2014 World Series reunion will include surprise SF Giants guest

The SF Giants will celebrate the 2014 World Series team ahead of Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers. The list of attendees includes many familiar names like Buster Posey and Hunter Pence, but it includes a surprise guest as well: Madison Bumgarner. The full list can be found here.

2014 World Series reunion will include surprise SF Giants guest

Unfortunately, Tim Lincecum has not been confirmed as an attendee. Lincecum did show up for Bruce Bochy's farewell ceremony in 2019, but that felt like an exception event for the two-time Cy Young winner. While the fanbase continues to adore Lincecum, he has always valued his privacy.

On the other hand, Bumgarner will make a rare appearance on Saturday. For years, the southpaw pitcher was not known for attending public events like this, but you cannot talk about the 2014 World Series run without Bumgarner.

Bumgarner had a tremendous run with the Giants, including four All-Star appearances and three World Series runs. While he had a knack for pitching in the big moments, the 2014 run solidified his legacy as one of the great postseason pitchers in baseball history.

During that stretch, he posted a ludicrous 1.02 ERA across 52.2 innings in the playoffs. This includes just one earned run allowed on nine hits, 17 strikeouts, and one walk in 21 frames against the Kansas City Royals during the World Series. Not surprisingly, he took home the 2014 World Series MVP.

Of course, Bumgarner's postseason heroics were foreshadowed in his rookie season when he shut down a Texas Rangers lineup for eight innings in Game 4 of the World Series. He continued to add to that résumé as the years went by.

Bumgarner's tenure in San Francisco came to an end after the 2019 season. He signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a five-year, $85 million pact. The veteran pitcher did not finish out that deal as he was released just weeks into the 2023 season.

At one point in the offseason, it was believed that Bumgarner was mulling a return to the mound with the hopes of joining a team in the summer. There has not been much movement on that front since then.

However, a return to San Francisco to celebrate a World Series that would not have been possible without him just feels right.