A knack for the big moment
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#MadBum #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/W3WUOba73E
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) June 28, 2018
SAN FRANCISCO — Add another accomplishment to Madison Bumgarner’s long list of them.
Facing his first batter of Wednesday night’s matchup with the Colorado Rockies, Bumgarner struck out DJ LeMahieu. The strikeout implanted Bumgarner as the fourth-fastest left-handed pitcher to reach 1,500 strikeouts since 1920, or the start of the live ball era. He joins Randy Johnson, Clayton Kershaw, and David Price as the only pitchers to do so in 239 games or fewer.
Bumgarner, a four-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion, has built one of the great pitching careers in recent Giants history. His 1.10 WHIP is the third-best in team history. His .233 opponent batting average ranks eighth all-time in Giants history.
The Giants ace missed the first three months of the 2018 season after breaking his pinky in his final spring training start. Last Thursday, he put together his best performance of the season to date, allowing no runs and fanning eight in eight innings to earn his first win of the year.
Bumgarner made his fifth start of the season Wednesday night. It did not take him long to join selective company in the first inning.