Giants: Remembering Tim Lincecum’s two no-hitters

As we wait for San Francisco Giants baseball to resume, let’s look back at Tim Lincecum’s two no-hitters, which came in back-to-back seasons.

While we wait on the 2020 baseball season, we may as well take a look back at some of the most memorable moments in San Francisco Giants history.

Two that stick out to me are Tim Lincecum‘s no-hitters.

Both no-no’s came against the San Diego Padres, and he threw them in back-to-back seasons, with the first one coming in 2013 and the second in 2014.

The 2013 no-hitter will always be memorable to me, even more so than Matt Cain‘s perfect game, because sadly I was unable to watch that one live.

Lincecum’s first no-hitter was one of the first baseball games my younger sister watched on television all the way through and was truly invested in. Not a bad first game to get you interested.

I remember trying to explain the significance to her of what he was doing without jinxing it, and coming to the realization that it’s kind of hard to explain a no-hitter without using the words “no-hitter” in the process.

A moment that still gives me chills upon re-watching it all these years later is Hunter Pence‘s diving catch in the bottom of the eighth inning to preserve the no-hitter.

It is not quite as good as Gregor Blanco‘s incredible diving catch in Triples Alley, but it was still an incredible play given the circumstances.

And who could forget Buster Posey hugging Lincecum from behind and lifting him into the air after he had thrown nearly 150 pitches to secure the no-hitter. What a magical moment.

Just one year later, Lincecum did it again, this time in San Francisco.

I did not watch the entirety of this game, but I remember in about the seventh inning I checked the box score and saw the Padres had yet to record a hit. My mom was out getting groceries at the time, so in an effort to avoid jinxing things, I told her something along the lines of: “You need to get home quick, it’s an emergency.”

She was relieved to discover that I had not set the house on fire, and that the emergency was instead just her favorite Giants player throwing a no-hitter.

There weren’t any dramatic no-hitter preserving plays in the second one, but it was still special, and all the more so considering he did it at their home stadium.

I will always remember Tim Lincecum’s two no-hitters, and they are fun to reflect on as we await the beginning of a new season.

So if you’re looking for something to do to pass the time, I suggest highlights from those two memorable outings.