Yamamoto World Series performance still pales in comparison to SF Giants legend

The 2025 World Series has wrapped up and much to the chagrin of SF Giants fans, the Los Angeles Dodgers emerged victorious for the second straight season. While Yoshinobu Yamamoto has an amazing series, it was still not quite as impressive as Madison Bumgarner's performance during the 2014 World Series.

As much as it pains us all to admit it, what Yamamoto did was remarkable. He came into Game 7 after pitching six innings in Game 6 and delivered 2 and 2/3 scoreless innings in the deciding game to win the championship. He was the undisputed World Series MVP.

SF Giants legend's WS heroics still better than Yamamoto's

It was a performance that will always be remembered, but some of us are old enough to remember another starting pitcher going into a Game 7 on short rest and completely shutting down a lineup to win a World Series.

Madison Bumgarner's performance in the 2014 World Series truly is something to behold. He pitched 21 innings and allowed one earned run for a 0.43 ERA and he entered Game 7 in the fifth inning with the Giants up 3-2. The game ended with the exact same score as he recorded a five-inning save to deliver San Francisco's third World Series championship in five seasons.

Compare that to Yamamoto's 1.02 ERA in 17 and 2/3 innings pitched in the 2025 World Series and it is clear who was superior. Sure, pitching on no rest in Game 7 with the game on the line is incredibly impressive. However, delivering five innings in relief on two days of rest after throwing a complete game shutout in Game 5 is pretty darn impressive too.

Recency bias is always going to play a role in these things and the national baseball media is always going to gas up the Dodgers whenever they get the chance, but just going off the numbers it is hard to make the case that Yamamoto's World Series was better than Bumgarner's.

Plus, why not throw in the fact that Bumgarner was homegrown within the Giants organization and already had a sterling World Series pedigree from 2010 and 2012 while Yamamoto was a $325 million free agent who took the quick and easy path by joining an existing superteam.

Bumgarner may never pitch in the big leagues ever again and may be roping steer as we speak, but what he did back in 2014 truly is remarkable and should not be overlooked even after Yamamoto's impressive performance.