The San Francisco Giants won Game 1 of the National League Championship Series over the St. Louis Cardinals on the road Saturday night, 3-0, behind another scoreless outing by their ace starting pitcher, Madison Bumgarner.
Bumgarner set a new major league record for consecutive shutout innings by a visiting pitcher in the postseason with 26 2/3.
He was as dominant in this game as in all of his recent road starts, going 7 2/3 innings allowing just four hits with seven strikeouts. The Cardinals could muster only one serious rally, with runners at second and third and two outs in the seventh inning. Bumgarner struck out pinch hitter Tony Cruz to end the threat.
The most controversial play of the game happened earlier in that inning with runners on first and second and one out. Kolten Wong hit a slow ground ball to Brandon Belt, who ranged far off first base to glove the ball and scoop it to Bumgarner as the pitcher raced to the bag to receive the throw.
Bumgarner smashed into the much smaller Wong before either player reached the bag and tagged Wong out on the knee. After that, Bumgarner's momentum caused him to knock Wong far out of the vicinity of first base -- think of what happens in a hard tackle in soccer and you'll get the picture (or look at the photo above).