Brandon Claussen, pitching for the Cincinnati Reds, delivers the ball to home plate

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is assigned the number 1. In the National League and the Japanese Central League, the pitcher also bats. Starting in 1973 with the American League and spreading throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the hitting duties of the pitcher have generally been given over to the position of designated hitter, a cause of some controversy.

Overview[link]

(video) Hiroshima Toyo Carp number 18, Kenta Maeda, pitching a ball.

In most cases, the objective of the pitcher is to deliver the pitch to the catcher without allowing the batter to hit the ball with the bat. A successful pitch is delivered in such a way that the batter either allows the pitch to pass through the strike zone, swings the bat at the ball and misses it, or hits the ball poorly (resulting in a pop fly or ground out). If the batter elects not to swing at the pitch, it is called a strike if any part of the ball passes through the strike zone and a ball is when no part of the ball passes through the strike zone. A check swing is when the batter begins to swing, but then stops the swing short. If the batter successfully checks the swing and the pitch is out of the strike zone, it is called a ball.

There are two legal pitching positions, the windup and the set position or stretch. Either position may be used at any time; typically, the windup is used when the bases are empty while the set position is used when at least one runner is on base. Each position has certain procedures that must be followed. A balk can be called on a pitcher from either position. A power pitcher is a pitcher who relies on the velocity of his pitches to succeed.^[1] Generally, power pitchers record a high percentage of strikeouts. A control pitcher succeeds by throwing accurate pitches and thus records few walks.

Johan Santana delivers a pitch at Shea Stadium in 2008, while playing for the New York Mets.

Nearly all action during a game is centered around the pitcher for the defensive team. A pitcher's particular style, time taken between pitches, and skill heavily influence the dynamics of the game and can often determine the victor.

The type and sequence of pitches chosen, depends upon the particular situation in a game. Because pitchers and catchers must coordinate each pitch, a system of hand signals is used by the catcher to communicate choices to the pitcher, who either vetoes or accepts by shaking his head or nodding. The relationship between pitcher and catcher is so important that some teams select the starting catcher for a particular game based on who the starting pitcher is. Together, the pitcher and catcher are known as the battery.

Starting with the pivot foot on the pitcher's rubber at the center of the pitcher's mound, which is 60 feet 6 inches (18.44 m) from home plate, the pitcher throws the baseball to the catcher, who is positioned behind home plate and catches the ball. Meanwhile, a batter stands in the batter's box at one side of the plate, and attempts to bat the ball safely into fair play.

Although the object and mechanics of pitching remain the same for all pitchers, pitchers may be classified according to their roles and effectiveness. The starting pitcher begins the game and he may be followed by various relief pitchers, such as the long reliever, the left-handed specialist, the middle reliever, the setup man, and/or the closer.

In Major League Baseball, every team uses Baseball Rubbing Mud to rub game balls in before their pitchers use them in games.^[2]

Pitching in a game[link]

The position of the pitcher

A pitcher releases the baseball from the pitcher's mound

Delivery of the baseball from the pitcher to catcher

A skilled pitcher often throws a variety of different pitches to prevent the batter from hitting the ball well. The most basic pitch is a fastball, where the pitcher throws the ball as hard as he can. Some pitchers are able to throw a fastball at a speed of over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). Other common types of pitches are the curveball, slider, changeup, forkball, split-fingered fastball, and knuckleball. These generally are intended to have unusual movement or to deceive the batter as to the rotation or velocity of the ball, making it more difficult to hit. Very few pitchers throw all of these pitches, but most use a subset or blend of the basic types. Some pitchers also release pitches from different arm angles, making it harder for the batter to pick up the flight of the ball. (See List of baseball pitches.) A pitcher who is throwing well on a particular day is said to have brought his "good stuff".

There are a number of distinct throwing styles used by pitchers. The most common style is an overhand delivery in which the pitcher's arm snaps downward with the release of the ball. Some pitchers use a sidearm delivery in which the arm arcs laterally to the torso. Some pitchers use a submarine style in which the pitcher's body tilts sharply downward on delivery, creating an exaggerated sidearm motion in which the pitcher's knuckles come very close to the mound.

