Madison Bumgarner Hasn’t Been Himself Since A Crucial Moment
On Thursday, the Arizona Diamondbacks cut ties with left-hander Madison Bumgarner.
In four starts this season, the lefty posted a 10.26 ERA and went 0-3.
His final start with Arizona was a three-inning, seven-run clunker against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Ever since leaving the San Francisco Giants, the three-time World Series champion has not been the same pitcher.
He posted a 5.23 ERA over the course of his time with the D-Backs.
Four years ago, however, Bumgarner had a confrontation with Max Muncy.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star hit a home run and Bumgarner took exception to his celebration.
Muncy replied by telling Bumgarner to “go get it out of the ocean.”
On Twitter, a fan pointed out some stats, which show that Bumgarner hasn’t been himself since that moment.
Madison Bumgarner stats before and after Max Muncy told him to go get the ball out of the ocean:
Before: 3.08 ERA in 1718 innings, 8.75 K/9
After: 4.86 ERA in 491 innings, 7.33 K/9, DFA’d pic.twitter.com/bhSJ4tCmvl
— sky (@GonsolinRBW) April 20, 2023
Of course, Bumgarner never went to get the ball out of the ocean.
But before that home run, he had pitched to a 3.08 ERA in 1,718 innings of work and was averaging 8.75 strikeouts per nine innings.
Since then, he has pitched to a 4.86 ERA in 491 innings of work.
He has also averaged 7.33 strikeouts per nine innings and has now been designated for assignment.
While this is purely coincidence, it is interesting to note that since his confrontation with Muncy, the veteran left-hander has simply not been the same pitcher.
This will obviously lead certain fans to theorize whether or not this moment is what derailed his career.
Obviously, one moment can’t be framed for it, but it is interesting to see the stats Bumgarner had before the incident and after.
Read More: Madison Bumgarner Hasn’t Been Himself Since A Crucial Moment