Photography by Mike Powell.
Phenom Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum hardly needs any introduction—even people who don’t really follow baseball know about that kid and his arm. Since joining the team in 2006—an acquisition the Giants made with the lure of a $2 million signing bonus—the slight, baby-faced Lincecum has won the Cy Young Award (only the second Giants pitcher to do so; the win inspired the name of his French bulldog, Cy) and aided in the team’s first real shot at the championship since Barry Bonds’ heyday.
“A perfect day off is some sunshine and knowing I don’t have to wake up for anything—that I can just hang out, play video games,” says Lincecum. About what you’d expect for someone who recently turned 25 and spends nearly 20 weeks of every year on the road. When he’s not traveling, Lincecum—whom coaches, managers and teammates call Timmy—lives in a rented house on Greenwich and Van Ness.
Though he claims that he rarely gets nervous, he’s not above lucky charms—on his left wrist he wears a bracelet constructed from plastic tiles, each depicting a different saint, a gift from the Giants’ traveling secretary. His patron? “I’m not so sure about all of the saints,” he says, before flashing a sheepish grin. Might we suggest St. Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes? Then again, it doesn’t seem like Timmy Lincecum needs much help.
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