Tim Lincecum has done it again. For the second time in two seasons, he has no-hit the San Diego Padres.
Today at “AT&T Park” in San Francisco, Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum allowed only one base-runner (Chase Headley second-inning walk) en-route to his second-career no-hitter. His final line was nine-innings, 113 pitches, zero runs, six strikeouts, one walk and of course zero hits allowed, according to CBSsports.com.
The Giants won the game 4-0, on strength of a four-hit day by first-baseman Buster Posey. Posey, who caught the 2013 Lincecum no-hitter, also knocked in two-runs.
Today though it was Hector Sanchez who did the job behind the plate, including shaking off a tough foul ball to the left arm in the final inning. Despite Sanchez going hitless, he was a commanding presence behind the plate all day and it spread straight to Lincecum on the mound.
For Lincecum, this will only add to the enigma that he has become. Through his first four-full seasons in the big-leagues, he was the best pitcher in baseball. He showcased an earned run average that stayed in the two’s while over-powering National League Hitters. He led the National League in strikeouts three straight seasons (2008-2010), according to BaseballReference.com.
It was all roses for Timmy until the 2012 season in which he posted a 5.18 earned run average and looked very ordinary as velocity decreased at an alarming rate. Since then, he’s been on the course of trying to learn how to pitch, and not just overpower hitters.
Regardless of his struggles the past few seasons, the enigma gets more complicated because of these no-hitters that have come during his struggling years.
Maybe the best medicine sometimes is just a sad Padres lineup who cannot buy a hit if it’s life depended on it.