Fil-Am hurler sparkles on Texas diamond

MANILA, Philippines - Barely two weeks before Manny Pacquiao goes for another record, an eighth title in as many weight division, at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, a Fil-Am hurler made his own mark at the Texas Rangers diamond.

Tim Lincecum, with a diminutive stature and lanky frame, helped make things happen for San Francisco, holding the Rangers to only three hits over eight innings and keying the Giants’ 3-1 victory and a World Series’ clinching 4-1 romp Monday.

But in a typical Filipino manner, Lincecum, 25, was modest in victory.

“We did it as a team. We put it together and that’s how we won it,” Lincecum said.

It was a big win indeed for the 5-11, 172-pounder, who doesn’t impress as a major league player that Giants manager Bruce Bochy called him the “Freak.”

After being picked to start against Texas’ Lee in Game 1, Lincecum has gained a popular Filipino following.

He is the first pitcher in MLB history to win the prestigious Cy Young Award in each of his first two full seasons. He is also the only pitcher to strike out more than 260 hitters in each of those two seasons.

In February, Lincecum became the highest-paid pitcher in his first year of eligibility in Major League Baseball (MLB) after signing a $23 million two-year deal with the San Francisco Giants.

The deal was reported to surpass the record set by Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon who signed for $6.25 million last year in 2009.

In an earlier STAR article, Lincecum said he owes his development to his father Chris, a parts inventory employee at Boeing in Seattle. He learned the game at the age of five and developed his style from drills and hours of watching tape with his father.

Lincecum’s mother Rebecca (Becky) Asis is a full-blooded Filipina. Her father Balleriano was born in Honolulu and mother Philomena Marasigan in Stockton, California. Balleriano’s father Genaro was born somewhere in Mindanao and mother Albert Alcoy in Cebu. Philomena’s father Leoncio was born in Batangas and mother Anastasia Dominguez in Siquijor.

Lincecum inherited his strong sense of family ties from his mother. Writer Kevin Riley said a few days after Lincecum’s Filipino grandfather Balleriano Asis died in 2007, he was distraught and didn’t play up to par against the Chicago Cubs.

“It was my fault, I had a lot of stuff in my head,” said Lincecum, quoted by Riley. “Out there, I was thinking about my grandpa. I was thinking of past stuff as well as using him to help me. A lot of people do that, they look to God and relatives who have passed away. They look to them to help get though stuff. I guess I used him like that and it was great. It’s sad to see him go and it’s kind of tough to deal with but on the field, I’m just trying to be as focused on the game as possible”.  – With reports from AP