In Photos: Former World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner throws ceremonial first pitch ahead of Giants latest game

On Saturday, the San Francisco Giants celebrated the 10th anniversary of their 2014 World Series-winning team, honoring both players and the coaches, as well as front office members, who contributed to the historic feat. Around three dozen former and active players attended the event at Oracle Park, including Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey.

Bumgarner, the 2014 World Series MVP, received a standing ovation from the fans when he threw the ceremonial first pitch to his former battery mate Buster Posey, ahead of the second game between the Giants and the Detroit Tigers.

The Giants broke its long championship drought in 2010 when they won their first World Series since moving to San Francisco in 1958. Despite missing the playoffs in 2011 and 2013, the Giants managed to enter the postseason in 2012 and 2014 and won the World Series in both years.

Under the leadership of Bruce Bochy, the Giants were crowned the World Series champions three times in five years. It became a highlight of Bochy’s managerial career which eventually led to him getting inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

However, he was absent from Saturday’s honoring ceremony as Bochy is now managing the Texas Rangers, and so was Brandon Crawford, who was part of the Giants’ 2012 and 2014 campaigns, as he joined the St. Louis Cardinals this year.

Since their successful run, the closest the team came to reaching the World Series was in 2016 and 2021, losing the NL Division Series both times. This season, the Giants are in fourth place in the NL West Division with a 61-58 record, eight games behind the division leader, the LA Dodgers (67-49).

Madison Bumgarner’s clutch play for the Giants’ 2014 World Series haul

The Giants (88-74 in 2014) faced its rival San Diego Padres in the Wild Card game, winning 8-0. The team went on to play against the Washington Nationals in the Division Series (3-1) and the St. Louis Cardinals in the Championship Series (4-1) to advance to the World Series.

The Giants faced the Kansas City Royals in the World Series, which reached Game 7 to decide the winner. Madison Bumgarner, who won Game 1 and pitched a shutout in Game 5, became the savior of the team.

With only two days of rest, Bumgarner entered Game 7 and tossed five scoreless innings and won the series finale for the Giants (3-2). To this day, fans remember their 2014 World Series hero as they welcomed him with loud cheers on Saturday at Oracle Park.

“I think it’s important that you’re here,” Duane Kuiper, the master of ceremonies, told Bumgarner, per the Mercury News. “Because I think it’s important that you hear how important you are to them.”

It remains to be seen if the Giants can recreate those magical moments and who might be the team's next Madison Bumgarner in future clutch situations.