Looking back on Tim Lincecum's career

With rumors circulating that Tim Lincecum is eyeing a comeback in 2018, we take a look back at some of 'The Freak's' career highlights
Check out MLB.com/video for more!
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[@1999JohnGalt]

3 World Series rings, 2 Cy Youngs, and 2 no-hitters. He had a short prime, but damn was it a good one.

[@PlusUltraAdrian]

If he had a longer prime, the Giants would still be contenders.

[@thesmokeyone2475]

@@PlusUltraAdrian wish he would of had a longer prime

[@stevennevins6443]

Imagine if he lasted like Randy Johnson did - he numbers would have been insane.

[@grandmotherproductions9380]

Pretty sure he was Rookie of the year, too

[@TheGodYouWishYouKnew]

Alexis Aranda No-hitters are a garbage achievement. You could have a no-hitter and give up 5 runs. Perfect games are where it’s at.

[@aydenkresge8716]

When he was on he was untouchable. Miss you Tim.

[@timruskowski4923]

Ayden Kresge miss you too dude

[@Oallright]

Tim Ruskowski 😂

[@UltraJucimo]

Goldy loved this guy

[@prestonhawk3331]

Short prime, but one of the best

[@westcoastfishing2768]

Preston Hawk too skinny and too many moving parts. His joints must ache all the time I swear

[@damonwatt4420]

nikesback ok what's the reason for any pitcher being good now?

[@bsoxhater14]

theres not a single PED that will help you hit a changeup like TL had/has. if you do make contact sure, then its a matter of how hard you can hit it, but contact is the question. dont be a n00b.

[@508fitteds]

nikesback you have to be stupid

[@anthonyc2781]

nikesback wtf. If they were on steroids than that would be unfair. Lincecum and hitters were on a leveled playing field, and you know what? Timmy was better than all of them and he was so clutch during his prime as well. You’re statement on steroids was so dumb. Could you imagine Timmy on juice!? Haha good luck hitting against that awkward flame throwing son of a bitch.....

[@Ahsfbvox]

Anybody here ever just randomly miss watching Tim Lincecum? Dude was short lived but will always have a place in my heart as a Giants fan. The first sign of what was to come in the post-Bonds era.

[@biggertonouncertonthethird76]

He had a short prime, but a pretty darn good one

[@painted_crimson]

Watching Tim pitch at the height of his career was an absolute joy

[@deitznuts3306]

MLB 2K9 flashbacks

[@isnagupx672]

YO DEADASS

[@rudycordova1345]

Ohfuck Ohgod oh no HAHA I thought I was the only one who saw that 😂

[@jeffsan4996]

STG it was like facing Randy Johnson on MVP 05

[@christianarrizon9796]

I threw a no perfect game with Clayton kershaw on that game the last pitch he got injured

[@marcovehurley]

Big Chungus 2K8 for me haha

[@modulo3664]

No hitters whatever. My favorite is the 2010 NLDS G1. First playoff game of his life and he busts out a CG SHO, 14 Ks with only 1 run of support.

[@karimqk1895]

Seriously. That was pure Giants baseball circa 2010.

[@espyalexander4410]

I was there! - EPIC!

[@scottwyatt1691]

I agree. It may not be a no hitter but I think it’s his most impressive performance.

[@benthekeeshond545]

@@scottwyatt1691 I agree. But the final game clincher of the 2010 WS against a supposed postseason ace, Cliff Lee, is even more important. That was not a SO but it brought the SF Giants 1st WS victory. The Giants were not able to do that for nearly 1/2 a century. No less was his relief pitching against the all-potent Tigers lineup in 2012. He struck out triple-crown winner Miguel Cabrerra and made the rest of the Tigers confused. Tim Lincecum is the best and most accomplished SF Giants pitcher ever.

[@jaredrogers7863]

@@benthekeeshond545 I dono man, the Giants have more HOFers than any team in baseball for a reason. Even his own teammate Madison Bumgarner would like to have a word with you about his 0.24 career World Series ERA, and his 2014 performance. Or even his performances in Wild Card games alone. But yes Timmy is an all time Giant, he was the glue that stuck those misfits together, as well as the shepherd who nurtured the future great talent and get even more Rings. He was a god tier teammate.

