You're building a team for October. You can take either Madison Bumgarner or anybody else--King Felix, Johnny Cueto, Corey Kluber, Chris Sale, Clayton Kershaw--you name it. Okay, maybe Kershaw's not a good example. But the facts are the facts--Bumgarner is the best pitcher in October baseball this side of Orel Hershiser.
He's intense. He wants to finish what he starts. And he always wants the ball. Giants' manager Bruce Bochy, who will have his ticket punched for the Hall of Fame if he wins one more game this week, practically had to wrestle the ball away from Bumgarner, who wanted badly to pitch in Game Four to halt two straight Giants' losses and put himself in line to go in a Game Seven.
But now the Giants are one win away from winning the World Series for the third time in five years. They are a win away from being the Yankees of the late '90s to a new generation of fans. And if this World Series, which so far has been supremely well-played and a great watch, goes to a seventh game, don't be surprised if Bumgarner is a part of it.
He's intense. He wants to finish what he starts. And he always wants the ball. Giants' manager Bruce Bochy, who will have his ticket punched for the Hall of Fame if he wins one more game this week, practically had to wrestle the ball away from Bumgarner, who wanted badly to pitch in Game Four to halt two straight Giants' losses and put himself in line to go in a Game Seven.
But now the Giants are one win away from winning the World Series for the third time in five years. They are a win away from being the Yankees of the late '90s to a new generation of fans. And if this World Series, which so far has been supremely well-played and a great watch, goes to a seventh game, don't be surprised if Bumgarner is a part of it.