It's Not Hyperbole, Bumgarner is the Best Postseason Pitcher Ever
Just one game into another Orange October, and Madison Bumgarner has already added another page to his legendary postseason resume. With his complete game shutout against the New York Mets on Wednesday, Bumgarner has now thrown 23 consecutive scoreless innings in the postseason dating back to game 5 of the 2014 World Series. He's also thrown 23 consecutive scoreless innings in elimination games going back to the 2014 NLWC game, and with his third career postseason shutout, he now only trails the mythical Christy Mathewson (who threw four) for most all-time.
Mad Bum boasts a 6-1 record with a 1.94 ERA over 97.1 postseason innings, but has been especially dominant over his last eight playoff appearances (Seven starts and one very memorable relief appearance), posting a 0.88 ERA over 61.2 innings. He's held opponents to a minuscule .150 batting average over that span, and has struck out 51 against just eight walks.
Did I mention this dude just has steel b***s?
MadBum could stare a hole through a brick wall.
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It wasn't always so easy for the poster child for "country hardball", who had an ERA of 6.00 over three starts in the 2012 playoffs. He lasted less than five innings while being touched up for 10 earned runs in his lone NLDS and NLCS starts that year, before tossing seven scoreless innings in game 2 of the World Series against Detroit. That seemed to be the turning point, the game Bumgarner went from tough to bulletproof in the postseason.
Still, with all that's been written about Madison Bumgarner over the last two days, can we really call him the greatest postseason pitcher of all-time? Yes, he has been the most dominant playoff pitcher in recent memory, but there has been 112 editions of the Fall Classic in the modern era. Surely someone bested Bum's playoff prowess somewhere along the way?
One has to look very hard, but one front runner comes to mind. Prior to Bumgarner's now legendary 2014 postseason, many pointed to Yankees closer Mariano Rivera as the greatest playoff pitcher in history. Rivera's postseason resume is staggering; the owner of five World Series rings saved 42 playoff games while posting an all-time low 0.70 ERA over 141 innings.
There is no waiting period for the Yankees Monument Park, but Rivera will be in bronze once again in Cooperstown in 2018
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He won a World Series and League Championship MVP apiece (Bumgarner took home both honors in 2014), and was unscored upon in both the 1998 and 1999 playoffs. That's pretty damn good. However, there wasn't much drama to be had during the Yankees three-peat from 1998-2000. They were a juggernaut, a dynasty in every sense of the word. It could have easily been a four-peat, had Luis Gonzalez not fisted a walk-off duck snort to center field (Just the second run Rivera allowed that postseason) to secure the title for Arizona in 2001.
It has not been the same story for Bumgarner and the Giants, who have become arguably the most improbable dynasty in the game's history. Nothing has been guaranteed, and #40 has gone next level when his team needed him most, clinging to life on the verge of elimination and twice tossing complete game shut outs in win or go home situations.
"I'm tellin' ya, you wouldn't believe the size of this trout I caught...oh yea, we were talking about the trophy"
Where the argument for Bumgarner as the best all-time becomes strongest is when his numbers in the World Series are examined. Simply put, he's been virtually untouchable on the brightest stage. His 0.25 ERA, 0.53 WHIP and 3.5 H/9 are the best all-time, and he is the only pitcher in the last 73 years with a perfect World Series win-loss record (minimum four decisions). He's allowed exactly one earned run in 36 World Series innings.
That's, just, next, level.
As the Giants take aim at the best team in baseball in the NLDS, San Francisco fans can only hope their Achilles gets more opportunities to build his myth.
-AC
