SAN FRANCISCO -- If you doubt that Tim Lincecum is a performer for the ages, consider that what he accomplished Wednesday was achieved by only one other Giant more than a century ago.Lincecum became the second Giant to pitch two no-hitters, silencing the San Diego Padres before an AT&T Park audience that was anything but silent in San Francisco's 4-0 triumph. 
The great Christy Mathewson no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs on July 15, 1901 and June 13, 1905, respectively. Lincecum joined the "Big Six," as Mathewson was nicknamed, by bookending the 16th no-hitter in Giants history with his epic 148-pitch effort at San Diego last July 13.As he did in his first no-hitter against the Padres, Lincecum thrived without the overpowering fastball that distinguished him when he won National League Cy Young Awards in 2008 and '09. To be sure, he employed the fastball, and did so effectively, throwing it to spots where Padres hitters were vulnerable and at times when they expected a different delivery.But, as has been the case for the last few years, Lincecum's velocity peaked at 92 mph -- about 5 mph slower than his heater traveled at the outset of his Giants career. Lincecum, who robbed himself of a perfect game by walking Chase Headley with one out in the second inning, relied on finesse rather than force as he continued his transition from power pitcher to precision expert.With this triumph, Lincecum re-emphasized that he transcends statistics. He was 4-9 with a 4.61 ERA when he no-hit San Diego last year. This time, he entered the game with a 5-5 record and a 4.90 ERA, having surrendered 87 hits in 82 2/3 innings.Yet the Padres didn't come close to collecting a hit. Lincecum opened the game by striking out Will Venable and Everth Cabrera, the first two hitters he faced. Though Lincecum finished with the relatively low total of six strikeouts, his dominance of Venable and Cabrera established a pattern that would continue throughout the overcast afternoon.Venable hit a fly ball to left-center field with two outs in the third inning that created minor drama as left fielder Michael Morse cut in front of center fielder Gregor Blanco to make the catch. One inning later, Seth Smith hit a sharp grounder to first baseman Buster Posey, who barely had to move to step on first base for the out.Through eight innings, the Padres hit eight balls out of the infield against Lincecum, none of them challenging.Lincecum also supported himself offensively. After Brandon Crawford tripled and scored in the second inning to open the scoring against Padres starter Ian Kennedy (5-9), Lincecum singled to lead off the third inning and came home on Pablo Sandoval's double. Lincecum, who entered the game batting .045 (1-for-22), singled to open the seventh and scored along with Hunter Pence as Posey doubled off Tim Stauffer to complete a 4-for-4 day.It was the third no-hitter thrown at AT&T Park, all by Giants pitchers, since it opened in 2000. Left-hander Jonathan Sanchez stymied the Padres, 9-0, on July 10, 2009, and Matt Cain pitched a perfect game against Houston in a 10-0 rout on June 13, 2012.Chris Haft / MLB.com
The great Christy Mathewson no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs on July 15, 1901 and June 13, 1905, respectively. Lincecum joined the "Big Six," as Mathewson was nicknamed, by bookending the 16th no-hitter in Giants history with his epic 148-pitch effort at San Diego last July 13.As he did in his first no-hitter against the Padres, Lincecum thrived without the overpowering fastball that distinguished him when he won National League Cy Young Awards in 2008 and '09. To be sure, he employed the fastball, and did so effectively, throwing it to spots where Padres hitters were vulnerable and at times when they expected a different delivery.But, as has been the case for the last few years, Lincecum's velocity peaked at 92 mph -- about 5 mph slower than his heater traveled at the outset of his Giants career. Lincecum, who robbed himself of a perfect game by walking Chase Headley with one out in the second inning, relied on finesse rather than force as he continued his transition from power pitcher to precision expert.With this triumph, Lincecum re-emphasized that he transcends statistics. He was 4-9 with a 4.61 ERA when he no-hit San Diego last year. This time, he entered the game with a 5-5 record and a 4.90 ERA, having surrendered 87 hits in 82 2/3 innings.Yet the Padres didn't come close to collecting a hit. Lincecum opened the game by striking out Will Venable and Everth Cabrera, the first two hitters he faced. Though Lincecum finished with the relatively low total of six strikeouts, his dominance of Venable and Cabrera established a pattern that would continue throughout the overcast afternoon.Venable hit a fly ball to left-center field with two outs in the third inning that created minor drama as left fielder Michael Morse cut in front of center fielder Gregor Blanco to make the catch. One inning later, Seth Smith hit a sharp grounder to first baseman Buster Posey, who barely had to move to step on first base for the out.Through eight innings, the Padres hit eight balls out of the infield against Lincecum, none of them challenging.Lincecum also supported himself offensively. After Brandon Crawford tripled and scored in the second inning to open the scoring against Padres starter Ian Kennedy (5-9), Lincecum singled to lead off the third inning and came home on Pablo Sandoval's double. Lincecum, who entered the game batting .045 (1-for-22), singled to open the seventh and scored along with Hunter Pence as Posey doubled off Tim Stauffer to complete a 4-for-4 day.It was the third no-hitter thrown at AT&T Park, all by Giants pitchers, since it opened in 2000. Left-hander Jonathan Sanchez stymied the Padres, 9-0, on July 10, 2009, and Matt Cain pitched a perfect game against Houston in a 10-0 rout on June 13, 2012.Chris Haft / MLB.com
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