This isn’t the first time Bumgarner and Puig have almost fought. San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, Sept. 19, 2016, in Los Angeles.
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LOS ANGELES Madison Bumgarner lit a fire without a spark in the seventh inning Monday night.
Bumgarner appeared to be annoyed after the game.
– Pinch-hitter Brandon Guyer singled in a run with two outs in the ninth inning, helping the Indians record their MLB-leading 11th walk off of the season and lower their magic number to six for the AL Central crown. But it appeared Puig thought Bumgarner was shouting at him, which led the two to exchange words and the benches to clear.
Originally, the officiating crew ruled it a triple, but after a San Francisco challenge, replay showed the ball hit a camera on top of the wall and it was ruled a home run.
These teams play each other five more times this season, and could see each other again in the postseason. After getting Yasiel Puig to ground out to end the inning, Bumgarner began yelling at Puig, who hadn’t done anything to provoke the outburst.
I’m sure Bumgarner will love it. Bumgarner clapped his hands vigorously.
“He asked me, ‘Why you looking at me?'” Puig said through a translator. “It’s a shame. He (Bumgarner) threw a attractive game”.
Four months later, on September 23, 2014, Puig made a move toward the mound after he was hit by a Bumgarner pitch.
What was the point of that from Bumgarner’s perspective?
Giants (80-71): Matt More heads to the mound in the series finale on Wednesday. And he is on his way to becoming an all-time great pitcher.
Dodgers: LHP Rich Hill (12-4, 2.06 overall after trade from Oakland) is 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA in six career starts against the Giants, limiting their hitters to a.219 batting average and striking out 31 against nine walks in 40 innings.
The Giants don’t have a reliable 8th inning guy, or 9th inning guy, or 9th inning lefty specialist or any of that any more… “They did a good job, manufactured a run, and we couldn’t hold on there”.
Then it blew up, and Bumgarner was the one who started the blow up.
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Yet another key meltdown by the San Francisco bullpen wasn’t the only thing to go seriously wrong for the Giants Monday night.
