As I watched Tim Lincecum start the MLB All-Star Game in St. Louis, something just wasn't right. It appeared he didn't have any control of his change-up or curve ball, as evidence by the 81 MPH curve that ran in and hit Derek Jeter's hand in the first inning. Fortunately for Yankee fans, and anyone who might have Jeter as their fantasy league short stop, the ball struck the very knob of the bat, and didn't strike his hand flush. He stayed in the game and had a couple of more at-bats. But Timmy was clearly nervous, and said later that his heart was racing, and he couldn't feel his body, hence, a lot of pitches were "up in the zone."
After watching Lincecum's two-innings of work Tuesday, I pose the question: "Opening Day assignments aside, has this guy ever pitched in a BIG game?" The Giants certainly haven't played a lot of meaningful games in recent years, and the all-star game IS a big game when it comes to performing on the big stage in front of all your peers. Lincecum allowed two hits, one earned run, zero walks, and one strike out on 35 pitches. After struggling through the first inning, he clearly settled down and went 1-2-3 in the second inning, including a nasty hook to freeze opposing pitcher Roy Halladay. Halladay, by the way, wasn't expecting to hit and had to borrow Evan Longoria's batting helmet (the "TB" team logo was peeled off so Tampa fans didn't get too excited about the possibility).
Aside from some bad luck (Pujols error, broken bat single by Ichiro), Lincecum did all right for his first all-star effort after not being able to pitch in last year's "Mid-Summer Classic" at the old Yankee Stadium. It's important for him to have these experiences now to better prepare him for the big stage of play-off baseball.
As for the game itself, a 4-3 A.L. victory, the few highlights for me: Stan Musial making a pre-game appearance along with other Cardinal legends: Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, Bruce Sutter, Bob Gibson, and Red Schoendienst. All-Star MVP Carl Crawford's home run saving catch to rob Colorado's Brad Hawpe, and Detroit's Curtis Granderson's game-changing triple off the Padres' Heath Bell.
The Giants are 49-and-39 at the break and get back to action Friday in Pittsburgh. Let's hope that Matt Cain (who wasn't able to pitch Tuesday) will make his next scheduled start Sunday against the Pirates.
Keywords: Bob Gibson, Bruce Sutter, Derek Jeter, Evan Longoria, Lou Brock, Matt Cain, Mid-Summer Classic, MLB All-Star Game, New York Yankees, old Yankee Stadium, Ozzie Smith, Red Schoendienst, Roy Halladay, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis, Stan Musial, Tampa Bay, Tim Lincecum
