NEW YORK–The last time Madison Bumgarner pitched at Citi Field, the Giants ace was so dominant that manager Bruce Bochy thought he’d ask Bumgarner to pitch a potential 10th inning if a 0-0 game remained tied.
Instead, a three-run ninth inning home run by Conor Gillaspie led the Giants to a 3-0 win in the 2016 National League Wildcard game and Bumgarner didn’t need to keep going.
In his return to the mound in New York Thursday, the stakes were much lower but Bumgarner was nearly as brilliant in a 3-1 Giants win.
Bumgarner matched season-highs with eight innings and eight strikeouts while allowing just one run in an outing that lowered his ERA to 2.