Bumgarner impresses friends, family, coaches

Former South Caldwell pitcher Madison Bumgarner's return to North Carolina matched all the hype when Bumgarner pitched his best game as a pro Thursday in Hickory.

The first-round selection of the San Francisco Giants (No. 10 overall in the 2007 Major League baseball draft) was as impressive as ever, striking out eight and allowing only one unearned run in six and one-third innings of work in his fourth Single-A game.

Turns out, the locals weren't the only ones excited.

“That's the best outing we've seen from him, and more like what (the Giants) expected when they drafted him,” Augusta skipper Andy Skeels said. “He has a chance to become that kind of player we envision him to be: a starter that can help us win a World Series somewhere down the road. He's that kind of young man, and he's got that kind of stuff.”

Bumgarner entered the game sporting a 7.71 earned run average and a 1-2 record. After receiving the advice to go back to the way he pitched in high school, however, Bumgarner thrived.

“Tonight was outstanding to see,” Augusta pitching coach Ross Grimsley said. “We had heard that he was capable of doing some things, and that's what we saw. It was there on and off to this point, but tonight it was all there.”

Grimsley noted that Bumgarner's velocity was up from where it had been earlier this season but wouldn't specify how much.

Two proud parents

Both of Madison's parents were on hand to witness his homecoming, and each left the ballpark thrilled with the way the evening played out.

“I didn't want people to be saying ‘Well, he'll get better' as they left,” Madison father Kevin said. “I wanted them to say ‘Dang, I knew he could do it!' So it was pretty much a dream come true.”

Madison's mother Debra, meanwhile, reflected on how Madison handled the firestorm of attention.

“It amazes me how calm he stays,” she said. “I asked him in the morning, ‘Are you nervous?' He just said, ‘Nope.' I asked him, ‘Are you ready?' And he said, ‘Yup.'”

As for the end result?

“I was tickled,” she said.

A new perspective

A few of Madison's former teammates and coaches were also on hand to witness the spectacle. It was a unique experience to go from sharing a dugout to watching Bumgarner from the stands, they said.

“As a spectator just watching, I couldn't be prouder,” Bumgarner's former coach Jeff Parham said. “It's just been great. He's throwing like Maddy can throw.”

Current South Caldwell ace Jimmy Messer was impressed with the way Bumgarner was able to stay so dominant despite facing more talented hitters.

“In high school, you throw a no-hitter or a one-hitter, and that's good. But here, the hitters are so much better,” he said. “To do that is awesome.”

Another former teammate of Madison's, Dominic DiBernardi, was struck by how fast things can change.

“You grow up as a kid watching people and admiring them from far away,” he said. “And then you see one of your best friends out there pitching in front of all these people. Last year, he's your teammate. And this year, he's somebody famous. It's crazy.”

Even Bumgarner himself struggled to put a finger on it.

“It's hard to understand,” he said. “To be here where you saw probably 100 games and to be a player.”

Sign myŠ what?

After the game, Bumgarner stuck around on the field to sign autographs for approximately 45 minutes. The line, filled with kids and adults alike, stretched all the way up the stairs inside L.P. Frans Stadium and toward the concession area. Perhaps the oddest signature of the night came when Bumgarner was asked to sign the back of a Motorola Razr cell phone.

The award for patience, however, goes to the small child who waited at least 20 minutes in line, then got up to the front only to ask Bumgarner for a high five. Afterward, the smiling child turned around and left the stadium.

Loose ends

€ South Caldwell High School sold 584 tickets to the game and raised $2,044

€ Kevin Bumgarner kidded that his stepson jinxed Madison's attempt at a no-hitter when he pointed out the scenario in the bottom of the fourth inning

€ After taking consecutive losses to open the season, Bumgarner has now won back-to-back games over Lexington and Hickory.

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