Playoff baseball is here people.

After 162 grueling games, this is what it all comes down to.  Two pitching aces squared off in the National League Wild Card game that featured the San Fransisco Giants and the New York Mets.  This winner take all game was billed as the best pitching match-up baseball has to offer, as Madison Bumgarner of the Giants and Noah Syndergaard of the Mets were set to take the mound.

Strike after strike, one thing became clearer and clearer; October is Bumgarner’s time to shine. Syndergaard gave this game everything he had to offer – to no avail.  Neither offense could muster a sinlge run, and this game was every bit of the greatness sports fans hoped it would be.  Syndergaard left it all on the field, allowing only two hits and zero runs through seven innings.   His performance was still pale in comparison to Bumgarner’s nine inning gem.

Dating back to last year’s postseason run, the Giant’s “Mr. Clutch” has tossed a mere 23 consecutive scoreless innings.  No big deal.  Continuing his legendary run, he provided hope to a Giants team that was not succeeding offensively.  Pitch after pitch, he reaffirmed his teammate’s belief in him to the outside world; when he is on the mound they have every right to believe they are going to win.  This nine inning masterpiece resulted in the scoreboard reading zero to zero going into the final standoff.

Top of the ninth and up walks Conor Gillaspie.  With one swing of the bat, this game was ending in the same unbelievable fashion it had been played in all night.  A ninth inning three-run home-run set up Bumgarner to seal the deal as orange towels of the Giants’ home crowd frantically twirled in the stands above.

Bottom of the ninth with the home town roaring, and Bumgarner did what Bumgarner does; win.  The Mets were finished before they ever had a chance to get started.  With every pitch the man known as “MadBum” etched his bust into the Rushmore of postseason greatness.