Jewish Baseball News

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The San Francisco Giants defeated the Texas Rangers 4-0 on Sunday night (10/31/2010), giving them a 3-1 lead in the 2010 World Series and leaving them one win short of a championship.

Giants SP Madison Bumgarner — who is not Jewish — pitched a gem, giving up just 3 hits and 2 walks over 8 scoreless innings.

Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler, the lone Jew in the Series, drew a walk, was robbed of a hit by Giants LF Cody Ross in the 5th inning (see video at 1:10 mark), and lined out to LF again in the 7th, this time with two outs and men on first and second bases.

Like many of his teammates, Kinsler started strong in the 2010 post-season but has since succumbed to increasingly strong pitching. In Texas’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Rays, the 28-year-old Arizona native hit a scorching .444, stroking 3 HRs and driving in 6 runs over 18 at-bats. In the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees, Kinsler hit .250 with 3 RBIs.

So far against the Giants he’s batting .214, with one extra-base hit and no RBIs.

Game 5 of the 7-game Series takes place tonight (11/1/2010) in Arlington, Tex.

###

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — San Francisco Giants rookie SP Madison Bumgarner is slated to pitch Game 4 of the 2010 World Series against the Texas Rangers. But he definitely won’t be wearing a kipa.

A number of readers recently asked Jewish Baseball News whether Bumgarner, a 21-year-old out of Hickory, N.C., is Jewish. It’s not clear why. Does “Bumgarner” sound suspiciously like “Baumgarten,” as in former MLB pitcher (and Member of the Tribe) Ross Baumgarten? Does he “look” Jewish? (One reader wrote, perhaps jokingly: “What a punim.”)

Our initial research left little doubt about Bumgarner’s faith. A recent obituary for his half-sister identified her as a member of the Christian Fellowship Chapel, for example. (Our sincere condolences to the Bumgarner family.)

A publicist for the Giants deleted our e-mail without reading it. But as often is the case, the player’s mother was gracious enough to respond to our somewhat petty inquiry.

Are you or Madison’s father Jewish, we asked Debbie Bumgarner? “Thank you,” she wrote. “We are Baptist. Have a great day.”

Madison Bumgarner: not a Jew.

###