[@johnstjohn3595]

Still has more rings than my entire Mariners franchise.

[@samuelcanfield818]

You've been blessed with fantastic teams, the fact that you had ichiro, Griffey jr, arod, Brett Boone, and Edgar Martinez, in a span of 5 years makes me foam at the mouth, too bad you never had a competent GM

[@johnstjohn3595]

samuel canfield Very true

[@Wolverine_onYTTV]

a gm who trades randy johnson >_>

[@stevecoke34]

Ian O. Yup Bellevue, just across the lake from Seattle

[@milaninicole7024]

John Stjohn this could be our year!

[@MoneyOverFame]

Still my favorite pitcher! He did more in the first 5 years of his career than most players do in their whole career.

[@twolak1972]

YOU DAMN RIGHT. Any pitcher would have given his eye teeth for the 5 years Tim blessed us with. TOTALLY UNSTOPPABLE.

[@IncredibleFulk1]

No matter what team he is on, Timmy will always be a Giant to me!!! I'll never forget his prime years and his heroics in the WS games, especially the 2010 WS. Thank you Timmy!!!!

[@lilneige]

I am actually a Bluejays fan, but love to see Timmy is back to the mount. He was so fun to watch, one of the most unique pitcher in the history.

[@jacobball1044]

same here brother

[@tomwolak3362]

Yup.My favorite World series's were the 2010 2012 2014 ones.I watched Tim pitch and marveled how he carved up hitters at will.Brilliant pitcher and one of the best ever.If I had his talent Id take his career over anyones but koufax's.He was a beast.

[@Michael-ep9nt]

He is only on the giants and angels. Why u making it sound like more than 2 teams

[@killerdemo]

I miss you Tim Lincecum. Come show your face around the ballpark one of these days.

[@rocknrallsoul94rockero4]

As a Dodger fan I've respected him during his whole career even saw his first Angels game vs Oakland wish nothing but the best for the future

[@dirtymikeandtheboyz2570]

Same here. Props to Timmy

[@aqgpandemic5406]

At his best he was the most dominant pitcher I've ever seen in my lifetime, including Kershaw; Lincecum had less consistency but he pitched for more innings each year and was dominant in the postseason.

[@aqgpandemic5406]

DoubleFailMech The level of impotent rage in this comment is the funniest thing I've seen all week, thanks for the laugh man.

[@chaosawaits]

I agree. Lincecum in his prime was a phenom that caught the eye of even people who knew nothing about baseball or hated baseball.

[@moegerms]

More dominant than Kershaw? Lmfaoooooooooooo. Kershaw's run prevention in comparison to Lincecum's isn't even a conversation. Tim was a tremendous pitcher for a 4 year stretch and very few to ever play the game are more decorated than Tim but you just said something really stupid, something that is so dumb, it can't even be an opinion. So you must be no older than 12 or 13 years or just have little understanding of the game.

[@Ares14]

Lincecum when he was on top of his game had nastier stuff than Kershaw but Lincecum was more prone to give up runs from time to time as he was a more of a thrower than a pitcher which explains why when his FB went south of 91mph he was getting slammed. But Lincecum used to throw a 95-97mph 2 seamer which is damn near unheard of with that nasty diving splitfinger.

[@Marty-uv7ep]

Kershaw has definitely had a more longer and more famous career than Lincecum has, but in Lincecum's prime, Tim did better (coming from a dodgers fan)

[@westonwheeler2311]

It's better to burn out than fade away- Kurt Cobain Lincecum did more in his short prime than most will in their whole baseball careers

[@unrulysimian3897]

Ghost Killer - try Neil Young.

[@ocan1033]

Out of the blue and into the orange and black

[@MrJonjontheman]

Neil young not cobain

[@chaviraruben]

Facts

[@kcgs65243]

Amen to that

[@JayDogTitan]

There are certain pitchers you just love to watch work, Tim Lincecum was always one of those for me.

[@Cello4176]

Let Timmy smoke

[@christianmoreno3585]

marcello reilly ON GOD !

[@hunterrang5482]

That changeup is absolutely filthy

[@gentbar7296]

Hunter Rang that stride deceived it so well

[@owenhamilton1902]

I believe it was a splitter.

