Remembering Tim Lincecum and the Good Times: His Best Performances

Honorable Mention: May 11th, 2007

Sep 17, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Giants defeated the Diamondbacks 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This one deserves a mention because this was Lincecum’s first career win, and the first is always special. Lincecum made his major league debut on May 6th, but he had to wait until his second start to nab that elusive win. That second start came in the hitter’s heaven known as Coors Field, but Lincecum was not phased. He pitched seven very strong innings, allowing seven hits, three runs (two earned), and a walk to go with six strikeouts.

More from San Francisco Giants

• Thank you SF Giants for a fun, wild, surprising 2020 season
• SF Giants lose in heartbreaking fashion and miss 2020 MLB playoffs
• SF Giants: Mike Yastrzemski named 2020 Willie Mac Award recipient
• SF Giants: Chadwick Tromp placed on IL with shoulder strain
• SF Giants: Tuesday’s game against the Seattle Mariners postponed

In that game, Linecum held superstar rookie Troy Tulowitzki hitless in fout at-bats, including a pair of punchouts. Matt Holliday went 0-3 with three strikeouts against Lincecum. In 2007, Holliday finished second in the National League MVP race after finishing with a .340 average, 50 doubles, 36 home runs, and 137 RBI. Against this incredible rookie, Holliday was no match. Lincecum was the only pitcher to strike out Holliday three times in a single game that season.

On that day, Lincecum earned the first of his 108 career wins so far, and it was just the beginning of an incredible run of dominance for “The Freak”.

Next: The Best of His Best