MLB Season Opens With Standout Performance

Bumgarner wow’d us all once again

Major League Baseball’s 2017 season opened on Sunday and the second game, featuring the Giants at the Diamondbacks, was full of fireworks.

Madison Bumgarner had a perfect game through 5.1 innings. He fell short of the perfect game and no-hitter (you can feel free to blame me). He ended strong and ultimately went seven strong innings and striking out 11 batters.

He also walked once and socked two dingers, giving him 16 total for his career and the most in Giants franchise history. His first homer went out of the park at 112.5 miles per hour, the hardest hit ever for a pitcher in the Statcast era. And while his line is one you won’t often see from a pitcher and should applaud, he got a no-decision and the team lost.

The Hardball Times

On the other side, there was A.J. Pollock leading the Diamondbacks in his own special way. Pollock missed the majority of last season because of an elbow injury sustained in Spring Training. He made it back for five games in August and six in September but had virtually zero impact in Arizona’s terrifically disappointing season. But if 2017’s first game is any indicator, he’s ready to start crushing it again like he has in the past.

Right after teammates Jeff Mathis and Nick Ahmed broke up Bumgarner’s perfect game and shutout bids in sixth inning, Pollock came up and blasted a two-run home run to tie the game. It was his first hit of the season.

Then he came up to the plate again in the eighth and zinged an opposite field base hit. He would end up scoring another game-tying run, this time on a Paul Goldscmidt single, making it 4–4. He finished his day 3-for-5 and in the heart of the Diamondbacks’ comeback.

CBS Sports

Games like Pollock’s on Sunday is baseball at its peak. The league and its fans couldn’t have asked for anything more, especially after a Yankees-Rays game earlier in the afternoon that was mostly a snoozer.

Madison Bumgarner came out dropping hammers on the Diamondbacks in every possible way. Arizona took their lumps and swung back with its own haymakers. There were four lead changes, three of which were in the last three innings. The home team went back to the clubhouse with a walk-off win and the crowd was in awe the whole time — even when Bumgarner was wailing on them.

Just six teams played Sunday, but the 2017 season is already starting off with a bang.