To be sure, there were plenty of sizable obstacles standing in the path of 5-foot-11, 170-pound Tim Lincecum's pursuit of the NL Cy Young award this season. There was his team's punchless offense that scored fewer runs than all but one team in baseball. There was a deep reservoir of worthy candidates of every variety, from past winners like Brandon Webb and Johan Santana to a historic mid-season pickup in CC Sabathia to a perfect closer in Brad Lidge. And of course, there is one simple fact that has often spelled the end of a pitcher's Cy Young candidacy: Tim Lincecum did not win 20 games this season, and someone else in his league did.
There was a time, not so long ago, where the criteria for the Cy Young award seemed to begin and end with that most popular entry in a pitcher's statistical column. But as statistics have evolved, becoming more detailed and offering greater insight into player performance, it turns out voters have allowed their thinking to expand as well. From the time the first Cy Young award was handed out in 1956 through the 2003 season, only five times did a starting pitcher win the Cy Young without winning 20 games in a full season, yet it has happened four times in the five years since then.
Making Lincecum's triumph all the more surprising is that Arizona's Webb won 22 games, meaning there was a four-win gap between the league leader and the Cy Young winner. Excluding the five years that the NL Cy was won by a relief pitcher, there has only been one season with a bigger gap between the league leader and the Cy Young winner (1999, when Randy Johnson won 17 games but took the Cy ahead of 22-win Mike Hampton).
There are too many factors beyond a pitcher's control that determine his win total, yet Lincecum left little doubt that he was the best pitcher in the league this season, leading the league in strikeouts (265), batting average against (.221) and fewest hits per nine innings (7.22) while ranking second in ERA and quality starts.
And, of course, he finished second in wins. But in the only category that anyone will remember -- 2008 National League Cy Young Award winner -- Lincecum finished in the only position that matters: first.
Deanna Clover
Bar Refaeli
Men's Grand Slam All-Time Leaders
Roger Federer's Grand Slam Titles
Comments (25) Add A Comment
Amen. He was the best starting pitcher in the National League. Every start seemed to be incredible. Webb had a great year too but watching Lincecum this year was breath taking.
burnwood
Chicago, IL
Total Comments (30)
Good call. He's becoming my favorite pitcher to watch. I didn't get a chance to see him because he didn't pitch in Milwaukee this season, but I won't miss him if he's on the hill next year. He could end up being one of the best ever. Hopefully he doesn't run into a bunch of injuries.
gwhempel
Milwaukee , WI
Total Comments (22)
Tim is truly deserving of the Cy Young Award. His team was downright horrible yet he still came out every time he pitched and put together one heck of a game. He is the reason the Giants actually weren't the worst team in baseball and was a treat to watch. I am also happy he was chosen because I told everyone that would hear me out that he was going to win it and not one person agreed they all felt Brandon Webb was going to win it. Congratulations to Tim and I look forward to watching him pitch for many season to come. Go Giants!!!
YeYo
Gridley , CA
Total Comments (5)
Webb had a great year but he had a few bad stretches. Without looking at the game logs I can only recall one game where Lincecum pitched poorly. This guy is good. Also, didn't he miss a few starts? If so, he could've won 20 and come close to 300 ks.
ME DUM DUM
Total Comments (6135)
I think Lincecum deserved it. I like the argument over at diamond-theory.com. They laid it out nicely, I thought. He was just better than Santana.
Dodgerfan16
Total Comments (5)
I think Lincecum deserved it. Diamond-theory.com did a good job saying why, I thought. He was just the best this year.
Dodgerfan16
Total Comments (5)
I thought Pedro Martinez had already dismissed the myth that small-framed pitchers can't pitch
bruinboy
Northridge , CA
Total Comments (201)
Lincecum wasn't even the best pitcher on his own team. Barry Zito, people. Look at the salaries, it's no comparison.
stevendungan
Vienna , VA
Total Comments (141)
Tim **** is ELECTRIC! So fun to watch! Glad he won.
Mondo Jay
Total Comments (7121)
****......
Mondo Jay
Total Comments (7121)
Are you serious??? SALARY makes someone the BEST pitcher on a team??? 10 wins, 17 losses, 5.15 ERA, 186 hits in 180 IP, 102 BB, 120 SO for Zito compared to Lincecum's 18 wins, only 5 losses, 2.62 ERA, 182 hits in 227 IP, 84 BB, 265 SO. No brainer here. Lincecum this year was he Steve Carlton of 1972 -- big time pitcher for a VERY crappy team. Lincecum deserved this as much as Carlton deserved his Cy Young in 1972, although Carlton's year was a little more impressive: 45.8% (27/59) of the Phillies' wins that year compared to Lincecum's 25% (18/72). But this is also a different time for pitchers compared to the 70's. Hats off to Lincecum, the most deserving pitcher for the Cy Young this year.
Tang
Colorado Springs , CO
Total Comments (6)
tang, might I suggest you look up the word, 'sarcasm'?
Tiny Tim was great and deserving - I hope he'll be able to keep it up over the long haul.
joecoolmvp
Total Comments (1)
oh, trust me, i understand sarcasm...zito might have been a good pitcher a few years ago, but no more. the statement just struck me as so ludicrous that i HAD to respond.
what position did lincecum go in his draft year??? sure wish the yankees could scout like that. we're either going to have to deal with mediocre farm-bred pitching (minus chamberlain, who should remain in the bullpen and take over for mariano in a year or two) or paying top-dollar for sabathia, burnett, or lowe, or several of them.
Tang
Colorado Springs , CO
Total Comments (6)
I hope this is a sign for a better tomorrow.
Go Giants!!!
49er SF Giants
Elk Grove , CA
Total Comments (418)
haha the yankee fan had to explain why Lincecum is better than zito? HAHAHAHA! too good!
deacon>mennonites
Total Comments (1849)
that poor yankee fan, he jumped on the bandwagon just as the horses died. haha
deacon>mennonites
Total Comments (1849)
He was one of the best pitchers in the league last year, he was just stuck on one of the worst team in the league
Mike8908
Navasota , TX
Total Comments (44)
he was the 10th pick in the draft, so he was a well-known commodity. The other teams simply passed on him because they thought he would break down. Now if only we had a bat or two...
#24 Chevrolet
San Francisco, CA
Total Comments (16)
I think the Giants need to sign Sabathia. Not just for his arm but he could also improve our clean up spot. God our lineup sucks. T-Linc is the only good thing to come out of last year.
CJ Topspin
San Jose , CA
Total Comments (88)
It's a sign that the Giants have an ace along w/ a below average team. That starting line up...talk about boresville.
karmabad
Seal Beach , CA
Total Comments (37)
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