Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants, left, and Cliff Lee of the Texas Rangers.
And just like that, Tim Lincecum made the Texas Rangers' dreams of a World Series' comeback go up like a puff of smoke.
The coolest Washington State export this side of Eddie Vedder was brilliant in mowing down the Rangers and in so doing stripping Cliff Lee of his post-season Superman title.
He acknowledged he was a bit nervous in the World Series opener, when he got tagged for four runs in 5.2 innings; not a great outing though enough to beat Lee who was rocked in Game 1 for six runs in 4.2 innings and then gave up Edgar Renteria's decisive three-run blast in the eighth inning last night. For Lee it was the second post-season loss after reeling off seven straight wins over two seasons.
For Lincecum - who became just the third pitcher ever to strikeout 10 or more while allowing one run or less in a World Series clincher - it was a lesson on how to lock in on the biggest stage.
It will be Lee who dominates the off-season. Even last night his pending free agency was top of the agenda and it sounds like he doesn't have a clue what will happen.
"This is the first time I've been a free agent and I'm going to see what that's all about. It's an earned right by a player once you get six-plus years, and I'm going to take advantage of that and see where it leads me. I know I've enjoyed it here and I'm never ruling out the possibility of coming back, but I've got to play things out and see how it goes. I know this was a great group of guys, a lot of fun, and I would love to be apart of it next year, but there's so many things that could happen, you never know. There's a lot of things I've got to weigh into that. There's a lot of variables, what's best for my family, that's going to be a huge part of it. I want to be on a winning team. Obviously, this is one of those. We'll see, there's no telling what's going to happen."
Lee will be the premium free-agent pitcher on the market. He was 48-25 with a 2.98 ERA over the past three seasons, and he helped pitch his team to the World Series in each of the past two seasons. He didn't pitch well in the World Series, losing twice to the Giants, but still has a 7-2 record with a 2.13 ERA in 10 career postseason starts.
He is also 32 years old. The highest-paid pitcher in the Major Leagues is CC Sabathia. He just finished the second season of a seven-year, $161 million contract with the Yankees. Next among pitchers is Johan Santana, who is halfway through a six-year, $137.5 million deal with the Mets. Barry Zito (!) got seven years and $126 million from the Giants before the 2007 season.
The Yankees are expected to make a run at him, but Lee's from Arkansas, which is a lot closer to Dallas than New York, and the Rangers sound like they will have money to spend that will lift them well above the $55-million payroll they opened the season with in 2010, a figure more than just three teams and yes, less than the $61-million the Blue Jays spent.
But the Giants are a World Series story you can feel good about, and not just if you're a Jays fan going: "But that team is so crappy! Maybe we can win a World Series one day!"
Again Blair with a beautiful piece on his old Expo friend Felipe Alou who reminds us that not everyone is ready for their chance to make history and memories of those failures can hurt even at 75 years old.
Alou needed to get a sacrifice bunt down in the ninth inning of the seventh game of the World Series against the New York Yankees in 1962 and couldn't do it, striking out instead as the Giants lost 1-0. He never got back to the World Series as a player, coach or manager so - like many Giants alumni - was happy to be welcomed back to the club as they tried to win their first championship since moving West in 1958. But how fleeting those moments can be in a lifetime resonates, and Blair captures it perfectly:
"When I saw that bunt sign, I had my doubts," said Alou, who played for the Giants from 1958-63. "You have to be ready to bunt in the World Series. I was not ready."
You don't think having that message to pass on made Alou a better manager? You don't think having the humility to admit that makes him a better person?
The two are probably related.