The future is now the present.
At long last, Giants fans can breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate something from the 2008 season.
At 24-years of age, Tim Lincecum won only the second Cy Young award in Giants history. Not San Francisco Giants history, in all GIANTS history.
Lincecum joined 1967 Cy Young winner Mike McCormick as the only other Giant to bring the prestigious hardware home to the Bay. Often referred to as “The Freak” or “The Franchise,” Lincecum cemented his status as one of Major League Baseball’s most dominating pitchers after Tuesday afternoon’s announcement.
In only his second Big League season, Lincecum compiled an astonishing resume, posting an impressive 18-5 record, while leading the National League in strikeouts with 265. In addition, Lincecum held the N.L.’s second best ERA at 2.62, and his 26 quality starts ranked second behind only Johan Santana.
One of the most highly touted prospects in Giants history, Lincecum delivered in a huge way in only his second full season in the Majors.
He joined the elite company of Dwight Gooden and Bret Saberhagen as the only other pitcher in MLB history to win the prestigious honor in the second year of their career.
Despite his excellence, Lincecum faced stiff competition for the award. Santana, Arizona right-hander Brandon Webb, and Milwaukee import C.C. Sabathia all gave “The Freak” a run for his money. Santana pitched a complete game shutout in his last start of the year to steal the ERA crown from Lincecum, posting a stingy 2.53 ERA, while Webb won four more games, amassing a gaudy 22-5 record.
Traditionally, voters tend to favor the pitcher that wins the most games or posts the League’s lowest ERA.
The diminutive 5”10, 170-pound Lincecum defied the odds, receiving 23 of 32 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Webb finished in a distant second, receiving four first-place votes, finishing a total of 64 points behind the San Francisco phenom.
In 2008, history didn’t repeat itself.
For Giants fans, the future is now.
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about 1 month ago
Finally something good has happened for Giants fans. Great write up.
about 1 month ago
Nice writing. You did a really great job bringing up some historical facts, too.
about 1 month ago
I was sweating this a little for exactly the reasons you mentioned - wins and ERA. Particularly Santana's ERA combine with pitching in NY and all those blown saves late in the year. Glad to see the voters got it right, although I'd like to know who voted for Webb and Sabathia as the winner.
Those picks seem pretty indefensible.
about 1 month ago
I wonder what those nine teams who passed on Lincecum in the 2006 Draft are thinking right now, although Longoria with the Rays isn't looking to be such a bad pick at No. 3.
Great job. You gotta watch the video of the press conference if you haven't already. It really is great to watch him interact with some of the reporters.
from about 1 month ago
Yea his expressions are priceless..He did a great job at winning them all over with his "wowweeee/yipeeee" comments.
from about 1 month ago
He moved close to the mic and kinds stopped for a split second and went, "WOOHOO!!"
from about 1 month ago
WooHoo..That was it..Yea that was just a great moment showing that he is still a kid at heart and that hes a 24-year-old. Awesome moment for so many reasons.
about 1 month ago
best young pitcher in the game
about 1 month ago
even as a dodgers' fan i wanted him to win. he is the best pitcher in the nl no doubt... unless cc stays then its a battle... he has so much potential i really hope he never gets injured so we can see him reach his full potential. he reminds me of a young orel hershiser, wind up and stuff although he throws harder than orel.
i had this hope for billingsley as well but quite frankly he proved to me in the playoffs, not just because he pitched awful, but the fact that he couldn't man up and stand up for his team and then he bitched to the media about the pitch calling in his games... i hope i am wrong but i think he may never reach his potential unlike lincecum
great article and deserving cy young
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Jonny..That means a lot coming from a Dodger fan.
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