Madison Bumgarner just came in to pinch hit against Clayton Kershaw in what might be his final appearance in a #SFGiants uniform.
He took a moment to address the crowd and received a huge standing ovation. pic.twitter.com/ufWGTrro8O
— KNBR (@KNBR) September 29, 2019
If this were Madison Bumgarner’s goodbye, he soaked it in.
Once more, the Giants tried to upstage Clayton Kershaw, who entered in the fifth inning of Sunday’s Bruce Bochy goodbye for a Dodgers team arranging its rotation for the playoffs. There was only one person who could match him.
With two outs, Madison Bumgarner never bothered for the on-deck circle, pinch-hitting for Brandon Crawford straight from the dugout. As the to-be free agent strided to the plate, Oracle Park arose and showered him in cheers.
The Dodgers played their part perfectly. Catcher Will Smith walked to talk to Kershaw to give Bumgarner more time to breathe in the applause. The big man removed his helmet, faced the crowds and waved it, a final (?) salute from a three-time World Series champ.
And Kershaw played his part perfectly, too: He threw seven four-seamers to Bumgarner, whose first swing would have propelled the ball 600 feet if he made contact. But his last swing, on a 3-2 count, was a liner to third base.
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#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/X37Azo2KOZ— #ThankYouBoch (@SFGiants) September 29, 2019