2010 NLDS Game 1: SF 1, ATL 0

The San Francisco Giants have won Game 1 of the 2010 NLDS against the Atlanta Braves. There will be talk tonight of the blown call at 2nd base on Buster Posey's attempted steal, and how he came around to score the only run of the game. But not here. As important as these issues of instant replay are, I can't bring myself to even worry one bit about it, in the face of what we just saw. We just saw something incredible, folks.

Tim Lincecum: 9 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 14 K, 119 pitches, Game Score of 96

It was gonna be hard to top Roy Halladay's postseason debut from yesterday. But Tim Lincecum may have just done it. Lincecum, with a game score of 96 today, achieved the 3rd highest ever in playoff history. The word dominant does not do it justice. It is the kind of game that becomes legendary in a team's history. In the 150+ year history of baseball, performances like this have happened only a handful of times. Only the very best can do this. Tim Lincecum won 2 Cy Young awards in 2008 and 2009. Then, this season, he went through almost a 4 month slump. People wondered if he would ever be the same. Since September, he is as good as he has ever been. And doing it in games that mean more than they have ever meant. I can't say much more about it. I'm speechless.

Of course, part of the reason Lincecum's line looks so impressive is because he finished the game. There was quite a debate on twitter about whether or not this was wise, with a lot of good points both ways. Here's how I see it: Yes, Brian Wilson is a very good closer, and yes, the Braves are not good offensively. But I think that anytime your best pitcher can pitch, in a close playoff game, you let him. You take no chances. It's very possible that Lincecum's extended outing tonight (119 pitches) could keep him from pitching on short rest this series, should the Giants need that. But 119 pitches isn't a TERRIBLY long outing, and he very rarely threw stressful pitches. And maybe I just don't feel the same way as everyone else about Brian Wilson. He's a great pitcher, but I think the only closer you can call "automatic" is Rivera. Lincecum, in my estimation, is far more of a sure thing than Wilson, even over 100 pitches. My main point is that a playoff game is not the time to save your pitchers. Postseason might last a month, but it goes by FAST, and if you don't do everything in every game to win, you'll regret it.

HEY! THE BATS NEED TO WAKE UP FOR TOMORROW! SCORE SOME RUNS! THIS COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN A VERY UGLY, PAINFUL GAME!