Cliff Lee can't lose? Neither could THESE 5 guys!

It seems like a foregone conclusion by anyone NOT named Lisa Swan that Cliff Lee will win tonight in Yankee Stadium and put the Yankees in a 2-1 hole.

He's awesome! He's unbeaten in the post season!
He can NOT lose!

Where have I heard THAT before?
Oh yeah... many times and believe it or not with people with more impressive post season credentials than Cliff Lee.

I am going to pull out five examples of a dominant pitcher entering a can't miss game with everything in their favor lost...

Beware Cliff Lee, THESE guys had an easier team to face than you do tonight!


CHIEF BENDER
Philadelphia Athletics

Game 1 - 1914 World Series.

The Boston Braves stormed into the World Series with a worst to first August rally, but now had to face the defending World Champion Athletics and their future Hall of Fame ace starting game 1.

It wasn't supposed to be close, and it wasn't. Except it was the Braves, led by Hank Gowdy, Rabbit Maranville and pitcher Dick Rudolph who rolled, 7-1.



WALTER JOHNSON
Washington Senators

Game 7 - 1925 World Series

Arguably the greatest pitcher of all time finally got his shot to pitch in the World Series in 1924. He got his jitters out by losing two games but winning Game 7 out of the Bullpen.

In 1925, the Big Train was rolling for the repeat, winning Games 1 and 4. When the Pirates forced Game 7, it was no problem. Johnson was rested and ready.

Washington gave him a 4 run cushion before he even took the mound and the World Series was a foregone conclusion. But the Pirates kept battling and in the 8th inning, Kiki Kuyler doubled home the go ahead run. The 9-7 win was saved by Red Oldham, a personal obsession of mine.



SANDY KOUFAX
Los Angeles Dodgers

Game 2 - 1966 World Series

Koufax was one of the most dominating forces in baseball history in the mid 1960s and rose to the occasion in the World Series, winning the MVP in the 1963 and 1965 Series. When the Orioles roughed up Don Drysdale in Game 1 of the Series, there was no panic in Los Angeles. Koufax was going to take the hill.

For the first 4 innings, it was vintage Koufax. But the Dodger defense betrayed him, committing 6 errors over all. Koufax lasted only 6 innings in the 6-0 loss, which turned out to be his final game. Future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer got the win.


BOB GIBSON
St. Louis Cardinals

Game 7 - 1968 World Series

Bob Gibson had already won 2 World Series MVPs but the 1968 series was looking like his masterpiece. He struck out 17 in the opening shutout and threw another complete game win in game 4 (his 7th straight complete game World Series win.)

In Game 7, he was throwing a 1 hit shutout into the 7th when Curt Flood slipped and couldn't catch Jim Northrup's 2 out fly ball which turned into an RBI triple. The Cardinals wouldn't recover and the Tigers won the game 4-1 to clinch the series.


DAVE STEWART
Oakland A's

Game 1 - 1990 World Series

The A's and Dave Stewart learned their lesson after losing the 1988 World Series to the Dodgers. They were 12-1 in the 1989 ALCS and World Series and 1990 ALCS combined. And Dave Stewart was the MVP of the '89 World Series and '90 ALCS. He was unquestionably the best big game pitcher in baseball.

He took the mound against the Reds ready to dispatch of them quickly to give Oakland back to back titles. Eric Davis had other ideas, homering off of Stewart in the first inning.

Stewart lasted only 4 innings and the Reds won 7-0. Stewart would regain his stuff for Game 4 but still lost, 2-1 as it was the Reds who pulled off the sweep.



So there you have 5 examples of guys who had bigger reputations than Cliff Lee who couldn't get the job done.

I'd think of more but that should give you a strong foundation. If Koufax and Gibson can lose the big game, why not Lee?

Lincecum picks up the gauntlet

My dad and I were talking about the Giants game this afternoon. My dad said "people are going to be expecting Lincecum to throw a no hitter on the heels of Halladay."

Well, he took care of THAT thought with the first batter.
I knew my dad was AT the game and when I saw he let up a lead off double, I thought "Oh man... please don't get rocked."

He didn't throw a no hitter... but DAMN he did the next best thing.
A DOMINATING complete game shut out?
2 hits, 1 walk and 14 STRIKEOUTS!!!

Now is there a baseball fan ALIVE who doesn't want to see a Lincecum/Halladay match up?

You could argue it was more impressive than Halladay's game.
You'd be wrong, but you could argue it.

