Although the traditional league-wide Opening Day is Monday, the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks are beginning their season Sunday at Chase Field. The pitching matchup is a good one too: Madison Bumgarner vs. Zack Greinke.
In the top of the fifth inning, Bumgarner drove in his teamâs second run of the game (and season!) with a line drive home run to left field. Greinke left a fastball up and Bumgarner, who is the best power-hitting pitcher in baseball, really laid into it. Hereâs the video:
MadBum with the BIG FLY on #OpeningDay.#WeAreSFpic.twitter.com/xjaCVoZsUB
— 120 Sports (@120Sports) April 2, 2017
That home run was something of a record: at 112.5 mph off the bat, it was the hardest hit home run by a pitcher during the Statcast era. Statcast launched in 2015:
Madison Bumgarner's 112.5-mph smash is the hardest-hit HR by a pitcher in the #Statcast era.
— #Statcast (@statcast) April 2, 2017
He now has the top 3. https://t.co/Z9xEAB7ojX pic.twitter.com/VZOSi83uum
The home run was Bumgarnerâs second against Greinke. He also took him deep back in 2014, when Greinke was pitching for the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Bumgarner now has 15 career home runs, the most among active pitchers. (Yovani Gallardo is second with 12.)
Furthermore, Bumgarner did something Sunday that hasnât been done since 2013: he homered on Opening Day as a pitcher. The last pitcher to go deep on Opening Day was the great Clayton Kershaw. Here are the last five pitchers to hit a home run in the season opener:
- 2017: Madison Bumgarner, Giants off Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks
- 2013: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers off George Kontos, Giants
- 1988: Joe Magrane, Cardinals off Mario Soto, Reds
- 1982: Rick Rhoden, Pirates off Jim Kaat, Cardinals
- 1969: Dan McGinn, Expos off Tom Seaver, Mets
But wait! Bumgarner wasnât done. In the top of the seventh inning, he swatted another home run, this one against lefty reliever Andrew Chafin. This was another bomb. To the action footage:
MadBum.....AGAIN! #WeAreSF#OpeningDaypic.twitter.com/nQIVSDBZu8
— 120 Sports (@120Sports) April 2, 2017
Bumgarner is the first pitcher in baseball history to hit two home runs on Opening Day. Heâs the first pitcher to hit two homers in a single game since New York Mets ace Noah Syndergaard did it to the Dodgers last year. And yes, Bumgarnerâs second home run was another Statcast favorite:
Make it the top 4 ...
— #Statcast (@statcast) April 2, 2017
Bumgarner's 2nd homer of the day leaves the bat at 112.1 mph. #Statcast https://t.co/tIcANTouuH
Oh, and by the way, Bumgarner retired the first 16 batters he faced Sunday. He hit a home run before he allowed a baserunner.