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Tim Lincecum was not thinking straight. His body was swimming in adrenaline that made him go, go, go, pitch after pitch, 148 in all. He struck out 13 for the first time since 2011, including six in a row from the second to fourth innings. He also walked four.
When Yonder Alonso hit the easy fly to left that ended the 15th no-hitter in Giants history Saturday night, Lincecum was ready to pitch some more.
Buster Posey knocked the reality into Lincecum by charging from the plate and grabbing the 29-year-old pitcher from behind in a bear hug, and hoisting him in the air as Gregor Blanco squeezed the flyball to end the Giants' 9-0 victory.
"I wasn't thinking it was the last out at the end of the no-hitter," Lincecum said long after the truth set in. "I was just running on adrenaline the last couple of innings. My mind kept wanting to go into pitching mode."
Then came the dog pile, the joy and Ryan Vogelsong charging toward him with a big red water bucket. That huge splash, later replicated in the clubhouse with Champagne, doused any notion that Lincecum's days as an impact starting pitcher are over.
Eleven nights after the Giants were no-hit by the Reds' Homer Bailey, Lincecum was as dominating as ever in his first no-no since high school. It was easy for the 40,342 fans, including thousands in black and orange, to transport their minds back to Lincecum's Cy Young days.
