After Just One Inning Of Work, Madison Bumgarner Got Himself Ejected

Madison Bumgarner is a legend. He's one of the last of a dying breed of true bulldogs. I think it's typically silly to say, "We'll never see (insert accomplishment here) ever again," but I have a hard time believing that in the modern age, Madison Bumgarner's 2014 postseason run will ever be duplicated. With that said, the later stage of his career has been rough since coming over to Arizona. His ERA since coming to the Diamondbacks sits at 4.65, well over an entire run higher than his time in San Francisco. And today, he snapped. When I initially saw what happened here, I figured MadBum was complaining about the strike zone (as he's tended to do in the past).

But after giving up a home run to start the game, Bumgarner went 1-2-3 after that, but he still couldn't prevent himself from getting tossed after what appeared to be a relatively routine foreign substance check. 

Even though Bumgarner has been a shell of himself since coming to Arizona, his numbers so this season have been rock solid, and the Diamondbacks' offense is anemic and doesn't score runs. You have to find a way to stay out there. With that said, I do believe that this ejection will open things up to a more significant discussion about these foreign substance checks. I know there is a huge push to clean up the game, but rubbing a pitcher's hands after the first inning is starting to feel a bit disingenuous, even though it's not quite as ridiculous as last year's nonsense where the players did everything expect pull down their pants to show they weren't cheating.

Despite my criticisms, these moments are fun for baseball. Madison Bumgarner is a legit crazy person on the mound. This is a prime example of how baseball can be perfect, even with its imperfections. Should this have happened? Probably not. Is it wholly insane and super fun to talk about? Hell yeah. Never change MadBum.