bumgarner thrives in it. When asked about the crowd in Pittsburgh and how raucous they would be, Bumgarner responded by saying quite simply, “that’s what makes it fun.” Those are the words of a man who I want on the mound for my team in a do or die situation.

From the first pitch Bumgarner dominated an underrated Pirates lineup. He finished the game going complete giving up only 4 hits and striking out 10. While Tuesday’s game in the AL was known for excitement and comebacks, Wednesday night was all about pure dominance. Never knowing what you’re going to get is the beauty of the MLB Playoffs, but with Bumgarner on the mound, everyone now knows exactly what you’re going to get.