It seemed somehow wholly appropriate that when Matt Cain walked off the mound for the last time yesterday after pitching five scoreless innings, that he did so with a fragile 1-0 lead. No doubt many among the 40,394 fans who gave him a heartfelt standing ovation remembered all too well how many close games the retiring Giant veteran lost over the course of his 13-year career despite outstanding efforts such as this one. Whether or not it's appropriate that this Giants team, true to form, managed to lose yesterday's game as well is one we'll leave to the court jesters among us. For one day, it was all about one man and what he's meant to a team, to a following, to a community, and to a city. The City. The Giants. And us.
Matt Cain won, or started and pitched well in, five of the biggest victories in Giants history, and that's History as in "All the way back to New York history." None of them were easy. Even Game Two of the 2010 World Series, in the books as a 9-0 blowout win for Matt Cain, was a tight, 2-0 game when he left; the Giants obliged his successors with a late-inning seven-run outburst. We remember Matt baffling a great Philadelphia team in the 2010 NLCS, Game Three; battling for his life and winning the 2012 NLDS clincher at Cincinnati; taking the mound, cool and calm and collected, and pitching the Giants to a Game 7 win in a 2012 NLCS they really ought to have lost; and pitching seven strong innings in the last game of that long, long, season, a game the Giants eventually won, of course.
Chris Haft, who often shows a real appreciation for the fans' point of view, posted a fine tribute to Matt, and his impending retirement, a few days ago on the Giants' website. We urge anyone who hasn't read it to do so: http://m.giants.mlb.com/news/article/255418550/giants-matt-cain-shares-memories-of-career/
We were fortunate enough to see Matt Cain pitch as a rookie in 2005, and several times since. We like Dave Righetti’s "foundation" metaphor, as Matt’s career spanned the team's complete overhaul from Barry Bonds-and-a-supporting-cast to a pitching-focused championship club. His stellar postseason record and the June 2012 perfect game are testament to his capabilities that were often hidden year after difficult year. The clear perspective and maturity in his comments here speak to the man's character, as do his teammates' remarks. Matt Cain has left his baseball heart in San Francisco, he’s as true a Giant as can be, and we're grateful to the Giants' management that he got one last start before the home crowd, so he could walk off with the applause and dignity he so richly deserves.
Just going by the numbers, Matt Cain ranks as the fourth-greatest pitcher, and twelfth-greatest overall player, in San Francisco Giants history. And that doesn't take into account his brilliance in the 2010 postseason (one earned run in three starts, two wins), his fine starts in each of the three 2012 postseason clinchers (two wins), the perfect game, and all those one-hit and two-hit losses back in the early days.
Cain accumulated 32 wins above replacement between 2005 and 2013. And, sadly, he retires with the same count. The four years since his surgery have been rough ones for him, and for us all. He got his third ring in 2014 after spending most of the season on the DL, unable to contribute. He endured this cruel final season with a good number of fans openly calling for his outright release.
Well, that's all behind us, and behind him, now. He's one of the good guys. The real good guys.
Will number 18 go up on the wall five years from now? Maybe so, maybe not. At the moment it's nice to think about.
Goodbye and Godspeed, Matt Cain. You've nothing left to prove, big guy. Be there for your family now, as you were there for your teammates and we fans during your time with our Giants.
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