Madison Bumgarner will have to settle for the longest save in World Series history rather than a Game 7 win.
Bumgarner was originally credited by the official scorers with the win after throwing five innings of shutout relief to close out San Francisco’s 3-2 victory over Kansas City on Wednesday night. After consulting with the Elias Sports Bureau, Bumgarner was credited with the save instead and reliever Jeremy Affeldt got the win for his first career Series decision. The change was announced about 50 minutes following the final out.
Affeldt was in the game when the Giants scored the go-ahead run in the fourth inning to take a 3-2 lead.
Under rule 10.17, the only way a pitcher does not get the win when he is in the game when the winning run scores is if he is a starter and did not go five innings or was “ineffective in a brief appearance.” Affeldt pitched 2 1-3 scoreless innings in relief of Tim Hudson and therefore earned the win.
That gave Bumgarner the save as the finishing pitcher in the victory. The previous longest save in Series history since it became an official stat in 1969 was a 3 2-3 inning stint by Steve Howe in the Game 6 clincher for the Dodgers against the Yankees in 1981. Lefty Grove would have gotten a 4 1-3 inning save in Game 2 in 1929 for the Philadelphia Athletics against the Chicago Cubs under the current rules.
Bumgarner won two games as a starter, and he joined Rawly Eastwick of the Reds in 1975 as the only pitchers with at least two wins and a save in a single World Series.
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