San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner has accomplished more in his 24 years of life than most of us can even imagine. He made his MLB debut at the age of 20 back in 2010 and hasn’t looked back.
#SFGiants take an 8-1 lead over the #DBacks as Madison Bumgarner crushes HIS SECOND GRAND SLAM of the season!!!
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) July 13, 2014
But what Bumgarner did on Sunday may be his greatest accomplishment in what has already been a stellar career. The left-handed pitcher nailed a 98 MPH pitch from Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Matt Stites over the left field fence for a grand slam in the sixth inning of an eventual 8-4 Giants victory.
It’s rare for a pitcher to hit a grand slam, not to mention two. Now think about Bumgarner, who has roped two grand slams this season alone. Bumgarner joins former Atlanta Braves right-hander Tony Cloninger as the only two pitchers to knock multiple grand slams in the same season. Cloninger accomplished that feat in 1966 when he hit two in one game against the the Giants.
Warning to MLB pitchers– if you pitch @SFGiants Madison Bumgarner inside, he'll make you pay pic.twitter.com/UpRZKDGwSu
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 14, 2014
Bumgarner is now hitting over .270 with three homers and 12 RBI’s on the season. Considering how much the Giants have struggled at the plate, they might want to think about moving him up from eighth in the order next time he starts. That’s only a little tongue-in-cheek.
Check out the raw video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd_hM-d3Tpg
Photo: SF Examiner