San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain had one final day in the sun on Saturday with five scoreless innings in the last start of his career. The right-hander, who announced his retirement on Wednesday, was showered with love from the AT&T Park crowd both before and throughout the game.
Matt Cain receives hero’s welcome after final start of his career
Cain won three World Series with the Giants.
D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
Cain retired 10 of his first 11 Padres batters faced on Saturday and allowed just a pair of singles through four innings. Leading 1-0, and after he walked Cory Spangenberg to open the fifth inning, Cain was visited by manager Bruce Bochy, who was booed by a Giants crowd who thought Cain might be removed just three outs shy of qualifying for a win.
But Bochy didn’t bring the hook, and Cain retired the next three batters to end his day with five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk with four strikeouts.
At the end of the inning, Cain received a prolonged standing ovation from the crowd and shared several emotional hugs with teammates and coaches in the dugout.
In a season full of disappointment for the Giants, this was an awesome moment.
Cain was an integral part of three World Series-winning teams with the Giants and averaged 32 starts, 209 innings, and 176 strikeouts per season from 2006-2013, posting a 3.38 ERA during that time.
He threw a perfect game in 2012 and had a 2.10 ERA in eight postseason starts for San Francisco. Cain was an All-Star three times.
But injuries took their toll on Cain in recent years, sidelined by elbow surgery, a right forearm flexor strain, and a hamstring strain, among other things. Since the start of 2014, Cain posted a 5.23 ERA and averaged just 91 innings per season. That led to a relatively early end to his career, as Cain turns 33 on Sunday.
“I just felt like it was on my heart,” Cain told reporters on Wednesday, per Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. “I felt it was in my mind. The way my body felt, it was the right time. I want to be able to enjoy this last weekend and have fun with it.”
Saturday sure looked like a lot of fun.
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