[@jacobwerman1008]

It was a split change. I think it is held similar to a palm ball (like a Vulcan grip).

[@michaelmarshall4654]

One of the best I have ever seen thrown. He hid it so well.

[@micahtrujill04]

One of if not the most respected and loved Giant of the past 20 years. Sad to see how his career was cut short, but man, for those 4-5 years, he was the greatest of all time.

[@ericpark8784]

Absolutely most loved

[@reacher8446]

I always use Tim Lincecum's delivery in my road to the show pitcher. Sick!

[@2strokeFORever]

Hahaha me too

[@TheGodYouWishYouKnew]

Reacher And he uses Orel Hershiser’s delivery

[@MemestiffGaming]

Same, I love that wind up he does

[@venomshadowzzz2556]

Same asf lol

[@michaelmarshall4654]

Coolest wind up in the game

[@kims.h9326]

Legend.. hes #55 should be retired by giants

[@brentheil1861]

agree

[@MartyFox]

Once MadBum retires they should retire 55, 40 and 18 all at once.

[@morcatna4767]

YES YES YES 🙌

[@thevibesmunoz7212]

Tim is a monster man I've never seen anyone pitch like him.

[@Sticktothemodels]

In his short prime arguably the best pitcher I’ve ever seen

[@OnionCourier]

I miss him. He was the one that got me into baseball.

[@Beavls_]

I'm a Dodgers fan but damn Lincecum was good

[@MEDSAN24]

The Freak! One of My favorite all time pitcher in baseball. Not even a Giants fan.

[@SupplementalSense]

He was such a rare talent. I think if he had the body structure of a Kershaw or Bumgarner it probably would have prolonged his career by many years. I can't remember any pitchers over the last 20 years that were as dominant as Tim was in his prime. I'd probably go back to Pedro Martinez in his Expos days.

[@TyrontoHoops]

Jacob degrom

[@kims.h9326]

Kershaw trash always choking..

[@astroknott5263]

i remember when he was first coming up, people were predicting his wind up would end up killing his career down the road. Sadly that seems it was the case.

[@Dreels1738]

What happened to him were did he go?

[@snoot4873]

Nicolas A. Hardesty He is currently a free agent.

[@raulaguirre883]

Baseball as a whole knows and respects Lincecum. He is such a gem, a blessing for this game. Thank you for baffling us over and over again.

[@shauncameron8390]

One of the greatest pitching deliveries in the game.

[@RP3FILMZ]

Timmy will always be a Giants legend, his pitching was some of the best ever. Definitely a short prime but he was unstoppable. The Freak Lives On!!! #SFGiants

[@DojKim]

His long hair days were 🔥. Such a beautiful pitching mechanics pleasing to the eyes.

[@forepan9981]

Good old days.

[@camby81]

Forepan i

[@randy2152]

As a Tigers fan, I respectfully disagree

[@eljefe_415]

@@randy2152 😂😂

[@patrickkealy4387]

Like that Elton John song Candle in the Wind, that was Lincecum career . It burned brightly and then went out. Gone but never forgotten for what he accomplished in such a short time.

[@jorgemartinez6228]

Im still young and learning more about the game (16) but man I started wathcing baseball because of this guy. 2010 to be exact I always thought his delivery was sick and after that i just fell in love with the game and to this day he is still one of my favorite players. And one of the best from what ive seen so far

[@Thndrstrike]

After watching him wither away in his last couple years, I truly did forget how amazing he was. Freak Forever! Thanks for being so great for us Timmy! Hope that comeback goes well!

[@amandarenee63503]

He is the reason I started watching baseball (and still am) as I was teaching science in Middle School and used his pitching style in my lessons- JUST BRILLANT!

[@polishtheturdmickelson5473]

He is trying to comeback for the 2018 season. He has bulked up, adding more muscle to his frame. He is worth some team signing to a minor league deal.

[@Marcelo-xw9nt]

polishtheturd mickelson are you sure?

[@polishtheturdmickelson5473]

I seen a story on bless you boys.com

[@Thomas-ej2ow]

Prob gonna go to the Mets on a minor league deal tbh

[@johnnyalvarez7788]

The Braves are also interested in signing him to the minors

[@miguelalvarez2243]

And he's going to Texas Bitches!!! ⚾️

[@JoeyActionTV]

Short prime But best ever

[@user-ft3ct4yi3o]

Miss you my guy! Your big fan from TAIWAN!!!

