MADISON BUMGARNER was the World Series MVP ten years ago but left behind his prize on the field.
The pitcher played a key role in the San Francisco Giants‘ World Series triumph in 2014.
Madison Bumgarner left behind his Chevrolet prize[/caption]
The Giants beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 and Bumgarner pitched 21 innings, allowing just one run.
That gave him a series ERA of just 0.43, the lowest since Sandy Koufax’s 0.38 ERA in the 1965 World Series – making him a worthy MVP winner.
His reward was a trophy and a special prize – a 2015 Chevrolet Colorado.
Bumgarner was presented the car in front of millions watching on TV – yet somehow forgot about the Chevy and left it on the field.
He then left the vehicle behind in Kansas City as he returned to his home in North Carolina.
A week later he appeared on The Dan Patrick Show and told the host he had “been so busy the past few days” after the game that he lost track of it, and as a result, he “[did] not have it and really [did not] know where it [was] at.”
Ten months later, the truck resurfaced in Bumgarner’s hometown of North Carolina.
The pitcher had the Colorado customized and sent to his father in Hickory.
Bumgarner admitted he had no emotional attachment to the car, possibly because he had a deal with Ford at the time and appeared in ads for the Chevrolet rival.
Bumgarner played for the Giants for ten years between 2009 and 2019.
He won the World Series three times in that period, and is a four-time All-Star.
In 2014 he also won the Babe Ruth Award and was named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.
Bumgarner leads an interesting life away from the field as a secret rodeo star.
He competed in rodeo events under the alias ‘Mason Saunders’, sometimes alongside roping-pro Jaxson Tucker.
The duo reportedly won $26,560 at a competition in at the Rancho Rio Arena in Wickenburg, Arizona in December.
After been shown the photo on Sunday, Bumgarner said to The Athletic, “Oh boy, this will ruin my alias.”
He added: “They don’t always take pictures. That was a bigger one.”
