MadBum part of Bochy's fine waltz to Giants' third World Series title
Star pitcher did near-perfect job on the mound, but credit is also due to clever San Francisco manager who made the right calls at best time
The easiest decision Bruce Bochy had all night was when to put Madison Bumgarner in the game. The hardest thing was supposed to be deciding when to take him out.
Actually, it was not that tough. You do not win three World Series in five years without knowing that sometimes the best buttons are the ones not pushed.
The hottest pitcher on the planet wanted the ball in the one game that mattered most. Once he got it, the unassuming man just starting to get some credit as one of the great managers of his era stayed out of his way.
I was trying to think along with Boch and was thinking maybe three [innings] out of him
"Our horse was out there and we rode him," Bochy said. "He was throwing so well there was no way I was taking him out."
A World Series that struggled to get noticed is now likely to be long remembered, thanks to a laconic lefty who won it almost by himself. Bumgarner took the ball on two days of rest in the fifth and never came close to giving it up, even when an errant single to centre put the tying run on third base with two outs in the ninth.
Many managers would have gone for their closer by sheer habit by then. Bochy stood and watched as Bumgarner got Salvador Perez to foul out to third baseman Pablo Sandoval to cap a World Series performance that brought back memories of pitchers from the past with names like Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson.
"I think the best word that comes to mind is legendary," first baseman Brandon Belt said. "I'm just glad he brought me along for the ride."
Give Bumgarner credit - and plenty of it - for rising to the occasion in a 3-2 win in a World Series that went to the final out of game seven before being decided. He won two games, saved the final, and was virtually unhittable each time he took the mound.