Madison Bumgarner’s no-hitter won’t count as a no-hitter in Major League Baseball’s eyes because it was only seven innings. That’s fine. It will be kept track of, I’m sure, and while it might not come up in hall of fame conversations for the lefty, the probability his candidacy hinges on having an official no-hitter is low. Incidentally, if you had to choose a pitcher who seems like they’d care less about a no-hitter being “official,” it’s hard to think of a better candidate than MadBum.
The outing was nearly a seven-inning perfect game. Atlanta’s only baserunner reached base on an error. Bumgarner was lights out, and the Atlanta offense was a mess in both halves of the doubleheader, with its lack of depth exacerbating repeated misses by its two MVP-caliber players at the top of the order. Bumgarner struck out seven—one per inning—and yielded just one ball in play with an xBA over .500 (meaning he allowed just one struck ball that, based on exit velocity and launch angle, was more likely to be a hit than an out). It was a gem, and it was a reminder that while Bumgarner struggled in last year’s short season and didn’t come out of the gate well in this one, the Diamondbacks still have a 31-year-old left-handed innings eater capable of dominating. That contract could still turn out to be a good investment when its expiration date comes, and it seems we’ve far from seen the last of the longtime San Francisco hero.
