Last night Madison Bumgarner won his 15th game, good for a tie with Jake Arrieta atop the National League. Perhaps more impressively, he took Jeff Locke deep in the second inning. His two-run dinger made the difference in the Giants 6-4 win, and at 415 feet, was longer than debutante Marlon Byrd’s homer in the first.
As Kevin Draper noted in this space, Bumgarner’s hitting is a legit weapon for the Giants down the stretch. They are locked in twin battles for the wild card and the division, and they’ll need every run they can scrounge up. Thankfully, Bumgarner can beat opposing pitchers on the mound and in the box.
His five homers this year are the most since Carlos Zambrano jacked six in 2006. He also trails Yovani Gallardo 11 to 12 for the most career home runs by an active pitcher, a milestone he might break by the time this year is up. Wes Ferrell’s all time record of 38 is pretty ambitious, but hey, if Bruce Bochy is serious about using MadBum as a designated hitter, it could happen. He’s only 26!
Photo via Jeff Roberson/AP