One of baseball's most competitive rivalries may have ended with a tip of the cap

This browser does not support the video element.

Yankees-Red Sox. Cardinals-Cubs. Dodgers-Giants. These are some of the most intense rivalries in baseball, battles between foes that have been waged for decades. They've spanned generations, involved different ballparks and a plethora of eras of franchise domination, and they'll continue for as long as baseball does.

For the past decade, Dodgers-Giants has been highlighted by the pitching exploits of two left-handers, Madison Bumgarner of the Giants and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers.

Sunday afternoon's Dodgers-Giants game in San Francisco marked what could be Bumgarner's final appearance as a Giant, as he'll be a free agent in the offseason. When he came out to pinch-hit against Kershaw in the fifth inning, the scene was electric. From Giants fans giving Bumgarner a well-deserved ovation after years of success and his role in multiple World Series championships to Kershaw tipping his cap in the direction of possibly retiring Giants manager Bruce Bochy after Bumgarner lined out to end the inning, it was powerful, since it was essentially capping off the Bochy-and-Bumgarner era which intensified this rivalry for so long.

It's also worth noting that as Bumgarner headed to the plate, Kershaw called catcher Will Smith out for a quick mound visit, almost assuredly so Bumgarner could get a few more seconds to bask in the ovation he was getting from the fans who've adored him for so long.

That little gesture -- Kershaw taking a few extra seconds to allow Bumgarner a longer moment in the sun, so to speak -- is at the heart of the respect these two have for each other. It's a respect that shows that no matter how heated a sports rivalry can be, the concept of "game recognize game" is omnipresent.

Kershaw made his MLB debut in 2008 at 20, while Bumgarner began his ascent the following season with the Giants at the same age, and ever since, each pitcher has been the ace of his staff, the anchor upon which his team relied at all times, through thick and thin.

Having watched this Dodgers-Giants rivalry intensely since right after Kershaw's first season with the Dodgers, I came to appreciate every time he'd square off against Bumgarner, and the heightened anxiety that each Giants-Dodgers game brought with it. Each team REALLY wanted to beat the other, and in lean years when the Giants weren't a postseason threat, you knew they'd always give the Dodgers a tough time regardless. A lot of that had to do with these Bumgarner-Kershaw games.

Far beyond a pitching matchup that energized both fan bases, this was a heavyweight battle between two elite pitchers who may both find themselves in the Hall of Fame one day, and it was usually explosive entertainment.

Sometimes, Bumgarner even crushed homers off Kershaw to stoke the fire:

Bumgarner actually got to Kershaw for five hits over the years, and two of those were homers.

Stuff like that -- the sinking feeling of, "Uh oh, here comes Bumgarner. Is he gonna launch another one?" -- made their head-to-head matchups even juicier than they already were, due to Bumgarner's skills with the bat.

But while the Dodgers-Giants rivalry, led by Bumgarner's fiery demeanor, was heated as far as the teams were concerned, heightened emotions sometimes inspiring trash-talk T-shirts and leading to on-field fireworks every now and then, there was nothing but the highest respect shown between the two pitchers. Each knew the other was at the top of his game, and while this led to intense showdowns on the field whenever they'd face each other -- which happened 11 times as of this past June -- the mutual respect remained.

And I'm talking about respect as humans, not just as athletes competing on the same baseball diamond.

Naming a horse after your competitive rival is the most perfectly Madison Bumgarner honor that he could give somebody, as the man's a near-mythical figure in baseball for his ability to, among other feats, deflect foul balls with his abs and kill a rattlesnake with an axe, saving a baby rabbit in the process.

This is why what happened Sunday makes so much sense. It was a bit of perfect timing from the Giants and Bochy, calling upon Bumgarner to come off the bench for perhaps his last moment as a Giant ... and square off against Kershaw. You knew both pitchers wanted to "win" the moment, because that's who they are.

But they're also friends, now, too.

It doesn't matter if the Dodgers will be playing into October and the Giants won't. Bumgarner wanted to own Kershaw one last time, and Kershaw wanted to nab Bumgarner one last time, because of that competitive drive that has been at the heart of their face-offs for years.

And it was all capped off with a great gesture from Kershaw as he left the mound, a simple tip of the cap to Bochy, riding off into the sunset after a wonderful managing career, which also effectively felt like a nod from Kershaw to his friend and longtime sparring partner, Bumgarner.

The Giants-Dodgers rivalry will continue no matter what happens to the individuals involved, sure, but if this was the last time Bumgarner and Kershaw would face off in this setting, it was a hell of a way to go out.

More from MLB.com

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com