Effective pitching is vitally important in baseball. In baseball statistics, for each game, one pitcher will be credited with winning the game, and one pitcher will be charged with losing it. This is not necessarily the starting pitchers for each team, however, as a reliever can get a win and the starter would then get a no-decision.

Rotation and specialization[link]

Pitching is physically demanding, especially if the pitcher is throwing with maximum effort. A full game usually involves 120–170 pitches thrown by each team, and most pitchers begin to tire before they reach this point. As a result, the pitcher who starts a game often will not be the one who finishes it, and he may not be recovered enough to pitch again for a few days. The act of throwing a baseball at high speed is very unnatural to the body and somewhat damaging to human muscles; thus pitchers are very susceptible to injuries, soreness, and general pain.

Chris Young throws a bullpen pregame four-seam fastball.

Teams have devised two strategies to address this problem: rotation and specialization. To accommodate playing nearly every day, a team will include a group of pitchers who start games and rotate between them, allowing each pitcher to rest for a few days between starts. A team's roster of starting pitchers are usually not even in terms of skill. Exceptional pitchers are highly sought after and in the professional ranks draw large salaries, thus teams can seldom stock each slot in the rotation with top-quality pitchers.

The best starter in the team's rotation is called the ace. He is usually followed in the rotation by 3 or 4 other starters before he would be due to pitch again. Barring injury or exceptional circumstances, the ace is usually the pitcher that starts on Opening Day. Aces are also preferred to start crucial games late in the season and in the playoffs; sometimes they are asked to pitch on shorter rest if the team feels he would be more effective than the 4th or 5th starter. Typically, the further down in the rotation a starting pitcher is, the weaker he is compared with the others on the staff. The "5th starter" is seen as the cut-off between the starting staff and the bullpen. A team may have a designated 5th starter, sometimes known as a spot starter or that role may shift cycle to cycle between members of the bullpen or Triple-A starters. Differences in rotation setup could also have tactical considerations as well, such as alternating right- or left-handed pitchers, in order to throw off the other team's hitting game-to-game in a series.

Teams have additional pitchers reserved to replace that game's starting pitcher if he tires or proves ineffective. These players are called relief pitchers, relievers, or collectively the bullpen. Once a starter begins to tire or is starting to give up hits and runs a call is made to the bullpen to have a reliever start to warm up. This involves the reliever starting to throw practice balls to a coach in the bullpen so as to be ready to come in and pitch whenever the manager wishes to pull the current pitcher. Having a reliever warm up does not always mean he will be used; the current pitcher may regain his composure and retire the side, or the manager may choose to go with another reliever if strategy dictates. Commonly, pitching changes will occur as a result of a pinch hitter being used in the late innings of a game. A reliever would then come out of the bullpen to pitch the next inning.

When making a pitching change a manager will come out to the mound slowly to waste time. He will then call in a pitcher by the tap of the arm which the next pitcher throws with. The manager or pitching coach may also come out to discuss strategy with the pitcher, but on his second trip to the mound with the same pitcher in the same inning, the pitcher has to come out. The relief pitchers often have even more specialized roles, and the particular reliever used depends on the situation. Many teams designate one pitcher as the closer, a relief pitcher specifically reserved to pitch the final inning or innings of a game when his team has a narrow lead, in order to preserve the victory. Other relief roles include set-up pitchers, middle relief pitchers, left-handed specialists, and long relievers. Generally, relief pitchers pitch fewer innings and throw fewer pitches than starting pitchers, but may be able to pitch more frequently without needing multiple days to recover.

After the ball is pitched[link]

The pitcher's duty does not cease after he pitches the ball. He has several standard roles at that point. The pitcher must attempt to field any balls coming up the middle, and in fact a Gold Glove Award is reserved for the pitcher with the best fielding ability. He must also cover first base on balls hit to the right side, since the first baseman might be fielding them. On passed balls and wild pitches, he covers home-plate when there are runners on. Also, he generally backs up throws to home plate. When there is a throw from the outfield to third base, he has to back up the play to third base as well.

Pitching biomechanics[link]

Zack Greinke preparing to pitch a ball.

