For just the second time in four years, there’ll be no World Series championship to celebrate in San Francisco.
In fact, the Giants are on pace to finish with 90 losses for the first time since 2008 and in last place for the first time since 2007. Going into today, they were 15.5 games back of a wild-card spot. So why is there any reason to keep watching them play seemingly meaningless games in September?
For starters, keep watching because it could be the last few chances to see two-time Cy Young Award winner and future San Francisco legend Tim Lincecum in a Giants uniform—at least as an active player and not in a old-timers’ game 20 years from now.
The 29-year-old free agent-to-be has very likely done enough to where the qualifying one-year offer the Giants make to him will be less enticing than the multi-year offers he’ll get on the open market. In his last 15 starts, Lincecum has a 4.15 ERA with 32 walks and 97 strikeouts in 93.1 innings.
That won’t get him the possible record-breaking deal he was on pace for after the 2011 season, but he’s been consistent enough that he’ll still be one of the top starters available in the winter. Had he not turned things around after a year-and-a-half of mediocrity, it’s probable that he’d be satisfied with a one-year deal to return to San Francisco.
Due to make another six or seven starts, his market value can still move up or down depending on how he finishes. More importantly, this could be his farewell tour after a mostly terrific seven-year run with the Giants.
Here are four more reasons to keep watching in September.