Six Years Ago, Lincecum Threw a No-Hitter on this Day Before the Glory Left Him
On this June 25 date six years and many fastballs ago, Tim Lincecum threw a no-hitter, his second in the big leagues for the San Francisco Giants, his mastery coming against the San Diego Padres.
Mr. Flexible was at his best, baffling everyone with his assortment of pitches and unconventional delivery.
The former University of Washington pitcher turned in 10 big-league seasons, nine with the Giants and one more with the Los Angeles Angels, and earned more than $100 million before he went into decline and he was done. He might have been the second-richest Husky, trailing only Brandon Roy, who received $110 million in NBA money.
Two years ago, Lincecum gave baseball one more try, signing a free-agent deal with the Texas Rangers. He drew his release two months later.
Known as "The Freak," the right-hander finally stepped away with two Cy Young awards and a pair of World Series championships
The last public sighting of Lincecum came at a retirement ceremony last September for Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who got emotional when his saw his former pitcher show up.
Bochy hadn't been in contact with Lincecum for a long time. Tim told San Francisco reporters he had become a recluse in Seattle. He's said to have three dogs and his privacy.
Fourteen years ago, he was this skinny kid with the high-powered fastball. As he awaited the MLB draft, we put him on the front page of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
We took a photo of him in front of his dented 1990 Ford Ranger that he parked illegally all over campus, wracking up a $3,500 tab in tickets. He wasn't concerned about that. He knew his big payday was coming.
"He's definitely got the worst car on the team," then UW catcher Matt Lane said.
Lincecum was the 10th player selected by the Giants, somewhat of a disappointment to him and his camp because they thought his talent level was underestimated by the teams that passed on him.
Before the Huskies' Graves Field was remodeled, Lincecum was the total show on days that he pitched. Scouts surrounded him in a primitive bullpen, radar guns drawn. Even legendary football coach Don James often was in the stands, intrigued by the pitcher but also there to support his grandson who was on the team.
"You have to have arrogance on the mound," Lincecum said. "I'm pretty cocky though it's more confidence than anything."
He was a fun kid to interview back then. He knew great things were coming his way. He was counting on that big payday.
Today, Lincecum is lucky in a sense because he doesn't have to deal with the pandemic and an abbreviated baseball season, as discussed in the video.
His glorious career enables him to do whatever he wants, however he wants. His name is in the record book. His money is in the bank.
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