OAKLAND -- The Giants ditched the DH and allowed their pitcher to hit Thursday night against the A's. And the decision paid off quickly, as Madison Bumgarner hit a double in his first plate appearance in the top of the third, sparking a rally in which the Giants scored six runs before an out was recorded.
His leadoff hit left his bat at 103 mph, according to MLB Statcast™, and his teammates did the rest. Denard Span followed Bumgarner's at-bat by drawing a walk, and Angel Pagan popped a single to left to load the bases.
Brandon Belt then hit a liner just past the reach of the A's center fielder Billy Burns for a ground-rule double that scored Bumgarner and Span. Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford then followed with back-to-back home runs, giving Bumgarner a sizeable lead by the time he was back on the mound in the bottom of the third.
In his second at-bat of the inning, the ace recorded the third out with a popup.
Bumgarner entered Thursday's game batting .175 (7-for-40) with two home runs and five RBIs in 2016.
The Giants became the first Major League club since the Chicago White Sox in 1976 to forgo the opportunity to use a designated hitter. The only other time it occurred was in 2009, when the Tampa Bay Rays forfeited the designated hitter due to submitting an incorrect lineup card.
In June 1988, Rick Rhoden was the DH for the Yankees on a day he wasn't pitching.
Justin Wise is a reporter for MLB.com based in the Bay Area. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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