SAN FRANCISCO — The last time the Giants were in the playoffs, muscle-bound slugger Barry Bonds was the face of the franchise. Now, it’s a skinny, shaggy-haired pitcher full of quirks.
The Freak really showed up on his biggest stage yet.
Tim Lincecum pitched a two-hitter and struck out 14 in a dominating postseason debut, and the Giants scored their only run after a questionable umpiring call to beat the Braves 1-0 in Game 1 of their NL division series Thursday night.
“As far shutouts go, I think that was up there with my better ones,” said Lincecum, who pitched on seven days’ rest. “I was pretty anxious to get out there a couple days ago. You just have to deal with those extra days.”
The two-time NL Cy Young winner pitched a gem, a day after Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay threw only the second no-hitter in postseason history in his first playoff game. Lincecum outdueled playoff veteran Derek Lowe and caught a break too.
Cody Ross singled in the only run Lincecum needed in the fourth after Buster Posey was called safe by umpire Paul Emmel on a steal of second.
“I guess it’s a good thing we don’t have instant replay right now,” Posey said. “It was a beautiful slide, wasn’t it?”
It was the first career steal for Posey, even though he appeared to be tagged out by Brooks Conrad on the play — retiring Braves manager Bobby Cox, the all-time leader in ejections, did not argue.
“I haven’t seen it,” Cox said. “Some of the guys came down after that inning and said he was out by 6, 8 inches. From the dugout you can’t see anything.”
Said Emmel: “I saw him safe. That’s what I called.”
Lincecum struck out Derrek Lee for the third time to end the 119-pitch masterpiece in 2 hours, 26 minutes. He became just the 12th pitcher with 14 or more strikeouts in a postseason game.
This is the pitcher with the unorthodox delivery who doesn’t ice his arm, munches on treats like Philly cheesesteaks or ice cream before starts and is trailed around the clubhouse by his friendly French bulldog, Cy — named for Cy Young.
“That’s one of the best efforts I’ve ever seen,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “What a great job that kid did. He’s tough.”
This was the first 1-0 game in the postseason since 2005, when the White Sox finished off a World Series sweep over Houston.
