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NL wild card: Madison Bumgarner's complete game carries Giants to NLDS

The Giants are heading to the National League Division Series. After an incredible pitcher’s duel between Madison Bumgarner and Noah Syndergaard, Conor Gillaspie came through with a huge hit in the ninth inning to give San Francisco a dramatic victory.

While the AL wild-card game turned into a surprising bullpen battle, the NL wild-card game stayed on script. Syndergaard and Bumgarner completely dominated throughout the night, combining to throw 16 scoreless innings. Offense was tough to come by, as the two combined for just six hits and struck out 16 in the biggest game of the season.

Of the two, though, Bumgarner shined the brightest. Considering his postseason history, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Bumgarner again put the team on his back in October, throwing an incredible complete-game shutout against New York.

Something had to give, of course, and did in the ninth. The Giants finally produced some offense during the frame, as Brandon Crawford led things off with a double. A walk to Joe Panik brought third baseman Conor Gillaspie up to the plate with two men on.

On the third pitch of the at-bat, Gillaspie came up big. He smashed a 90 mph sinker from closer Jeurys Familia out beyond the wall in left center, breaking the tie and giving the Giants the 3-0 lead.

With the Giants up by three runs, Bumgarner remained in the game to pick up the complete-game shutout and send the Giants to Chicago for the NLDS.

Madison Bumgarner once again dominated in a postseason start. (Getty Images/Michael Reaves)
Madison Bumgarner once again dominated in a postseason start. (Getty Images/Michael Reaves)

• The postseason seems to agree with Madison Bumgarner. The 27-year-old lefty turned in yet another October performance for the ages. Bumgarner threw eight scoreless frames during the contest. He allowed just four hits and struck out six. Bumgarner has a history of going deep into postseason games, and he made it clear from the start this time would be no different. Bumgarner cruised through the first three innings, throwing just 21 pitches total against the first nine batters he faced. The Mets didn’t really challenge Bumgarner until the fifth, loading the bases against the lefty with two outs. He was able to make quick work of Syndergaard, however, striking out his counterpart on four pitches. The Mets would put a runner on second in the eighth inning, but Bumgarner made a fantastic defensive snag on a liner to end the inning without giving up any runs. He then returned to the mound for the ninth to finish off the Mets.

• The pitchers may have stuck to the script, but Gillaspie provided a pleasant surprise. In the ninth inning, Gillaspie gave the Giants all the offense they needed, smacking a three-run homer off Familia. The former first-round pick of the Giants isn’t really known for his power, hitting just 31 home runs over seven seasons in the majors. Needless to say, this will go down as his most memorable hit to date.

• As expected, this was a pitcher’s duel, and Mets starter Noah Syndergaard certainly did his part. Syndergaard came out firing immediately, pumping 99 mph with his fastball and picking up five strikeouts in his first three innings. A walk in the top of the fourth ruined his perfect game, but Syndergaard carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. With two outs in the seventh, Syndergaard got into a bit of trouble, putting two men on base. He was able to induce an inning-ending groundout, however, getting out of the jam. All told, Syndergaard gave up just two hits and three walks over seven innings. He struck out 10.

• A night after Buck Showalter got burned for not using his closer, Terry Collins paid for using his. Jeurys Famila entered the ninth with the game tied 0-0, and left with the Mets down 3-0. A three-run homer from Gillaspie was all it took to sink New York. Familia walked away the loser after being charged with all three runs.

• Terry Collins was questioned after penciling James Loney in at first base for the contest, and Loney didn’t really do him any favors during the start. Loney was the first Met with a real chance to put his team on the board in the third inning. Following a single from Rene Rivera, Loney grounded into a double-play, ending the Mets’ first threat. In the fifth, he was intentionally walked so Bumgarner could strike out Syndergaard to end the inning. Loney, who started due to his defense, also gave less than stellar effort on a single by Angel Pagan. He was removed for pinch-hitter Eric Campbell in the eighth inning.

Conor Gillaspie’s huge three-run blast in the ninth inning was the biggest play of the night. Gillaspie, who hit just six home runs this season, delivered what will likely be the biggest hit of his career against Mets closer Jeurys Familia.

You could also go with Madison Bumgarner’s entire start. That’s technically not a “key play,” but yeah, he was that good.

Madison Bumgarner turning in yet another fantastic start in the postseason. After turning in a legendary performance during the Giants’ 2014 World Series run, it looks as if the same Bumgarner showed up in 2016. Following Wednesday’s performance, Bumgarner has now tossed three complete-game shutouts in the playoffs. That puts him in elite company.

If he’s back in 2014 form, the Giants can once again go far in the postseason.

Madison Bumgarner really enjoys pitching in the postseason.

That tweet was sent before Bumgarner’s scoreless ninth, meaning he’s allowed just one earned run in his last 34 postseason innings.

It’s worth noting Noah Syndergaard’s performance was pretty great as well.

The Giants will head to Chicago to take on the Cubs in the NLDS. Game 1 is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET Friday. Jon Lester will start for the Cubs. The Giants have yet to announce a starter, though Johnny Cueto seems a likely candidate to get the nod.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik