Tim Linceum and Matt Cain: Friendly Competitors Could Emulate 2010

The first time Matt Cain saw Tim Lincecum was during spring training in 2007. The San Francisco Giants' right-hander, who was embarking on his sophomore season, had to be convinced that the hyperbole accompanying Lincecum was real.

"I'm thinking, they hype this guy way too much," Cain told Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated. "He's coming here throwing 97, 98 effortlessly, punching tickets.... No way he's that good."

It didn't take long for Cain to change his mind. The two aces played catch, which was enough to impress Cain, who was amazed by Lincecum's lively arm and velocity.

"I'm like, O.K., this guy throws cheese," Cain thought, as the catch turned into a contest of firing fastballs at each other.

Pitching coach Dave Righetti, who once threw as hard as Lincecum and Cain, knew what was happening. The two of them were burning each other out.

Lincecum was sensational. The Giants' pitchers would stop what they were doing to watch him. Cain was slightly embarrassed.

"We didn't want anybody to notice we were watching. We'd think, How is anybody going to hit that? Now you watch him throw that split-change-up thing, and it's unfair."

By 2009, Lincecum and Cain were considered the top one-two pitching tandem in baseball. Jeff Francoeur, who was with the New York Mets at the time, expressed the general feeling of the baseball world.

"They're the best one-two punch in baseball, without a doubt. I know there are other good ones, like CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, but these guys are so good, and they go into the seventh, eighth, ninth inning every time they go out there."

Lincecum and Cain made the Giants into a major post-season threat despite their challenged offense according to Francoeur.

"They're the one team everybody fears in the playoffs. You know you can't win a series without beating one of them. With those two guys, the Giants in the post-season look like the 2001 Diamondbacks with Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson."

In 2011, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee are probably the Giants' tandem's greatest competitors as the best one-two punch.

It's difficult to remove Lincecum from a game. He wants to go as deep as he can as often as possible. He mocks modern philosophy.

"Six and dive and get the win?" Lincecum says. "No. I want to go deep into games and eat up innings."

In 2011, Lincecum had a losing record, but only losers would conclude that he had a bad year.

He won 13 games, had a 2.74 ERA, a 130 ERA+, allowed only 176 hits in 217 innings and struck out 220 batters.

Cain won 12 games, had a 2.88 ERA, a 123 ERA+, allowed only 177 hits 221.7 innings and struck out 179 batters.

The National League Western Division will be up for grabs in 2012. Don't be surprised if the Lincecum and Cain emulate 2010.