[@mikrod9157]

Awesome guy to watch no matter who you root for

[@idlecaption]

1:32 RIP to a Phillies and Blue Jays legend. Every time I see this man in highlight videos of any type I can’t believe he’s gone. He will forever be remembered as an amazing pitcher and an amazing human being. We miss you Doc.

[@MrLuiisszz]

He was untouchable! My favorite pitcher while growing up!

[@S408J]

wasn’t a Giants fan (Braves fan living in San Jose, CA). But being a bigger fan of the game of baseball..from seeing Tim pitch in A ball (San Jose), to attending a bunch of his starts in SF, it was fun to watch him dominate ML line ups!!!

[@RationalGaze.BingChillin]

I enjoyed watching Tims career. He was a fun player to watch. Definitely a memorable player

[@DanyaRomulus]

Good video but I feel like it omitted one of the really defining moments of his career - his complete game 14-strikeout shutout against the Braves to begin the 2010 postseason

[@Buttsmoker]

I truly miss watching him pitch- The match of his mechanics and how it meets the glove was just amazing

[@MrSuavee757]

We need this Tim back!! I’m not even a giants fan I just loved watching this dude play

[@fndleberg3273]

Watching Lincecum pitch got me into the sport. Always come back to this video here and there.

[@mirrlamp]

Can't help feeling emotional when I think about Tim Lincecum's short but absolutely glorious career. I hope he's happy and can look back on his career with pride but I'm sure he misses it terribly.

[@paulbernal6088]

Tim Lincecum was the baseball Steph Curry.

[@mattpattison3668]

Paul Bernal not a bad observation actually. Both small in frame, both dominant. Lincecum was 5'11, 160 lbs and threw 98 mph early on, just nuts. and if you saw them walking down the street you'd never guess that they were both at the very top of their respective sport.

[@paulbernal6088]

Matt Pattison Exactly, and a couple of Cy Youngs for Timmy, a couple of MVPs for Steph and both world champs by the same bay, and both must watch TV.

[@escobeast10]

Paul Bernal I see what you’re saying but I think Steph’s prime will last a long long time

[@PlusUltraAdrian]

Both have 3 world titles.

[@jacobreed93]

Right on point

[@StarsDie88]

That changeup from 2008-2011 was unhittable.

[@ricardopaulino4170]

Love watching him play the game . One of the best pitchers in the era 👍

[@Straycat733]

He will always and forever be a Giant in my heart

[@isaincortesjr4450]

Not even a Giants fan but this was my favorite pitcher growing up and still is he had the best nickname and every time I heard the freak was pitching I had to watch

[@FaTaLthe13th]

My whole little league team looked up to him. We all tried to pitch like him and it pissed the coaches off

[@GenF91]

Timmy had an amazing run! Not sure if he'll ever go back to being the great pitcher he once was but it was a joy to watch him when he was on top!

[@Aviator_Walker]

has me feeling all nostalgic now wow...the freak was our ace for a couple years...miss those days

[@misterjules5073]

Man Tim was incredible, I can’t wait to see him in Cooperstown. Maddox, Tim, Pedro the 3 best smallish pitchers who did it all and more. 👌🏻

[@Thatguy-sb2jo]

I love Timmy, but he’s not getting into Cooperstown

[@mrericchwang]

First ever favorite baseball player. I miss Giants baseball 10 years ago, so much fun to watch

[@Keonelehua]

Great video. Brought a smile to my face

[@corymorris1181]

He was one of my favorite pitchers to watch. I hope he can comeback strong

[@pablovessali1503]

tim was my favorite player when I was a kid

[@huntervolcan9218]

I watched Lincecum pitch a lot as a Giants fan living in Nor Cal. We were so lucky to have him in our franchise. His first two seasons in the bigs he wins the cy young award! I saw him pitch an inter league game against Justin Verlander and the Tigers his 2nd season in in person. I will never forget that. And in the 2010 regular season I saw him pitch against the Phillies a team everyone was predicting would win the World Series that year. They had the best 3-4-5 hitters in baseball with Utley, Howard, and Werth. I saw Lincecum strike all three of them out back to back to back. Love you Tim!

