SAN DIEGO — The long eighth inning, featuring three relievers and a blown lead, cost Madison Bumgarner a chance to win 19 games for the first time as a big leaguer. It also gave him plenty of time to prepare for a question he knew was coming.
What exactly was going on during that stare down with home plate umpire Joe West?
“Joe was behind the plate?” Bumgarner said, somehow keeping a straight face. “I don’t pay attention to the umpires. I didn’t realize he was up there.”
The acting performance was reminiscent of Bumgarner’s equally perfect response after a showdown with Yasiel Puig a year ago, when he pointed out that he doesn’t speak Spanish and deadpanned, “I was just congratulating him.