Sports simulation claims Madison Bumgarner would’ve thrown 9-inning no-hitter

Strat-O-Matic claims Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Madison Bumgarner would have thrown a nine-inning no-hitter in a simulation.

Last Sunday, the world witnessed the Arizona Diamondbacks dominate the Atlanta Braves in a doubleheader. But all of the attention was focused on the second game, as Madison Bumgarner no-hit the Braves in the seven-inning game. It was the first no-no of Bumgarner’s career, but since it was not a full nine-innings, the outing technically does not count as a no-no.

Of course, as with anything in sports, it was up for debate with everyone taking a side. Many questioned whether the three-time World Series champion would be able to accomplish the feat in nine frames. As it turns out, Strat-O-Matic simulated the final two innings of the contest, and it determined that Bumgarner would have still secured the no-hitter.

Diamondbacks: Strat-O-Matic simulation determines Madison Bumgarner would have thrown nine-inning no-hitter

According to the simulation, Bumgarner got the next six outs, ending with a line-out by Johan Camargo. This scenario is not farfetched to envision, considering the Braves could not get anything going in the batter box that day.

In the first game of the doubleheader, Atlanta was limited to one hit in the 5-0 loss. In the following game, the Braves were struck out seven times by Bumgarner in the 7-0 defeat.

There was debate following the game as to whether this outing should count as a no-hitter on Bumgarner’s resume. MLB and Elias Sports Bureau were actually discussing whether to make the decision to count it. Instead, this performance by Bumgarner will go down as an “honorable mention” in the history books…for now.

Simulation or not, the only way to end this debate is if Bumgarner throws a “traditional” no-hitter at some point in the season. Maybe Bumgarner gets it done on his start on Friday against the rival Colorado Rockies. That would certainly make for a tremendous story, would it not?