See also: Pitcher's elbow and footnote^[3]

The physical act of overhand pitching is complex and unnatural to the human anatomy. Most major league pitchers throw at speeds between 70 and 100 mph, putting high amounts of stress on the pitching arm. Pitchers are by far the most frequently injured players and many professional pitchers will have multiple surgeries to repair damage in the elbow and shoulder by the end of their careers.

As such, the biomechanics of pitching are closely studied and taught by coaches at all levels and are an important field in sports medicine. Glenn Fleisig, a biomechanist who specializes in the analysis of baseball movements, says that pitching is "the most violent human motion ever measured."^[4] He claims that the pelvis can rotate at 515–667°/sec, the trunk can rotate at 1,068–1,224°/s, the elbow can reach a maximal angular velocity of 2,200–2,700°/s and the force pulling the pitcher's throwing arm away from the shoulder at ball release is approximately 280 pounds of force.^[4]

The overhead throwing motion can be divided into phases which include windup, early cocking, late cocking, early acceleration, late acceleration, deceleration, and follow-through.^[5] Training for pitchers often include targeting one or several of these phases. Biomechanical evaluations are sometimes done on individual pitchers to help determine points of inefficiency.^[6] Mechanical measurements that are assessed include, but are not limited to, foot position at stride foot contact (SFC), elbow flexion during arm cocking and acceleration phases, maximal external rotation during arm cocking, horizontal abduction at SFC, arm abduction, lead knee position during arm cocking, trunk tilt, peak angular velocity of throwing arm and angle of wrist.^[7][8][9]

Some players begin intense mechanical training at a young age, a practice that has been criticized by many coaches and doctors, with some citing an increase in Tommy John surgeries in recent years.^[10] Fleisig^[11] lists 9 recommendations for preventative care of children's arms. 1) Watch and respond to signs of fatigue. 2) Youth pitchers should not pitch competitively in more than 8 months in any 12 month period. 3) Follow limits for pitch counts and days or rest. 4) Youth pitchers should avoid pitching on multiple teams with overlapping seasons. 5) Youth pitchers should learn good throwing mechanics as soon as possible: basic throwing, fastball pitching and change-up pitching. 6) Avoid using radar guns. 7) A pitcher should not also be a catcher for his/her team. The pitcher catcher combination results in many throws and may increase the risk of injury. 8) If a pitcher complains of pain in his/her elbow, get an evaluation from a sports medicine physician. 9) Inspire youth to have fun playing baseball and other sports. Participation and enjoyment of various activities will increase the youth's athleticism and interest in sports.^[11]

To counteract shoulder and elbow injury, coaches and trainers have begun utilizing "jobe" exercises, named for Dr. Frank Jobe, the pioneer of the Tommy John procedure.^[12] Jobes are exercises that have been developed to isolate, strengthen and stabilize the rotator cuff muscles. Jobes can be done using either resistance bands or lightweight dumbbells. Common jobe exercises include shoulder external rotation, shoulder flexion, horizontal abduction, prone abduction and scaption (at 45°, 90° and inverse 45°).

In addition to the Jobes exercises, many pitching coaches are creating lifting routines that are specialized for pitchers. Pitchers should avoid exercises that deal with a barbell. The emphasis on the workout should be on the legs and the core. Other body parts should be worked on but using lighter weights. Over lifting muscles, especially while throwing usually ends up in a strain muscle or possible a tear.

See also[link]

Baseball portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pitcher (Baseball)

• Pitching machine
• List of baseball pitches
• Baseball fielding positions
• Cy Young Award winners
• Top 500 winningest pitchers of all time
• Bowler – similar position in Cricket
• American Sports Medicine Institute – Pitching Biomechanics Evaluation

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Ballard, Chris; Good, Owen (October 17, 2011). "The Invisible Fastball: Six decades ago a minor league pitcher accomplished something we'll never see again". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1191155/1/index.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-19. "When [Kelly] Jack Swift arrived in Elkin, N.C., in late 1951, he was nobody's idea of a prospect." 

