Tim Lincecum throws second no-hitter vs. Padres

My god, the slow-motion is beautiful. I don’t think this interview got even a single question deep before the splashing began:

(via Erik Malinowski)

For a few years, Dwight Gooden was a pitching god. Reaching the majors at 19, he had a start to his career that few pitchers in history could rival. In 1985, at 20, he went 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA and 268 strikeouts. In terms of the lively ball era, post-1920, or the post-war era, it’s on the shortlist for the best season a starting pitcher ever had. Then, all too soon, through some combination of overuse and substance abuse, it was over. He was an above-average pitcher for awhile, then an average one, and finally just not very good at all. He also missed the entire 1995 season, such as it was, having been suspended for cocaine use.

He was bombed in his next start, had an ERA of 4.54 for the rest of the year. Again, pitchers are the luckiest of all of us, because every five days they have the opportunity to be someone new.

Lincecum entered the game with a 4.90 ERA on the season and in June had allowed 17 runs in 22⅓ innings. But he turned it all around on Wednesday, retiring 27 of the 28 batters he faced for his sixth win of the year.

The right-hander struck out six, walked just one and needed 113 pitches to complete the win. He was even 2-for-3 with a walk at the plate and scored two of the Giants’ four runs.

Lincecum’s first no-hitter was also against the Padres. The right-hander struck out 13 and walked four in a no-hitter at Petco Park in San Diego on July 13, 2013, throwing a whopping 148 pitches to do so.

On Wednesday afternoon against the Padres Lincecum has been much more economical with 96 pitches through eight innings. He also singled in the seventh inning and scored a run.