Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Will Lincecum show for Bochy ceremony?
SAN FRANCISCO — When the Giants say farewell to Bruce Bochy on the final day of the 2019 season, the franchise will undoubtedly pull out all the stops in a celebration honoring his iconic career.
Many of Bochy’s former players wouldn’t miss his last game as a manger, but one of his favorites isn’t likely to be involved in the festivities.
The Giants should try to track down
Tim Lincecum anyway.
Lincecum, a two-time Cy
Young Award winner with the Giants, has been difficult to keep tabs on since a comeback attempt with the Texas Rangers failed last summer. The right-hander signed a minor league deal with Texas in March, 2018 and Lincecum appeared in 10 games with the club’s Class AAA affiliate before he was released on June 5 of last year.
Lincecum celebrated his 35th birthday on Saturday, but no one with the Giants knows many details about Lincecum’s post-baseball life.
Bochy said he exchanged texts with Lincecum last July when the Giants visited Seattle to play the Mariners, but Lincecum couldn’t attend either of the games because he was on a hiking trip. The Giants manager said he hasn’t heard from Lincecum since then, which is a bit of a surprise considering that so many of Bochy’s former players reached out to him when he announced his plan to retire at the end of the season in February.
It is believed that Lincecum still resides in his home state of Washington, but details about what he’s up to and who he stays in touch with are largely unknown.
Former general manager Bobby Evans was among the Giants contingent that scouted a Lincecum bullpen session in the spring of 2018, but at the time Lincecum signed with the Rangers, Evans indicated the Giants didn’t have overwhelming interest.
The Giants would love to welcome Lincecum back to Oracle Park and he’ll surely be encouraged to attend a 10-year reunion for the 2010 World Series championship team next season, but there’s no guarantee Lincecum will show.
It’s possible a better opportunity for Lincecum to make his long-awaited return to San Francisco might be Bochy’s retirement celebration, which would surely be appreciated by a manager who he shared a special bond with.
The spotlight would be on Bochy, not Lincecum, but that’s probably how one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history would prefer it.