v t e Baseball positions Pitchers by role Ace pitcher Starting pitcher Relief pitcher Middle relief pitcher Long reliever Setup pitcher Closer Left-handed specialist by style Fireballer Power pitcher Control pitcher Groundball pitcher Flyball pitcher Switch pitcher Defensive players by number Pitcher (1 / P) Catcher (2 / C) First baseman (3 / 1B) Second baseman (4 / 2B) Third baseman (5 / 3B) Shortstop (6 / SS) Left fielder (7 / LF) Center fielder (8 / CF) Right fielder (9 / RF) by type Infielder Outfielder Utility player Utility infielder Position player Battery Fourth outfielder Corner outfielder Offensive players by role Batter Runner Batting order (1–9) Designated hitter Pinch hitter Pinch runner Lead off Leadoff hitter Cleanup hitter by style Clutch hitter Contact hitter Switch hitter Non-players Official scorer Umpire Manager Coaches General manager Related Disabled list Phantom ballplayer

Tim Lincecum
Lincecum in 2009
San Francisco Giants – No. 55
Starting pitcher
Born: (1984-06-15) June 15, 1984 (age 28) Bellevue, Washington
Bats: Left	Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 6, 2007 for the San Francisco Giants
Career statistics (through May 16, 2012)
Win–Loss	71–44
Earned run average	3.08
Strikeouts	1,168
Teams
San Francisco Giants (2007–present)
Career highlights and awards
4× All-Star (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) World Series Champion (2010) Babe Ruth Award (2010) 3× NL Strikeout Champion (2008, 2009, 2010) 2× NL Cy Young Award (2008, 2009) 2× NL TSN Pitcher of the Year (2008, 2009) NL Player of the Week (2009) NL Pitcher of the Month (2009) MLB strikeout leader (2008) NL Outstanding Pitcher Award (2008) Golden Spikes Award (2006)

Timothy Leroy Lincecum (pronounced /ˈlɪnsɨkʌm/ LIN-sə-kum;^[1] born June 15, 1984) is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He has been nicknamed both "The Freak" and "The Franchise."

Lincecum is known for his long stride, unorthodox mechanics, and ability to generate high velocity despite his slight build: originally listed as 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)^[2] and 175 pounds. In part to add strength and durability, Lincecum put on about 15 pounds prior to the 2011 season.

High school and college[link]

Lincecum attended Liberty Senior High School in Renton, Washington, where he played two seasons of varsity baseball. As a senior he won state player of the year and led his school to the 2003 3A state championship title.^[3]

After high school Lincecum went on to pitch for the University of Washington. In 2006 he finished with a 12–4 record and a 1.94 ERA, 199 strikeouts, and three saves in 125⅓ innings ^[4] as a Washington Husky. He won the 2006 Golden Spikes Award, which is awarded annually to the best amateur baseball player.^[5]

In the summer of 2004 Lincecum played for the amateur National Baseball Congress (NBC) Seattle Studs and won two games in the NBC World Series that year. In 2009 he was named NBC Graduate of the Year.^[6]

In the summer of 2005 he played for the Harwich Mariners in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Draft and minor league career[link]

Lincecum was selected by the Chicago Cubs of the NL in the forty-eighth round (1,408th overall) of the 2003 MLB Draft, but did not sign.^[7] He decided to attend college instead, and was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the forty-second round (1,261st overall) upon re-entering the draft in 2005, but once again failed to sign.^[8] The next year, he was drafted tenth overall by the San Francisco Giants, becoming the first player from the University of Washington to be taken in the first round.^[3] He signed for a $2.025 million signing bonus on June 30, which at the time was the highest amount the organization had ever paid to any amateur player (until they gave $2.1 million to Angel Villalona a little over a month later).^[9]

During his brief minor league career he was frequently named as the top pitching prospect in the Giants organization.^[10]

Lincecum made his professional debut on July 26, 2006, with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (the Giants' Class A Short Season affiliate) against the Vancouver Canadians, pitching one inning and striking out all three batters he faced. After his second outing on July 31 against the Boise Hawks, in which he pitched three innings, striking out seven and allowing just one baserunner, he was promoted to the High Class-A San Jose Giants.

