Madison Bumgarner sent a hell of a statement with his dominance, and then matched it with his bravado and confidence.
“I don’t give a shit,” he said, asked about the trade possibilities after the Giants’ 3-2, 16-inning victory over the Mets on Thursday. “I’m here to win games for this team, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Indeed, six in a row and their 13th in 15 games, a team that had been a shoo-in seller in the cellar now in the midst of a playoff race. Still, the Giants are not in the clear — the fact Sam Dyson and Mark Melancon were not used in a marathon is possible evidence trades may be near — but Bumgarner is desperate for this team to stay together. And, it seems for him to remain on the only team he has known.
“I’m trying to win games for the Giants,” he said after a nine-inning, one-run masterpiece at Oracle Park. “And we’re trying to get in the postseason. And we’re making a push, we’re coming.”
He has the October resume that is unmatched. He knows what playoff teams look like. He insisted this is a club that checks off all those boxes.
“We got a lot of veterans, a lot of guys that have been there before,” said Bumgarner, who got a loud ovation as he left the mound in what could be his final start as a Giant here. “And if we manage to keep this going, to sneak in, I don’t think anybody’s gonna want to match up against us.”
If his arm helped the Giants win, his mouth was trying to help the Giants win in the next few months. He was nearly flawless, shutting the Mets down after two hits and a run in the first inning, pushing Bruce Bochy (unsuccessfully) to allow him to pitch the 10th after 94 pitches.
But his lobbying wasn’t done. When it was pointed out the Giants have proven they can win blowouts and nailbiters over the past few weeks, he thought that was illustrative.
“That’s what it takes to win championships. You know, I’ve seen it three times,” said the free agent at season’s end. “So we got to be able to win all sorts of games. And we got the team that can do it. You know, we had our first half, it was not up to our expectations. And we’ve flipped the switch.”
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