The Giants have their ace back

It was only a few weeks ago that I was lamenting the Bengie Molina trade and wondering if Tim Lincecum was ever going to pitch like an ace again.

The Giants needed him to come up big as an ace and all throughout his gruesome August, he came up small.

But his last game was solid... and tonight he was terrific.

Oh he's had better games over all, but he started perfectly, pitched into the 7th, struck out 11 and gave the Giants the chance to keep the pressure on the Padres, Phillies and now the Braves (who are the leader of the Wild Card since Philadelphia leap frogged them into the Division Lead tonight.

There was a bigger significance to this game.

The Giants are pitching again. And they are starting to hit. Things are clicking and if Sanchez and Cain and Bumgarner pitch well and Wilson keeps saving games, the Giants will probably be playing in October.

But as for the ace... I think Paul Newman said it best in The Color of Money.

"Hey... I'm Back!"

Giants... let Lincecum do what he needs to do

Tim Lincecum is about to make arguably the biggest start of his career. After a month or so when the Giants couldn't get any decent starting pitching, suddenly things have turned around.

And a lost season is looking more and more found as the Giants remain 2 back in the loss column for the NL West lead and 1 game in the loss column for the NL Wild Card with 24 to play. (And a possible season making 4 game series in San Diego starting day after tomorrow.)

He had a grotesque August where he went 0-5 with a 7.82 ERA and pitched just over 5 innings a start.

His first start in September was a solid 8 innings 1 run win.
They need another start like that against the D'Backs. They need Cy Young Lincecum.

Which means, Giants... let him do WHATEVER he was doing in 2008 and 2009 when he won his first two Cy Young Awards.

Look away, say "Do what you've got to do" and don't ask questions. Yeah he got in a little bit of trouble in the off season... and no, I am not condoning any illegal activities.

Just wink and say "I don't want to know."

If there was a guy showing up in a Tie Dye shirt listening to Phish on days Lincecum pitched last year... FLY HIM IN!

The Giants have a shot to make the post season and possibly line up a playoff rotation that could send them right to the World Series.

And they need Lincecum to be an ace. And if it was smoke and mirrors (and smoke) that helped him win, then cue up the Marley and make it work.

And don't get all Holier than Thou about strange dudes showing up to the Giants clubhouse with substances.

Lest we forget...

Did the Giants trade their ace away?

When the Giants dealt Bengie Molina to the Rangers, it looked like a straight forward deal that helped both teams, both directly and indirectly.

The Rangers got a steady defensive catcher in Molina and the least likely cycle in baseball history.

Texas had a 3 1/2 game lead when he arrived. They have an 8 game lead now.

The Giants landed Chris Ray who gives San Francisco much needed bullpen depth. And the trade also opened a spot in the lineup for Buster Posey, who has given the Giants a much needed bat and right now looks like he will win the Rookie of the Year over the more publicized Jason Heyward and Stephen Strasburg.

So it was a perfect trade for the Giants too... right?
Or was it disastrous?

As the Giants are in contention for the Wild Card and hovering around the NL West lead, the main element that makes people think they would be solid in the post season is Franchise, the Freak... call him what you will.

Tim Lincecum is the key for the Giants hopes.

The idea of him pitching twice in a best of 5 series should all but clinch a Division Series.

Seeing him pitch in an NLCS has images of pennants dancing in the Giants head.

And dare anyone dream him starting a deciding game of the World Series?

It would inspire more confidence than Livan Hernandez, I would boldly assert.

But will it?

Did you see Lincecum pitch last night against the Cardinals?

He was ordinary... and this isn't one isolated start.

He has three straight BAD losses (including 2 where he didn't last past 4 innings.) He has rarely been dominant as of late and actually got my dad to say "They should sit him."

SIT LINCECUM? The Franchise?

Well maybe he also enjoyed throwing to Bengie Molina.
With Molina as his regular catcher, he was 49-19 and won a pair of Cy Young Awards.

Since then he is a sub .500 pitcher with an ERA approaching 5.

If the answer to his downturn was his pitching to Molina, then this trade that looked so good on first and second glance might be one of the damaging trades in Giants history (yes worse than Liriano and Nathan for A. J. Pierzinski!)

Now of course there are flaws with this theory. His last game caught by Molina was a blow out by the Red Sox and he has thrown a couple of dominating games without him.

But something is wrong with Lincecum... and Giants fans are starting to freak out about the Freak!