Tim Lincecum’s Career Over? San Francisco Giants Fans Need Not Regret Their ‘Loss’
Tim Lincecum failed to make it through the fifth inning yet again tonight, pitching his third absolutely terrible start in a row. San Francisco Giants fans bemoaned the loss of Lincecum when the homegrown former hero left the team for the Los Angeles Angels, but now that Tim has virtually solidified his status as a liability rather than the huge asset he once was, Angels fans are the ones regretting Lincecum’s signing.
At one time, the MLB pitching world seemed to be Tim Lincecum’s oyster. He killed it during his partial rookie season in 2007, routinely hitting 97mph with his infamous fastball. He won back-to-back Cy Young awards (which are awarded at the end of the year to the single best pitcher in baseball) during his first two full seasons, 2008 and 2009. He could not be stopped.
But now, after coming back from a hip injury that sidelined Tim Lincecum in June last season, the career of “The Freak,” a moniker Lincecum acquired during his San Francisco days, has hit an all-time low point.
“I don’t really accept what I’m going through right now. I want to move forward and work through it and give my team a chance to win,” Lincecum said after his terrible start last week, showing that Tim himself is just as dismayed with his recent dismal showing as the Angels fan base is.
Los Angeles Turns to Tim Lincecum for Game 2 in Tampa Bay – https://t.co/IOmS7OCaey pic.twitter.com/Unq0vXKoo8
— Jeff Keim (@OskeimSports) July 5, 2016
“Moving forward” is definitely not a term that could be used to describe tonight’s start, however, during which Lincecum’s pitch velocity averaged 88-89mph, according to The Orange County Register.
Not surprisingly, the former superstar seemed just as down about himself after the game ended as he had in the past.
“I’m not really where I want to be,” Tim Lincecum said when asked about his performance.
“I didn’t see myself being here. I thought I would have ironed some things out by now.”
Although Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who has proven himself to be one of the biggest believers in a Tim Lincecum career resurgence, admitted that Lincecum had simply missed his opportunities tonight — although Scioscia did try to put a hopeful spin on things.
“Timmy threw some terrific pitches,” he said. “He might have gotten a little bit tired…. He pitched better with some breaking pitches. His fastball command improved as the game went on. He had good life on it. Just couldn’t make a pitch when he needed to.”
Luckily for the Angels and their fans, they did not bet too heavily on Lincecum when they signed him a month and a half ago — his contract will net him $2.5 million and is only good for the remainder or the 2016 season. That 2.5 million figure could potentially be beefed up if Lincecum were to make good on the $1.7 million worth of incentives included in Lincecum’s contract. What with his current level of performance, though, that seems highly unlikely.
Angels fans might be disappointed with Tim Lincecum’s performance, but San Francisco Giants fans are not nearly as torn up about it. Sure, Lincecum is an organic, free range product of the San Francisco Giants farm system and was one of the city’s most adored people when we still wore the orange and black, but now the Giants faithful get to breathe a heavy sigh of relief knowing that manager Bruce Bochy’s decision to let Timmy go was not a misinformed one.
Do you think that Lincecum really is done giving quality starts, or is Tim just warming up before taking the American League by storm? Make yourself heard in the comments below!
[Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images]
