Bumgarner came in with 11 home runs in his previous 183 at-bats (13 career), and despite hitting.175, had two circuit shots on the season, coming into Thursday’s game with a. 718 career OPS over the last three seasons. Some pitchers don’t, ” Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulens said.
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Bumgarner (9-4) became the first starting pitcher in 40 years to intentionally hit for himself at an American League stadium.
Bochy said he went to Bumgarner to ask if he d like to hit, not the other way around.
Prior to this season, Bumgarner blasted a career-high five home runs during the 2015 regular season after previously producing another four in 2014. He even made a public plea to enter into the All-Star Home Run Derby, but Bochy said that idea is now off the table.
San Francisco added on late, getting Belt’s two-run single.
After Bumgarner’s leadoff double in the third, Overton walked Denard Span and allowed Angel Pagan’s bloop single to load the bases. Bumgarner as the catalyst to a six-run inning, and helped the Giants (50-31) salvage an 12-4 win against the A’s (35-44).
That idea emerged after pitchers like the Chicago Cubs’ Jake Arrieta and the St. Louis Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright, both adept hitters, said they’d like to participate in the derby as well.
Bochy, who called Bumgarner the best-hitting pitcher he has ever seen, has used him as a pinch-hitter before and a year ago considered having him bat in an AL ballpark. He wanted to make sure I was serious. He also beat out a triple play attempt in the ninth inning, and came around to score because the Giants walked five times in the ninth inning.
After playing four games for three teams in his first two National Basketball Association seasons, Seth Curry last summer was uncertain about his National Basketball Association future. Pitcher Andy Sonnanstine hit for the Tampa Bay Rays in a DH game in 2009, but only because manager Joe Maddon made a mistake filling out his lineup card.
Brandon Belt had four RBIs and hit a go-ahead two-run double in the third ahead of Posey’s ninth home run. “The players union, of course they don’t want a pitcher taking a (position) player’s spot in the Home Run Derby, and I don’t think they were too keen on doing the pitchers’ (Derby) this year”. There were two other instances since the DH was implemented in 1973: Ken Holtzman, batted for the A’s in a game against the Angels in 1975, and Fergie Jenkins got a hit for the Rangers against the Twins in a game in 1974.
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Former A’s first-round draft pick Grant Green – promoted from Triple-A by the Giants just before Thursday’s game – then got caught out on his front foot on a Triggs curve, striking out to end the frame. He had the stitches removed on Wednesday.
