Programming note: Watch the re-air of Madison Bumgarner's first home run off Clayton Kershaw tonight at 8 p.m. PT on NBC Sports Bay Area.
When Madison Bumgarner is on the mound, he’s unstoppable. Things don’t change when he approaches the plate, either.
The Giants-turned-D-backs ace hit 19 home runs in his career, two of which came against Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw.
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“When Madison Bumgarner took the mound at Dodger Stadium, or at Oracle Park, and he’s facing the Dodgers, and it usually was [Clayton] Kershaw, it was always an event,” Giants broacaster Duane Kuiper told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Amy Gutierrez. “And you knew it was probably going to be a one-run, two-run, low-scoring game until the eighth or ninth inning.”
On Wednesday night, the re-air of MadBum’s first home run off of Kershaw will be broadcasted on NBC Sports Bay Area. It’s a matchup and a battle that has commenced for more than a decade, both on the mound and in the batter's box.
Kuiper compared what Bum could on both sides of the ball to that of 15-year veteran Donnie Robinson, who was a former teammate of Mike Krukow’s.
“Yeah, Donnie Robinson, ‘The Caveman,’ was a great hitter,” Kuiper said. “And he was a great pitcher.”
San Francisco Giants
Still, Bumgarner was a different breed. He was intimidating, just as Kershaw was. When a hitter would face him, he would feel the presence of the three-time World Series champion, as would everyone in attendance and watching from home.
[RELATED: Looking back at the 19 homers Giants have hit off Kershaw]
When Bumgarner and Kershaw would square off, the two had that demeanor about one another that would create something dynamic out on the field. It was a head-to-head matchup you wouldn't want to miss.
"I loved it. I loved every pitch of every one of those games," fellow broadcaster Mike Krukow said.
"It always meant more. To me, it was a playoff game. It was between Kershaw, and it was between Bumgarner. And each guy as competitive as they were, they wanted to be the best on that given day."
Check out Kruk and Kuip's full comments in the video above.