NL Wild Card 2014, Giants vs Pirates final score: Bumgarner throws shutout, San Francisco cruises, 8-0

Behind a four-hit shutout from starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner and a fourth-inning grand slam from shortstop Brandon Crawford, the San Francisco Giants cruised to a 8-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Wild Card game on Wednesday night, serving notice to the Washington Nationals — as well as the rest of MLB — that even though the Giants got into the playoffs via the Wild Card, dismissing San Francisco as a serious World Series contender is premature.

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Unlike the American League Wild Card game on Tuesday night between the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals, which featured plenty of drama in a 12-inning Royals walk-off win, the NL Wild Card game was pretty much over by the first time the Giants scored. The game was a pitching duel for three innings, as Pirates starter Edinson Volquez had matched Bumgarner with only a single allowed. But Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval led off the top of the fourth inning with a single to right field, and then Hunter Pence followed with a single to left field.

Volquez then walked first baseman Brandon Belt to load the bases, bringing up Crawford. The shortstop was down in the count, 1-2, to Volquez when he hammered a pitch to right field for a grand slam:

Crawford’s slam was the first grand slam hit by a shortstop in MLB playoff history, and even though Volquez would retire the next six batters he faced, the damage was pretty much done, as Pittsburgh was unable to get anything going against Bumgarner, despite singles in the sixth and seventh innings, by Josh Harrison and Sterling Marte, respectively.

Volquez was lifted in favor of left-hander Justin Wilson after a leadoff walk to Pence during the top of the sixth. A wild pitch by Wilson allowed Pence to advance to second, and he scored on a single by Belt which deflected off of second baseman Neil Walker’s glove. Volquez’s final line was five hits, five runs (all earned) in five innings pitched, with three strikeouts, three walks and of course, the grand slam.

The Giants loaded the bases again in the top of the seventh. Second baseman Joe Panik and catcher Buster Posey both singled to left, and right-hander Jared Hughes walked Sandoval, before a Pence fielder’s choice gave the Pirates one out with Belt up again. Belt hit a two-RBI single to center field, and Hughes was replaced by lefty Bobby LaFromboise, who got Crawford to ground into a double play.

The only real threat the Pirates ever managed was in the eighth inning. After a one-pitch flyout to Brent Morel to lead off the bottom of the eighth, a fielding error by Crawford allowed Jose Tabata to reach base, and he advanced to third on a Harrison single (aided by an errant throw from third baseman Joaquin Arias, who was subbed in as a defensive replacement for Sandoval at the top of the inning). But the Pirates wouldn’t score either runner, as Bumgarner struck out Jordy Mercer and induced a ground out from Andrew McCutchen.

Posey singled a two-out run home in the eighth off right John Holdzkom for the 8-0 final score. Mark Melancon pitched a perfect ninth inning in the loss for the Pirates.

Bumgarner joined elite company with his perfromance:

Bumgarner scattered four hits across his complete game. The Giants will head to Washington, D.C. to face the Nationals on Friday.