Madison Bumgarner will be first pitcher to hit in AL park since 1976

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Bumgarner’s triple slash for 2016 is .175/.261/.350

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I'd be pissed if I was a sub for the Giants.

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The Giants have had just a few opportunities to use the designated hitter this season. They’ve played four games in American League parks in 2016, three at Tropicana Field against the Tampa Bay Rays, and one at O.co Coliseum against the Oakland Athletics. In those four games, Bochy has used three players at DH. In their first game against the Rays, he used Jarrett Parker, pinch hitting with Trevor Brown later in the game. Parker went 2-for-2 with a walk. In the other three games, Bochy used catcher Buster Posey at DH. Posey did pretty well at DH; he went a combined 6-for-12 over those three games.

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Also, according to the article, it is the first time a team has intentionally let their pitcher hit in an AL park since then.

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Baseball's so boring a .175 hitter batting for himself is a story.

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He has one of the highest HR/AB ratios in the league

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He has one of the highest HR/AB ratios in the league

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Sample size and he's in like 52nd place. The guy has 2 HRs.

Even still. As of June 2nd

LINK

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Over their last 190 plate appearances, Bumgarner has hit as many home runs as both Mike Trout and Bryce Harper. It's still pretty early in the year, but that might be our favorite fun fact this season.

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first pitcher to start the game with the intent of hitting for himself.

i'm sure clemens had to hit in that game because boston killed the DH somehow.

You're title isn't really correct. Rays few years back had a lineup card mishap and lost the DH in the 1st inning and had to hit the pitcher. He will be first in 40 years to be hit when opting not to use a DH.

Mixup forces Rays to bat Sonnanstine

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LOL he doubled in his first AB. Bochy is a genius

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for batting a guy who is hitting .170?

i think bochy is awesome, don't get me wrong. but i don't think this makes him a genius. i just think he thought it would be something cool to try, and you know bumgarner has probably been pushing him to let him hit in an AL park.

(i understand bumgarner would be a better hitter if he hit every day, but he doesn't hit every day, so that's not the point.)

my bad

On average, he has the 35th highest exit velocity among any hitters this year in the mlb