While we know that he'll receive at least one Hall of Fame vote, Tim Lincecum is very likely to be one-and-done on the Cooperstown ballot, as it's hard to imagine him receiving the necessary 5% to remain eligible for a second year.
But boiling Lincecum's career down just to his Hall of Fame case does a disservice to his legacy. Because for a brief period, Lincecum was one of the most dominant (and fun) players that the sport had to offer.
Here's a few interesting nuggets to remember from the four-time All-Star's electric 10-year career, spent primarily with the San Francisco Giants:
A Run of Dominance
Lincecum finished in the top 10 in National League Cy Young Award voting every year from 2008-2011, winning the award in both 2008 and 2009.
Over that period, "The Freak" led the senior circuit in strikeouts three times (2008-2010); strikeouts per nine three times (2008-2010); FIP two times (2008 and 2009) and each of complete games, complete game shutouts and ERA+ on one occasions.
During this four-year stretch Lincecum finished fifth among all starting pitchers in fWAR, trailing only Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia. Halladay is a Hall of Famer, while Verlander and Sabathia will have compelling cases when they reach their years on the ballot.
The Greatest Matchup in NLCS History
Speaking of Halladay, he and Lincecum faced off in Game 1 of the 2010 NLCS, billed as "the greatest pitching matchup in NLCS history."
Mind you, Halladay and the Phillies had swept the Cincinnati Reds in their NLDS, with "Doc" tossing a no-hitter in Game 1 of the series, his first playoff start. Halladay had already tossed a perfect game that regular season, and would win the 2010 National League Cy Young Award.
Ultimately, though, it was Lincecum who would get the better of Halladay to open the series. Halladay allowed eight hits and four earned runs -- including two home runs off the bat of Cody Ross -- in seven innings. Lincecum limited a Phillies offense that included Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth to six hits and three runs over seven innings, while striking out eight.
The Giants seized control of a series that they would eventually win in six games by taking Game 1 at Citizens Bank Park by a score of 4-3.
Big Time Timmy Jim
Out of all the iconic "This is SportsCenter" commercials, Lincecum's was one of the very best:
Other Giants Hall of Fame Notes
- Barry Bonds has received votes from 13 of the first 17 Hall of Fame voters to make their ballots public, including Audacy Sports MLB Insider Jon Heyman. Baseball's Home Run King is in his 10th and final year on the ballot. The seven-time National League MVP received votes on 61.8% of ballots last year. He'll need to get to 75% this time around to be elected.
- Jeff Kent -- who won the NL MVP while playing for the Giants in 2000 -- is in his second-to-last year on the Hall of Fame ballot. Last cycle, he garnered 32.4% of votes. During six years with the Giants, Kent made three All-Star teams and hit 175 home runs.
- Former Giants Matt Cain and Carlos Beltrán will appear on the ballot for the first time in 2023 (next cycle). It will be interesting to see if Beltrán, a nine-time All-Star, is punished for his role in the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal.
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