On August 5, in his first start in San Jose against the Bakersfield Blaze, he pitched 2⅔ innings, allowing three runs (two earned), and striking out five. Lincecum finished the year 2–0 with a 1.95 ERA, 48 strikeouts, and 12 walks in 27⅔ innings pitched. He also got the victory in the opening game of the California League playoffs, giving up one run on five hits in seven innings, striking out ten and walking one against the Visalia Oaks. Visalia would win the series 3–2.

Going into 2007 Lincecum was ranked as the #11 prospect in baseball and the #1 prospect in the San Francisco Giants by Baseball America.^[11] He spent the first month of the season pitching for the Fresno Grizzlies, the Giants' Triple-A affiliate. In five starts (31 innings), he allowed just one run, twelve hits, eleven walks, while striking out forty-six and going 4–0.^[12] During his 2006 and 2007 minor league campaigns, Lincecum struck out the highest percentage of batters (minimum 100) of any minor league pitcher in the last ten years: 30.9 percent.^[13]

In the spring of 2007 Colorado Rockies prospect Ian Stewart called Lincecum "the toughest pitcher [he] ever faced," adding "Guys on our club who have been in the big leagues said he’s the toughest guy they ever faced too … I’m not really sure why he’s down here, but for a guy who was drafted last year … that guy is filthy."^[14]

Major league career; San Francisco Giants (2007-present)[link]

2007[link]

With an injury to the Giants' fifth starter, Russ Ortiz, Lincecum was called up from Fresno to make his first major league start on May 6, 2007, against the Philadelphia Phillies. He earned a no-decision; the Giants ultimately lost the game, 8–5. In his first career inning, Lincecum gave up two hits and two runs, and struck out three.^[15]

He earned his first major league win in his next start, on the road against the Rockies.^[16] Lincecum, who is often compared to Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt,^[17][18] faced him in each of his next two starts, Oswalt with the Astros at the time. After the first match-up, Astros third baseman Mike Lamb said, "The stuff he was throwing out there tonight was everything he's hyped up to be. He was 97 mph (156 km/h) with movement. You just don't see that every day. He pitched very much like the pitcher he is compared to and out-dueled him throughout the night."^[19] The pair dueled to a no-decision the first time, and Lincecum pitched eight innings and got the win the second time.^[20]

In his first four starts in June he allowed twenty-two earned runs in 18⅔ innings, for a 10.61 ERA. He failed to make it to the fifth inning in any of the last three starts, against Oakland, Toronto, and Milwaukee.^[21] In July, he went 4–0 with a 1.62 ERA.^[22] On July 1, in a seven inning performance against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he struck out twelve, the fourth highest total ever by a Giants rookie.^[23]

Lincecum pitched into the ninth inning for the first time on August 21 against the Chicago Cubs. He had allowed just two hits and one walk through the first eight, while throwing only eighty-eight pitches. He took a 1–0 lead into the ninth, but allowed three consecutive hits before being pulled. The Cubs scored several times against the Giants bullpen and Lincecum took the loss. Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot said after the game, "He's got electric stuff. The best stuff I've seen all year."^[24]

Lincecum was shut down in September as a precaution, due to his high inning count in his first full year of professional ball.^[25] Between the minors and the majors, he pitched a total of 177⅓ innings.^[26][27]

2008[link]

Lincecum pitching on August 1, 2008, in San Diego

The Giants asked Lincecum not to throw the bullpen sessions typical of other pitchers during the off-season. Manager Bruce Bochy told the San Francisco Chronicle that they were being careful with Lincecum because there have been studies that show that pitchers who throw 200 innings early in their career were more susceptible to injuries.^[28]

On May 15, 2008, after Lincecum struck out ten Houston Astros in six innings, Houston first baseman Lance Berkman offered his view of Lincecum: "He's got as good of stuff as I've ever seen. ... He's got three almost unhittable pitches."^[29] After falling to Lincecum and the Giants 6–3 on May 27, Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Conor Jackson gave his impression of facing Lincecum: "He's got good stuff," Jackson said. "From what I saw tonight, that's the best arm I've seen all year, no doubt. You've got to almost hit a ball right down the middle. You're going to pop up the ball at your bellybutton, which we all did tonight, and the one down, it's coming in at 98 mph (158 km/h), you're not going to put too much good wood on it. Even the ones down the middle are coming at 98. He's good, man."^[30]

Lincecum was on the cover of the July 7, 2008, issue of Sports Illustrated,^[31] and on July 6, he was selected to play in his first Major League Baseball All-Star Game. However, he was hospitalized the day of the game due to flu-like symptoms and was unavailable to pitch. In a July 26 game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he struck out thirteen batters in seven innings while allowing only seven hits, two earned runs, and no walks.

