Dodgers Mock Giants’ Madison Bumgarner With ‘#Don’t Look At Me’ T-Shirts; LHP Responds

The Los Angeles Dodgers mocked San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner on Tuesday by wearing blue t-shirts that read “#dontlookatme,” and posting a picture of themselves donning said t-shirts in their clubhouse while covering their eyes.

Dodgers Mock Giants’ Madison Bumgarner With ‘#Don’t Look At Me’ T-Shirts

The shirts intended to recall the words Bumgarner yelled at Yasiel Puig during the Dodgers’ 2-1 home victory on Monday night, words that ignited a massive, benches-clearing brawl between the two teams.

In the bottom of the seventh inning of Monday’s game in Los Angeles, Bumgarner and Puig exchanged heated words after the former threw the latter out at first to end the frame, and it only escalated from there. The left-hander repeatedly and angrily told the Dodgers’ Cuban right fielder “Don’t look at me,” and after that, the pushing and shoving began as all hell broke loose. Giants first baseman Brandon Belt and Dodgers first-base coach George Lombard separated the two as the rest of the players, coaches, and managers on both teams rushed to one side of the field near the foul line. No players were ejected after the melee, although that was the final inning Bumgarner threw as Mac Williamson pinch-hit for him in the eighth inning.

“All I know is Yasiel took a check swing, ran hard down the baseline and didn’t say a thing. He heard something from Bumgarner and he responded. I know our guy didn’t initiate,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Veteran Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez tweeted a photo of several of his teammates wearing the shirts meant to poke fun at the Giants ace:

Puig himself then also posted his own photo:

Bumgarner threw a one-hit shoutout through seven frames on Monday. A few on-the-record comments and some off the record suggest that, following the incident with Puig, Giants manager Bruce Bochy spoke to Bumgarner in the dugout and realized his pitcher had spent too much energy and was too riled up from the fight to continue playing.

Bochy was purposefully vague with the media after the game because he didn’t want to embarrass Bumgarner further.

“We had a conversation last night,” Bochy said. “I had to make a decision. … I don’t disclose what I say to a player. That’s confidential.”

Bochy also dispelled the suggestion that he pulled Bumgarner in order to keep him from getting hit in retaliation in the eighth frame, when he was due up second.

Bumgarner then admitted to reporters he could have controlled his temper better at times. The mea culpa did not include Monday’s scuffle with Puig, a longtime foe.

“In certain cases, you let something get to you or get out of hand that there’s no need for,” Bumgarner said. “I’m not saying necessarily yesterday. I’m saying there have been some cases for me where you just need to concentrate on pitching and getting guys out.”

Asked specifically whether he regretted Monday’s argument with Puig, Bumgarner said, “I don’t know. I need a little more time to think that through. I don’t want to say I did. I don’t want to say I didn’t.”

The Giants won at Dodger Stadium 2-0 on Tuesday night. The two teams will face off for the final game of the three-game series in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 19: Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants pitches in the second inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on September 19, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena