Madison Bumgarner addresses the Dodgers’ trolling T-shirts, the Giants’ rivalry with L.A. and controlling his temper.
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers mocked Madison
Bumgarner on Tuesday. They made T-shirts that read, “#dontlookatme,” the words that Bumgarner yelled at Yasiel Puig to start Monday night’s benches-clearing fracas.
Puig and Adrian Gonzalez tweeted clubhouse photos of Puig and teammates wearing the shirts with their hands over their eyes. Puig’s tweet included the hashtags #PuigYourFriend #DontLookAtMe #Puignotlookingatyou.
“It don’t make any difference to me,” Bumgarner said. “If it were turned around, I’m sure we'd be doing the same.”
This was the conversation at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday in one huge series — not the National League West race, nor the great and ancient rivalry, but Bumgarner’s temper, and the reason he did not pitch the eighth inning of Monday’s 2-1 loss after throwing a one-hit shutout through seven.
Neither Bumgarner nor Giants manager Bruce Bochy directly stated the reason, but a few on-the-record comments and some off the record suggest that after the seventh inning ended with the Puig incident, Bochy spoke to Bumgarner in the dugout and concluded his pitcher had expended too much energy and was too hyped up from the scuffle to continue. So Bochy decided to pinch-hit for Bumgarner.
After the game, Bochy was purposefully vague with reporters because he did not want to embarrass Bumgarner by revealing the Puig incident might have hastened his departure in such a key game.
“We had a conversation last night,” Bochy said. “I had to make a decision . ... I don’t disclose what I say to a player. That’s confidential.”
Bochy scoffed at the theory that he pulled Bumgarner to prevent him getting drilled in retaliation in the eighth inning, when he was due up second.
“Whatever you think is the reason and conspiracy, it was not that I was afraid he was going to get hit,” Bochy said. “I promise you that. That’s not even in the ballpark with any of this.”
If anyone had a right to admit he was running low on fuel, it was Bumgarner. He has thrown the most pitches in the majors this year, 3,365, and he did not get an All-Star break. He gave Bochy 97 pitches and seven shutout innings on a hot, humid night, in a tense game with no room for error.
As Bumgarner said after the game, “You don’t ever want to come out of the game. At the same time, you’ve got to be smart about it.”
The bullpen could not hold the 1-0 lead, and the Dodgers won it in the ninth. Had Bumgarner been able to get through the eighth, Bochy could have used a different set of relievers in the ninth, giving the Giants a better chance to win.
Bumgarner’s fuse on the mound is another matter. He is well-known around the league for staring down and barking at players for perceived offenses such as staring at him, not running hard enough and even acting angry when they pop up a pitch, as if they thought they should have gotten a hit instead.
Bochy and Bumgarner discussed all this Tuesday. Bumgarner also had a long talk with general manager Bobby
Evans, topic unknown. Bumgarner then admitted to reporters he could have kept his cool better at times. The mea culpa did not include Monday’s dustup with Puig, a longtime adversary.
“In certain cases, you let something get to you or get out of hand that there’s no need for,” Bumgarner said. “I’m not saying necessarily yesterday. I’m saying there have been some cases for me where you just need to concentrate on pitching and getting guys out.”
Asked specifically whether he regretted Monday’s argument with Puig, Bumgarner said, “I don’t know. I need a little more time to think that through. I don’t want to say I did. I don’t want to say I didn’t.”
Bochy said he thinks Bumgarner can learn to control his anger.
“It’s something he knows he can do,” Bochy said. “He sees a lot. He sees the whole game. You want that maniacal focus on every pitch and keep your focus there, and not let other things get to you.”
Bumgarner has two more regular-season starts, at San Diego on Saturday and home against the Dodgers on Sept. 30, the third-to-last game. The Giants need him to pitch like he did against the Dodgers for however many innings.
Asked how he felt physically, Bumgarner said he was fine.
“It’s such a tough part of the year,” he said. “All these games are magnified just because of the situation we’re in and the time of year. But I feel good. I feel strong and in good enough shape to hopefully make seven or eight more starts.”