Lincecum pitched his first complete game shutout against the San Diego Padres on September 13, 2008.^[32] In nine innings he threw 138 pitches, gave up four hits and struck out twelve batters.^[33] On September 23, he broke Jason Schmidt's San Francisco single-season strikeout record with his 252nd strikeout of the season against the Colorado Rockies. He finished the season with 265 strikeouts (54 of them three-pitch strikeouts, the most in the majors), making him the first San Francisco pitcher to win the (NL) strikeout title, and the first Giant since Bill Voiselle in 1944.^[34] His 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings pitched were the best in the majors, and his .316 slugging-percentage-against was the lowest in the major leagues, as was his .612 OPS-against—but his seventeen wild pitches tied for the most in the major leagues.^[35][36] His 138 pitches on September 13 were the most by any pitcher in a game in 2008.^[37] He finished the season with an 18–5 record.^[38] On November 11, 2008, Lincecum was awarded the NL Cy Young Award, making him the second Giant to win the award after Mike McCormick.^[39]

2009[link]

Lincecum in June 2009

After winning the NL Cy Young Award in 2008 Lincecum continued his dominance in the NL. On July 3, Lincecum was announced as the NL Pitcher of the Month for June.^[40] In his six June starts he went 4–1 with a 1.38 ERA, and pitched three complete games. Lincecum was announced as an NL All-Star along with his teammate Matt Cain. He was also the starting pitcher for the NL. Lincecum went two innings in the All-Star Game, giving up two runs, one earned, and striking out one.^[41]

Through twenty starts in 2009 Lincecum had amassed an 11–3 record with a 2.30 ERA, 183 strikeouts, four complete games, and two shutouts. Lincecum also had a twenty-nine scoreless inning streak, third-best since the Giants moved west in 1958.^[42]

On July 27, 2009, Lincecum pitched a complete game and had fifteen (15) strikeouts against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a career high. He is the first Giant pitcher to strike out fifteen since Jason Schmidt fanned sixteen (16) on June 6, 2006.^[43] On August 3, 2009, Lincecum was named National League Player of the Week.^[44]

Lincecum missed his first game since coming up to the big leagues on September 8 against the San Diego Padres.^[45] Madison Bumgarner took his place that day, making his major league debut. Lincecum was healthy enough to make his next start on September 14, pitching seven innings with eleven strikeouts lowering his ERA to 2.30, and picking up his fourteenth win of the year.^[46] Lincecum finished the 2009 season with a 15–7 record, 2.48 ERA and 261 strikeouts. Following the season, Lincecum was named Sporting News NL Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive year.^[47] He was later cited during a traffic stop on October 30 for misdemeanor possession of marijuana.^[48] On November 19, Lincecum was awarded his second consecutive Cy Young Award, narrowly edging out St. Louis Cardinals pitchers Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, who actually had the most first place votes.^[49] In doing so, he became the first pitcher in history to be awarded the Cy Young in each of his first two full seasons in the Major League Baseball.

2010[link]

Lincecum in September 2010

Lincecum continued his dominance in the league by starting 5–0. His strikeouts piled up quickly and was atop the Major Leagues in the category through the early season. However, issues concerning Lincecum's control over the movement of his pitches arose when he walked five batters for the fourth consecutive start on May 31.^[50] Although the early struggles have been mostly dismissed as a "lack of confidence" or "mental" issues,^[51] Lincecum himself admits that the slump lasted "longer than I was hoping it would".^[52]

Lincecum eventually recovered somewhat from his slump and made the 2010 National League All-Star Team. As of the All-Star break, Lincecum was 9–4 with a 3.16 ERA over 116.2 innings pitched. One of his great first half accomplishments was that Lincecum defeated Houston's Roy Oswalt three times in three months. All three games were pitchers duels.

