Mark Purdy: Oldest 21-year-old shuts down Rangers
Take a deep breath. By Tuesday morning, the Giants could be World Series champions for the first time in their San Francisco history. One more victory tonight will do it, after they smothered the Texas Rangers and pretty much crushed their souls here Sunday, 4-0.Air Jordan 7 Air Jordan 8 But please, when you take that deep breath, make sure to do it with a North Carolina accent and lefthanded. Do it as a tribute to Madison Bumgarner, the world's oldest 21-year-old pitcher, who grew up in the small burg of Hickory, N.C., and is the biggest reason the Giants own their 3-1 lead in the Series. Air Jordan 5 Air Jordan 6 "I can't say enough about what he did tonight," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. OK, then we will. Bumgarner mystified and hypnotized the Rangers by throwing eight innings of the prettiest shutout baseball you'll ever witness. He allowed just three hits -- all of them singles -- and five baserunners in his time on the mound. And he didn't even seem to break a sweat. How does a kid that young pitch that veteranlike? It must be something in Bumgarner's low-key personality, which at times seems to run on climate control. When he came up to the Giants in late June after a brief four-game stint last season, the veterans in the clubhouse were scratching their heads over how mature he acted. "He's fearless, man," said Aubrey Huff, who hit a two-run homer Sunday to account for the only runs the Giants really needed. "Madison came to the yard today, and you could see he was just chilling. Nothing really bothers him. He's just a big 21-year-old kid out there with a funky delivery and attacks the zone." Air Jordan 3 Air Jordan 4 Bumgarner is so mellow and droll that he recently said in a semi-serious vein that he couldn't see the World Series putting any more pressure on him to perform than the North Carolina state baseball championship. He backtracked on that a bit after Sunday's performance. "At the time, as a high school player, that's the biggest game I had played in," Bumgarner said. "Now, obviously, this is way bigger." Uh, yes. "He had all his pitches working tonight," marveled Bochy. "He's a special talent, and we're grateful we have him. He's always had great poise and composure, a sense of belonging. He's a man." He does have a man's body. Bumgarner is 6 feet 4 inches and 216 pounds. Given his frame, it's a wonder that he didn't become a basketball player in high school, especially in a state where college hoops is king at places like Duke and the University of North Carolina. Air Jordan Fusion Air Jordan 1