Madison Bumgarner
Three-time World Series champion and Giants left-handed strikeout leader.
Madison Kyle Bumgarner (born August 1, 1989), nicknamed "MadBum", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants (2009–19) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2020–23). Bumgarner won three World Series championships (2010, 2012, 2014) and two Silver Slugger Awards (2014, 2015). He was also selected to four National League (NL) All-Star teams and has the most strikeouts in franchise history by a Giants left-handed pitcher.
- Role
- Starting Pitcher
- Team
- San Francisco Giants
- Status
- Retired from Giants (2019)
- Key Achievement
- 4x All-Star Selection
- Signature Honor
- World Series MVP (2014)
Lore & Background
Bumgarner pitched eight innings in Game 4 of the 2014 World Series, allowing just one run, and also threw eight innings in Game 4 of the 2010 World Series, surrendering one run. Two years later, he pitched seven more scoreless innings in Game 2 of the 2012 World Series. In 2014, he started the Wild Card Game, throwing a shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He set the World Series record for the lowest earned run average (ERA) in 2014, with an ERA of 0.43, and took home the Most Valuable Player award as the Giants won their third World Series during his time in San Francisco.
In Their Own Story
The noise at AT&T Park faded into a distant hum as Madison stepped onto the mound, the weight of Game 7 pressing on his shoulders. The crowd's roar was a physical force, but his focus narrowed to the catcher's mitt. With a sharp windup and a devastating slider that dipped off the table, he struck out the side, the final out echoing through the stadium as confetti began to fall.
Reader's Guide
Bumgarner won 18 games (his career-high) in 2014 and 2015, and he had a career-high 251 strikeouts in 2016. That fall, he threw his second Wild Card Game shutout, blanking the New York Mets. Injuries interrupted the first half of his next two seasons, a dirt bike accident in 2017 and a broken finger in 2018. Bumgarner led the NL in games started in 2019, with a 9–9 record. A free agent after that season, he signed a five-year, $85 million contract with the Diamondbacks. In 2021, he pitched the third complete game shutout with no hits in franchise history in a seven-inning win over the Atlanta Braves. Arizona released Bumgarner in April 2023. He had a career 134–124 record, 3.47 ERA, and 2,070 strikeouts.
Did You Know?
- Bumgarner played high school baseball at South Caldwell High School in Hudson, North Carolina, where he helped his team win the 2007 North Carolina 4A State Championship.
- He was selected with the tenth overall pick in the 2007 MLB draft by the Giants.
- He and Buster Posey both made their major league debuts in 2009 and established a reputation as one of the best batteries in recent MLB history.
- Bumgarner was born in Hickory, North Carolina, and grew up in an area nicknamed 'Bumtown'.
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