San Francisco Giants: 15 Greatest Moments at AT&T Park

11. Tim Lincecum strikes out 14 in Game 1 of the 2010 NLDS

Lincecum was already a superstar. As the reigning two-time Cy Young Award Winner, fans were excited at the prospect of what Timmy could do on the biggest of stages. The Giants needed him to be great, especially since the franchise had not seen October baseball since 2003 where they had their hearts broken in Miami.

The night before the Giants and Atlanta Braves started their playoff series, Phillies ace Roy Halladay started the postseason with a bang, pitching the first no-hitter in the playoffs since Don Larsen‘s perfect fame in the 1956 World Series. Such a gem was the story of the day, and how could young Lincecum compete with that? After all, this was his first taste of October baseball.

Lincecum exceeded even the highest of expectations, setting the Giants’ all-time record for most strikeouts in a playoff game while surrendering only two base hits and no walks, all while kicking off what would be a very magical playoff run in San Francisco.

To compare Lincecum’s gem to other pitching masterpieces in October, MLB.com writer Roger Schlueter published an article the morning after the game in which he used all stats to rank Lincecum’s start ahead of Halladay’s no hitter.

The fact that this is the only 2010 playoff moment to make the list says that the Giants were road warriors. Madison Bumgarner‘s World Series shutout, Cody Ross‘ dominance, and all three rounds were won in hostile environments.

Next: MadBum Dethrones the Royals