Tim LincecumTimothy Leroy Lincecum (born June 15, 1984, in Bellevue, Washington) is an American baseball player who is a starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He is nicknamed “The Franchise” and “The Freak.”Lincecum’s first major league start was broadcast throughout North America by ESPN on the evening of May 6, 2007.
He throws right-handed and bats left-handed. Lincecum is known for his long stride, unorthodox mechanics, and ability to generate high velocity despite his slight build of 5′11″, 172 lbs. Lincecum won the 2008 NL Cy Young Award, becoming the first second-year player to win the Cy Young since Dwight Gooden and Bret Saberhagen both won in 1985. His repertoire includes a two-seam fastball that reaches well into the mid-nineties, a changeup he grips like a splitter, a curveball notable for its sharp breaking action, and a slider. He also has a four-seam fastball, but rarely uses it.
With an injury to the Giants’ fifth starter, Russ Ortiz, Lincecum was called up to make his first major league start on May 6, 2007, against the Philadelphia Phillies. He earned a no-decision; the Giants ultimately lost the game, 8–5. In his first career inning, Lincecum gave up two hits, two runs, and struck out three.
He earned his first major league win in his next start, on the road against the Rockies. Lincecum, who is often compared to Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt, faced him in each of his next two starts. After the first match-up, Astros third baseman Mike Lamb said, “The stuff he was throwing out there tonight was everything he’s hyped up to be. He was 97 mph with movement. You just don’t see that every day. He pitched very much like the pitcher he is compared to and out-dueled him throughout the night.” The pair dueled to a no-decision the first time, and Lincecum pitched eight innings and got the win the second time.
In his first four starts in June, he allowed twenty-two earned runs in 18⅔ innings, for a 10.61 ERA. He failed to make it to the fifth inning in any of the last three starts, against Oakland, Toronto, and Milwaukee. In July, he went 4–0 with a 1.62 ERA.On July 1, in a seven inning performance against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he struck out twelve, the fourth highest total ever by a Giants rookie. Then began the era of Tim Lincecum.
Lincecum was on the cover of the July 7, 2008, issue of Sports Illustrated, and on July 6, he was selected to play in his first Major League Baseball All-Star Game. However, he was hospitalized the day of the game due to flu-like symptoms and was unavailable to pitch. In a July 26 game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he struck out 13 batters in seven innings while allowing only seven hits, two earned runs, and no walks.
In 2008, his 10.5 strikouts per 9 innings pitched were the best in the majors, and his .316 slugging-percentage-against was the lowest in the major leagues, as was his .612 OPS-against — but his 17 wild pitches tied for the most in the major leagues. In one game he threw 138 pitches, the most by any pitcher in a game in 2008. On November 11, 2008, Lincecum was awarded the NL Cy Young Award, making him the second Giant to win the award after Mike McCormick.