On July 15, 2010, in his first start after the All-Star game, Lincecum pitched a six-hit, complete game shutout against the New York Mets.

After a disappointing August, Lincecum came out of his slump on September 1; pitching against one of the league's top pitchers, Ubaldo Jimenez, Lincecum went 8 strong innings of 1 run ball. This was Lincecum's first win since July 30. Lincecum continued to improve throughout September, finishing 5–1 with 52 strikeouts and 6 walks as compared to the 20/13 ratio in August. Lincecum managed to win his third consecutive National League strikeout title, he also set a record for most strikeouts by a MLB pitcher in his first four seasons.^[53]

On October 7, 2010, in his first postseason game, Lincecum pitched a complete game two-hit shutout, striking out 14, against the Atlanta Braves in game 1 of the NLDS, breaking the all time record for strikeouts in Giants postseason history.^[54] In his next postseason start, he outdueled Roy Halladay by pitching 7 innings and giving up 3 earned runs, while striking out 8 in the Giants' 4–3 victory over the Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series.^[55]

Lincecum pitched in both Games 1 and 5 of the World Series, earning a win in both. Game 1 of the 2010 World Series saw Lincecum contribute to an 11–7 win over the Texas Rangers. After presenting a strong start, he sat out the final 3 1/3 innings as the San Francisco bullpen preserved a comfortable win. On November 1, 2010, Lincecum started Game 5 of the World Series with an opportunity to clinch a world championship for San Francisco. Lincecum utilized all his pitches in throwing 8 solid innings, collecting 10 strikeouts while giving up only 3 hits, including a home-run, en route to a 3–1 victory. His victory in Game 5 ended the Giants' 56-year drought between championships and also gave San Francisco its first baseball world championship in history. Lincecum also became the franchise leader for wins in a single post-season with 4.

Lincecums Strikeout Milestones

2011[link]

On May 4, he struck out twelve Mets becoming the Giants franchise record holder for the number of games pitched with 10 or more strikeouts with 29, surpassing Hall of Fame "first five" inaugural member Christy Mathewson. Mathewson accumulated his 28 ten-plus-strikeout games in 551 starts over seventeen seasons of pitching for the Giants; Lincecum collected his 29 in 129 starts over five seasons.^[56] On May 21, he threw his 8th career complete game and his 5th career shutout, which he threw against the Oakland Athletics. Tim Lincecum almost threw his first no-hitter on April 18. He gave up his first hit after 6 1/3 innings. On June 6, he recorded his 1,000th career strikeout against the Washington Nationals, striking out Jerry Hairston, Jr.. He accomplished this during his fifth year in the Major Leagues, becoming only the eighth pitcher in history to do so.^[57] He is the second player ever to have 1,127 strikeouts by his 5th season in the Major Leagues. He was only 28 strikeouts short of passing Tom Seaver for having the most strikeouts in the first five seasons as a Major League Baseball Player, which was 1,155. In 2011, Los Angeles Dodgers ace, Clayton Kershaw and Lincecum matched up four times, evoking fans of both teams memories of the days Sandy Koufax and Juan Marichal traded zeroes in the 1960s. In those four games the scores were 2–1, 1–0, 2–1, 2–1, all going in the Dodgers favor. On September 10, 2011, both men struck out a combined 20 batters. The two appeared together on the Sports Illustrated 2012 baseball preview magazine.

Lincecum finished the 2011 season 13–14, despite a top-tier ERA of 2.74 (4th in the NL) and a stellar second-half ERA of 2.31. Lincecum's win-loss record was largely due to his receiving the worst run support in all of Major League Baseball; the Giants scored no runs in ten of his outings and scored two runs or fewer in 21 of them, leading to Lincecum becoming one of only six pitchers in modern major league history to have at least 200 strikeouts, an ERA of below 2.75, and a losing record.

