Tim Lincecum's Season Is Done; Future With San Francisco Giants In Doubt
(CBS SF) –- One of the San Francisco Giants' most popular and recognizable players in franchise history may have played his last game for the team.
Two-time Cy Young Award-winner and three-time World Series champion Tim Lincecum is out for the season because of a nagging hip injury. Giants General Manager Bobby Evans told KNBR 680 Thursday morning the 31-year-old pitcher, who has been on the disabled list, would not be back on the roster this season.
Jon Heyman from CBS Sports reported Lincecum underwent hip surgery Thursday morning after seeking multiple opinions over his condition, including from world-reknowned hip doctor Marc Philippon in Vail, Colo. on Wednesday. The problem has affected Lincecum's velocity
San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy says the team would meet with Lincecum upon his return and decide what the next step is. Lincecum becomes a free agent after the season and will earn $18 million in the final year of his two-year contract.
"The next step for him is to do everything he can to come back and get well ... what that leads to in terms of his progression health-wise will really dictate what opportunities he has with us or elsewhere," Evans told KNBR Thursday.
The Washington native, nicknamed "The Freak" for his ability to pitch powerfully despite his small stature, is a four-time All Star and was the face of the franchise after his breakout season of 2008 when he won the first of two back-to-back Cy Young awards. He is 7-4 this season with a 4.13 ERA in 76 1/3 innings.
Lincecum was drafted in the first round in 2006 by the Giants and has been with the organization since. In his nine years with the big-league club he's 108-83 with a 3.61 ERA and 1704 strikeouts in 1643 2/3 regular season innings.
Lincecum is fourth on the Giants franchise all-time career strikeout list, and second in the San Francisco era. He one of only two pitchers in Major League Baseball history with multiple World Series titles, multiple Cy Young Awards, multiple no-hitters, and multiple All-Star Game selections. The other is Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax.
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