Five innings of shutout relief on two days' rest. That is the short version of why a Madison Bumgarner Giants jersey still sells in San Francisco a decade after the 2014 World Series, and why No. 40 hangs in so many Bay Area closets next to the orange and cream. Bumgarner's postseason résumé is the kind of thing fans buy a jersey to remember.
Most of the Bumgarner jerseys still in circulation are the black alternates, and there are more meaningful differences between them than the identical color suggests. Here is how to tell them apart and pick the one you will actually wear.
The Left-Hander Who Owned October
Bumgarner debuted at 20, threw eight shutout innings in the 2010 World Series at 21, and by 2014 had turned into the most dominant postseason pitcher of his generation: a 0.25 World Series ERA, the Series MVP award, and that Game 7 save in Kansas City that ended the Royals' run. If you followed that Series from the other dugout, the Lorenzo Cain Royals jersey guide covers the team on the wrong end of it.
Three rings in five years — 2010, 2012, 2014 — makes Bumgarner part of the only modern Giants dynasty. That context is what separates his jersey from a standard rotation-arm purchase.
Why So Many Bumgarner Jerseys Are Black
The Giants leaned hard on black alternates through the 2010s, and Bumgarner's peak sits squarely inside that window. Black became the color fans associate with those title teams the same way orange belongs to the older era. The result: nearly every Bumgarner jersey worth collecting is black, and the real decision is which cut and which detailing.
The 2016 version pins the jersey to a specific season — the year Bumgarner started the Wild Card Game in New York and threw another shutout. Season-dated jerseys are the ones collectors tend to keep sealed in the closet rather than wear to the ballpark.
Authentic Collection vs. Everyday Cuts
The Authentic Collection versions are built closer to what pitchers actually wore on the mound: sturdier fabric, cleaner shoulder construction, tighter stitching on the numbers. They cost the same here, so the question is purely about how you want the jersey to hang. Authentic cuts sit a bit more structured; the standard alternates drape softer and are easier to layer.
There is also a Cooperstown-styled Authentic Collection version for fans who want the throwback detailing without leaving the black colorway. It reads older and dressier — a good pick if you already own a plain black alternate and want the second one to look different from across the room.
If you want the most wearable option of the group, the black alternate and the fashion cut are the two to compare. The fashion version adds contrast detailing that pops more in photos; the plain alternate is the one that disappears into any outfit.
A quick note on the naming, because it trips people up: the versions labeled "new" are the updated template the Giants moved to later in the decade, with slightly different lettering and placket detailing than the earlier black alternate. Both are legitimate versions of the same jersey — the "new" ones simply reflect how the uniform looked toward the end of Bumgarner's run in San Francisco rather than at the start of it. If you are matching a jersey to a specific memory from 2010 or 2012, the older alternate is the closer fit.
Sizing a Pitcher's Jersey
Pitcher jerseys are cut for range of motion, which means the shoulders and sleeves run generous relative to a position player's fit. Order your normal shirt size if you wear jerseys open over a tee. Size down if you want it buttoned and closer to the body — the extra room in the chest is the first thing you will notice otherwise.
Black jerseys need a bit more care than white or cream ones. Wash cold and inside out, never with bleach-based detergent, and dry on a hanger. Heat from a dryer fades black polyester faster than any other jersey color, and once it goes gray at the shoulders there is no reversing it. Giants collectors who already own a Buster Posey Giants jersey know the drill — the same black alternate rules apply to both.
Wearing Black at Oracle Park
The Bay gets cold at night, even in July, so the practical Oracle Park look is the black jersey open over a hoodie or long-sleeve tee rather than a thin shirt. Black pairs cleanly with gray or dark denim and an orange-brimmed cap for a bit of color contrast. Skip head-to-toe black unless you want to look like you are working the game rather than watching it.
NL West collectors often build a divisional shelf rather than a single-team one — a Bumgarner next to a Nolan Arenado Rockies jersey covers both sides of a rivalry that defined the 2010s in the division.
Browse the full San Francisco Giants jersey collection for every No. 40 in stock, plus the rest of the roster from three championship parades.