2012[link]

Pitch repertoire[link]

Lincecum throws a four-seam fastball at 91–93 mph, but mostly uses a two-seam fastball grip which he throws around 90–93 mph for more sinking movement to get more ground balls. This pitch has little lateral movement, due to his overhand delivery and the speed at which the pitch is thrown. He has a big breaking curveball that is thrown at a range of 77–81 mph and breaks away from a right-handed hitter. Lincecum uses a changeup that he grips similar to a splitter with sinking two-seam action. His changeup appears similar to his fastball for the first 30 feet (9.1 m), but then dives down sharply tailing away from a left-handed batter, with a difference of 10 mph (16 km/h) or more in velocity from his fastball (82–85 mph).^[58] The majority of his strikeouts are recorded with this pitch. Lincecum also has a hard slider that breaks down and away from a right-handed hitter at a speed slightly higher than his changeup (84–88 mph). With his power fastball and strong secondary pitches, he has established himself as one of the elite pitchers in the game.^[59]

Accomplishments[link]

• 2011 National League All Star
• 2010 World Series Champion
• 2010 Babe Ruth Award Winner
• 2010 National League All Star
• 2009 NL Cy Young Award winner^[49]
• 2009 National League All Star
• 2009 NL All-Star Starting Pitcher^[60]
• 2008 NL Cy Young Award winner
• Sporting News' NL Pitcher of the Year (2009)^[47]
• 2008 National League All Star
• 2008 Major League Baseball Starter of the Year^[61]

• Led Major League Baseball with 265 strikeouts (2008)
• Sporting News' NL Pitcher of the Year (2008)^[62][63]
• Player's Choice Award for NL's outstanding pitcher (2008)^[62][63]
• Major League Baseball 2K9 and Major League Baseball 2K9 Fantasy All-Stars cover athlete^[64]
• 2006 Golden Spikes Award^[65]
• 2006 Most Career Strikeouts in Pac-10 History (491) ^[66]
• 2006 Pac-10 Pitcher Of The Year ^[67]
• 2005 Pac-10 Pitcher Of The Week ^[68]
• 2004 National Freshman Of The Year ^[69]
• 2004 Pac-10 Pitcher & Freshman Of The Year (First player ever in Pac-10 history to be named both Pitcher and Freshman of the Year in the same season) ^[70]
• 2003 Gatorade Washington State Baseball Player of the Year^[71]

Records[link]

• MLB record-holder for most strikeouts thrown in the first four seasons of a career
• Giants franchise leader for wins in a single post-season – 4, set in 2010
• Giants franchise record holder for the number of games pitched with 10 or more strikeouts −31, May 4, 2011, surpassing Christy Mathewson
• 2008–2011: Third Giant ever to have four straight seasons with at least 200 strikeouts

Personal[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

Lincecum's father, Chris Lincecum, was largely responsible for his son's interest in baseball at a young age, and is the origin of his unique and extravagant windup.

Lincecum is part Filipino. His mother, Rebecca Asis, is a daughter of Filipino immigrants.^[72][73] He got a 1450 (out of 1600) on the SAT.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tim Lincecum

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Tim Lincecum on Facebook
• Tim Lincecum on Flickr
• Washington Huskies bio
• The Book on Tim Lincecum from "ScoutingBook.com"
• Controlled Fury: Tim Lincecum
• How Tiny Tim Became a Pitching Giant from "Sports Illustrated"

Alex Cobb
Cobb pitching for the Durham Bulls
Tampa Bay Rays – No. 53
Pitcher
Born: (1987-10-07) October 7, 1987 (age 24) Boston, Massachusetts
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 1, 2011 for the Tampa Bay Rays
Career statistics (through 2011 season)
Win–loss record	3-2
Earned run average	3.42
Strikeouts	37
Teams
Tampa Bay Rays (2011–present)

Alexander Miller "Alex" Cobb (born October 7, 1987) is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Cobb attended Vero Beach High School and graduated in 2006.

Professional career[link]

Cobb was called up to the majors for the first time on May 1, 2011 and made his major league debut that day. He was optioned back to the minors after the game.^[1] On May 31, Cobb was recalled back to the majors.^[2] On June 7th, 2011 Alex Cobb earned his 1st Major League victory while starting for the Rays, Cobb pitched for 6.1 innings and the Rays defeated the Angels 4 - 1 ^[3]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)