SAN FRANCISCO — The last three years for Matt Cain have snaked wildly, and far from the direction he ever hoped or intended. He’s battled bone chips in his elbows, a faulty hamstring and a never-ending conversation about his status in the starting rotation.
So it was only fitting after Cain’s very imperfect ride, one that took three seasons to amass the seven wins needed to reach 100, it ended on the perfect note: A “high class” Bud Lite toast with his teammates. “Just the perfect beer for me,” he added.
“I think that hit me after the game was over,” Cain said of battling injuries to reach his 100th win. “I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal. It definitely choked me up a little bit. To go through three years to get seven wins, it was definitely a long road.”
It culminated on Sunday afternoon at AT&T Park with a start unlike any Cain could remember. He threw five hitless innings in the Giants 3-1 win over the Nationals, but was relieved by pinch-hitter Madison Bumgarner in the bottom of the fifth inning after accumulating 93 pitches. He walked four but struck out six to tightrope his way out of any jams. The bullpen pitched in with four solid innings and the Giants scored twice on Nationals errors to win back-to-back games for the first time in the second half.
After Santiago Casilla retired David Murphy with three 94 MPH fastballs in the ninth inning, Cain cemented his name on a list of elite Giants company. He joined Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, Mike McCormick, Tim Lincecum and Kirk Rueter as the only pitchers in San Francisco franchise history to reach the century mark in wins.
Adding your name to a list with Hall of Famers and Cy Young Award winners is pretty special. For Cain, doing it with the team he’s been associated with for 14 years is the ultimate prize.
“It’s fantastic,” Cain said. I’ve always prided myself to be able to stay in the Giants uniform for this long. That was the whole reason back in 2012 we wanted to stay here. That’s something special and it’s something where I don’t think the opportunity comes around as much as it used to.
“To be able to win that 100th game with the team that drafted you and has gone through everything with you is very memorable.”
He was toasted to by his teammates after the game, but a couple of Cain’s fellow pitchers helped the moment come to fruition. Much to crowd’s dismay, Cain was pulled from his no-hit bid. But cheers flooded the ballpark in the bottom of the fifth inning when it was Bumgarner announced as Cain’s pinch hitter.
The tall left-hander looked for a fastball and got it, driving it off the right field wall for a leadoff double. Bochy smiled after the game recalling the moment, marveling at the spectacle his best pitcher has become at the plate.
But the manager’s next move might’ve one-upped his pinch-hitting pitcher. For the second day in a row, Jeff Samardzija entered as a pinch runner, replacing the pitch-hitting pitcher. The former All-American, standing 6-foot-5 like Bumgarner, eventually came around from second base to score on a throwing error at third base. But the question was raised to Bumgarner, are your strides that much shorter than Samardzija’s?
“Have you not seen his highlight videos?” Bumgarner retorted.
Cain laughed about the whole ordeal, and tipped his cap to Bumgarner making good on the pinch hit opportunity. There was a time when Cain was revered as the Giants’ most imposing pitcher at the plate. When he was regarded the ace of a team that didn’t have one, just before Tim Lincecum helped the Giants segue out of the Bonds Era.
But now he tucks himself into the back of a rotation with a pair of aces. The spotlight shines elsewhere, and his primary objective is to end up on the mound every five days. The other accomplishments or failure are complimentary. He’s still one-fifth of a starting rotation, the only one he’s ever known.
That’s perfect enough for him.
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Mac Williamson jammed his left shoulder falling down in the sixth inning. He lost a pop up in the sun and fell down while feeling a “pop” in his shoulder. It went numb for a few moments, so the Giants removed him from the game to get tests done.
The outfielder faired so well in strength and range of motion tests that the team didn’t feel any need to get X-rays. He’s day-to-day for now.