[@Luxeee]

After hearing about the news recently with the Rangers. All I want for Timmy is success back in the league, he was a beast.

[@Brian_Boru]

Such fun to watch. An all-time favorite.

[@oscarbox182]

De gran repertorio. Gran pitcher!

[@salmonsteelheadnorthcoast7639]

Forsure Hall of Famer, such a huge Giants fan, this brings tears to my eyes🥺 Timmy was the best!! #lethimsmoke!!

[@Skaz1hiphop]

As a lifelong giants fan these moments are some of my fondest memories of baseball.

[@colinrenteria3161]

i go on these binge watching marathons of giants highlights. greatest team ever.

[@415bigk]

Miss this guy hands down my fav pitcher

[@TaiyoN]

I was about a second grader Red Sox fan back then and I already knew that there was a guy named Lincecum throwing good pitches in San Francisco

[@reikoshea]

I remember watching game 5 against my rangers. I was hoping Lincecum would come back to close out that game just because I loved watching him pitch. I hope he's still got it after yesterday's announcement.

[@KidFresh71]

You can tell how absolutely filthy Lincecum's stuff is, with all those dropped strike threes. Incredible, dynamic movement on his pitches.

[@LuisGonzalez-jq3we]

Tuve la dicha de poder ver jugar a este gran Lanzador! Que momentos lincecum!

[@ryandarko2115]

As east coast met fan loving the giants and lincecum. When your time is up your time is up

[@user-tv1le7sw2l]

I'm so glad he was pitching for my beloved SFG. I've been a fan since 1961. I wish Barry Bonds would have won one. Great memories. The Giants were the best team of the 2010s.

[@encinobalboa]

Lot's of respect for Tim from a Dodger fan. He was always tough on us but a great sportsman.

[@HangoverBaby18]

So many accomplishments in a short period of time. Shame is prime wasn't longer. As a Braves fan one of my favorite Baseball players.

[@IOWAHAWKEYES2020]

He inspired me to learn the split change...nasty pitch if thrown right

[@gothicel]

That mustache.

[@seph9980]

gothicel deserves to go

[@andrewhannah8518]

Coming from a life long cubs fan here I hope he has a successful comeback. He was the top dog in his prime and was fun to watch. It saddened me deeply to see his downfall with the back half of his giants and angels career. I hope to see him return to his old ways.

[@mtgsykotic3142]

Respect. From a Dodger fan. The guy was fire but short lived.

[@FrameCounting]

Tim is my favorite Giants pitcher of all time! What a great albeit brief career.

[@botchjones1130]

This guy was my idol when I pitched as a kid. A different breed

[@markbranson3723]

I miss Tim. He was so good. Two Cy Young awards. Two no hitters. Just badass.

[@user-yr4ci4hb8f]

リンスカムの投げ方本当にかっこよくて好きです またメジャーで復活してほしいです

[@kimrehner1925]

Loved watching him pitch.

[@HayabusaRyu]

I miss Big Time Timmy Jim.

[@bwuh]

I miss this man oh so very much.

[@willmumby4621]

😭😭😭😭❤️❤️we miss you tim

[@um52]

One of the most dominant pitchers I've ever seen in a 2 or 3 year span.

[@jaycase8333]

Hope the guy comes back strong. We miss you Timmy. ✊🏼

[@Salow88]

My favorite player. Timmy was awesome!

[@jgood5048]

This dude was a beast I remember I had a folder with a picture of him in middle school (as a dbacks fan)

[@alexmyers3000]

Timmy the Kid....honor to watch him play.

[@5somegolf]

i’m not crying you’re crying

[@SkinBoy04]

No I’m not

[@dispinoylovzyou]

Damn hes pitches are beautiful to watch... soo deadly and his location is perfect.

[@shanedawsonscat698]

My all time fave

[@kevinmulqueen8438]

Watching his clips makes me so nostalgic for the 2010 giants

[@raefmartin4919]

Timmy was my favorite player growing up💪🏼#ForeverGiant

[@kotastrophie]

One of my favorite pitchers