What Matt Cain Has Meant to the San Francisco Giants

What Was the Best Thing About Matt Cain on the Mound?

Antazo: He was a competitor. He always gave you a ton of innings and carried more than his fair share of the load, which earned him his nickname, “the horse.”

Coppinger: His demeanor. He was focused and controlled, and when he let emotion show, it was almost always positive.

Delfino: No doubt, it was his demeanor. Whether he was up five runs or down five runs, his demeanor and body language never changed. He just battled and battled. That wasn’t always the case either with Cain. I remember he was a bit fiery early in his career and would show his frustration at times but I think the 2007 season really matured Cain. He lost 16 games despite having a top ten ERA in the National League. His lack of run support was so laughable, they actually created a new term for any pitcher that constantly loses 2-1 and 1-0 games…Suddenly a pitcher was getting “Cained.” But that was the season where Cain really developed into the pitcher he would become. The consistent, dominant pitcher with the demeanor to match. His calmness and his consistency will be sorely missed by the Giants.

Fracchia: His composure and his professionalism. He never appeared to let anything ruffle him or distract him. He’s been like that throughout his entire Giants career.

Sheri M.: Matt on the mound was a dependable pitcher. Consistency and working through situations. Never heard him whine or make excuses…. like a Horse.

Knudsen: Cain was old school. He wasn’t afraid to pitch inside or go after a hitter with the bases loaded. He pitched through injury, started games, and even came out of the bullpen when needed. He did everything the Giants asked him to. When Cain was on the mound, the Giants had a legit chance to win the ballgame.

Nehme: His calmness when he would get into a jam and his fastball being so hard to hit.

Rissotto:  He was always so consistent. He was always outside of the spotlight with Lincecum and yet he was just as consistent.

Rule: Because of his leadership and his work ethic, it made him the type of guy you could count on when he hit the bump. You knew if the Giants offense could help him out just a little with a few runs, he’d shut the other team down to get the victory.