San Francisco Giants starter Madison Bumgarner was named MVP of the NLCS after helping the team to victories in Game 1 and the eventual clinching Game 5. He's the first pitcher in franchise history to win the honors.
The award's inception came in 1977, and since then a total of six Giants have took home the trophy, including second baseman Marco Scutaro in 2012 (14-for-28 with six runs scored and four RBIs) and outfielder Cody Ross in 2010 (7-for-20 with three home runs and five RBIs). Catcher Benito Santiago (2002), first baseman Will Clark (1989) and outfielder Jeffrey Leonard (1987) also won the award.
But Bumgarner's pitching was too masterful to pass up for the NLCS MVP. In two starts, the left-hander tossed 15 2/3 innings and gave up only nine hits, three walks and three earned runs (1.72 ERA and 0.77 WHIP). In Game 1 he was victorious by the score of 3-0, but received a no-decision in Game 5 when he lasted eight innings and surrendered three earned runs before outfielder Michael Morse tied the game 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth with a pinch-hit home run and Travis Ishikawa sent San Francisco to the World Series with a walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.
Bumgarner's overall postseason pitching stats for 2014 include a 2-1 record with a 1.42 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, one complete game and 28 strikeouts. His only loss came on an error he committed in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Washington Nationals, which allowed two runs to score, leading to their eventual 4-1 defeat. Bumgarner is the 15th pitcher to win the award since 1977, and we're going to take a look at the last four pitchers who took it home: Michael Wacha of the St. Louis Cardinals, Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies, Jeff Suppan of the St. Louis Cardinals and Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros. Their statistics are eerily similar.
Michael Wacha, 2013 NLCS MVP: 2-0 in two starts (13 2/3 IP) against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 0.00 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and 13 strikeouts.
Cole Hamels, 2008 NLCS MVP: 2-0 in two starts (14 IP) against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 1.93 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 13 strikeouts.
Jeff Suppan, 2006 NLCS MVP: 1-0 in two starts (15 IP) against the New York Mets with a 0.60 ERA and 0.73 WHIP.
Roy Oswalt, 2005 NLCS MVP: 2-0 in two starts (14 IP) against the St. Louis Cardinals with a 1.29 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 12 strikeouts.
Bumgarner and the Giants look to take down the Kansas City Royals in the World Series, which begins on Tuesday, October 21.
