Marichal at AT&T to welcome MadBum to club

SAN FRANCISCO -- Madison Bumgarner added a page to his record book with a masterful, and fitting, performance on both sides of the ball in the Giants' 5-0 win over the Washington Nationals.

The first 20,000 fans at AT&T Park on Sunday afternoon received a Juan Marichal statue replica upon arrival and watched Bumgarner join the Hall of Famer as the only pitchers in the San Francisco era to throw a shutout, strikeout 10 or more batters and hit a home run in a game.

"That game was right up there with some of the really good ones he's thrown," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

The Giants' ace matched his career high with 14 strikeouts and slugged his fourth homer of the season with Marichal in attendance.

"It was fitting," Bochy said. "That's what Marichal did so many times."

Video: WSH@SF: Marichal turns back clock in Giants' booth

On an 85-degree day, the hottest temperature recorded on a first pitch at AT&T Park since 2010, Bumgarner was even hotter.

The left-hander opened the game by striking out the side in order, fanning the Nationals' 1-2-3 hitters swinging. Bumgarner slapped an RBI double in the fifth inning and clubbed a 1-1 offering from Casey Janssen well into the left-field bleachers in the seventh to extend the Giants' lead to five.

"He might be the best pitcher in the big leagues right now," the Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman said of Bumgarner.

Bumgarner has made a habit of going the distance. Sunday's performance was the ninth time since 2012 that he's thrown a complete game and he did so for the second consecutive outing. It's the second time since August 2014 Bumgarner has thrown a complete game in back-to-back starts.

He's also the first Giants pitcher to have consecutive complete games with 12-plus strikeouts and the first player to achieve the feat since R.A. Dickey did so in June 2012.

"There's always something you can do better," Bumgarner said. "But for the most part, this will be tough to beat."

Bumgarner's innings pitched are piling up rapidly, but it doesn't seem to be taking a toll on the reigning World Series MVP. He proved Sunday he's just as dominant late in the game as he is on the first pitch, recording five of the final six outs via strikeout.

Video: WSH@SF: Bumgarner ties career-high 14 K's in shutout

"It's an impressive thing to see, to me as much as anything, that we're in mid-August and he's gone back-to-back complete games," Buster Posey said.

Marichal joined in on the praise for Bumgarner and went to the Giants' clubhouse following the game to pat the lefty on the back.

"I want to congratulate him twice," Marichal said. "For the pitching and for the hitting. What a game."

When asked what pitchers Bumgarner reminds him of from his time, Marichal mentioned 300-game winners Warren Spahn and Steve Carlton.

"Today, you don't see too many like Madison," Marichal said.