The Quiet Ace

Shane Victorino stood at the plate, the count 3-1.  Matt Cain prepared himself to deliver the pitch.  It was to be his 118th of the day and though he refused to acknowledge it, fatigue had probably begun to set in for him, as he had hit Ibanez with a pitch and walked Gload on 7 pitches before facing Victorino.  He went in motion and delivered - a fastball on the inside part of the strike zone, clocked in at 90mph.  Victorino swung - foul ball.  3-2.  Cain readied himself again, knowing this would likely be his last batter of the afternoon.  It was the 7th inning and the Giants were hanging on to a 3-0 lead, having scratched out 3 runs off the 2008 World Series and NLCS MVP Cole Hamels.  The bullpen was ready to take over and send the Giants to a 2-1 series lead, but Cain was not finished yet.  One more pitch.  From the stretch, he unloaded again - this time a fastball on the outer half of the strike zone, and Victorino swung.  Ground ball to second, fielded by Sanchez, a throw to Huff - inning over.

Another 7 scoreless innings in the books.  Not as headline grabbing as Lincecum's 14 strikeout performance, but effective and clutch nonetheless.  And in Game 2 of the World Series, Cain would do the same - a clutch, effective 7 and 2/3 scoreless innings, leaving the bullpen with a small but more-than-viable lead.  Though he gave up his first extra base hit of the postseason, he held the Rangers to just 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out two along the way, and continued his postseason dominance.  Cain has yet to allow an earned run this postseason , delivering three high-quality ace-quality starts and has helped put the Giants in a favorable position in the NLCS and now the World Series.

Yet, half of baseball fans in New York probably have no idea who Matt Cain is.  Isn't it all about Lincecum?  Or that beard man?  Or that new rookie Buster Posey?  Or that Cody Ross fellow?  Well, let me tell you who Matt Cain is.  He has logged 200+ innings 4 consecutive seasons, after making his major league debut in 2005 and contributing 190+ innings in 2006.  He has posted a strong 3.45 ERA over 5+ seasons with the Giants, not including his latest postseason starts, and has been a king of consistency.

In 2007, when Barry Zito flopped and failed to deliver on his big contract, Matt Cain quietly stepped in and anchored the beginnings of what would later become one of the best starting rotations in the league.  And when Lincecum emerged and captivated the baseball world in 2008 and 2009, Cain took a backseat in the spotlight, but his pitching never went away.  He continued to give the Giants high-quality start after high-quality start, giving the Giants a powerful 1-2 punch atop their rotation.

And in 2010, when Lincecum appeared to have lost some of his magic touch, Cain stepped up his game once again - though perhaps it was not that Cain had suddenly gotten all that much better,but that his ace-like consistency had suddenly become that much more important in the absence of another ace.

He has been a workhorse ever since his arrival to the big leagues and he led the Giants this year in innings pitched with 223.1, a career high for him.  Though homeruns and control have been problems, Cain has battled and worked to limit them.  His changeup has blossomed into a deadly weapon that complements his high fastballs.  A fly ball pitcher, Cain has found a way to make full use of AT&T park, as its spacious grounds act as a deathbed for most balls popped up in the air (see: Kinsler's double).

And on the nation's biggest stage, Cain has simply been brilliant.  Only four other pitchers can boast the feat of having gone 20 or more consecutive innings without allowing an earned run (Matthewson with 27 in 1905, Hoyt with 27 in 1921, Kenny Rogers with 23 in 2006, and Carl Hubbell with 20 in 1933) - three current Hall of Famers, and one potential Hall of Famer to be.  And yet, despite having the numbers to warrant conversation in the context of other pitching greats - there continues to be a feel that many do not consider Matt Cain to be an elite level pitcher.  Most fans continue to see Cain as a second string pitcher behind Lincecum; they don't consider Cain on equal footing with pitchers like Halladay, Hernandez, or CC Sabathia.

I'll admit - I, too, have been guilty of this.  And why not?  Lincecum has been nothing short of remarkable and deserves every bit of attention he gets.  But that does not mean we should ignore what Cain has done.  Actually younger than Lincecum, Cain has been through more with the Giants than any other current Giants player.  He is currently the longest tenured Giant on the team, having experienced both the end of the Bonds era and the emergence of the incredible and torturous pitching-dominated culture that lives in San Francisco today.  A consistent victim of low run support, he neither complained nor whined.  He simply kept at it and quietly put together ace-like season after ace-like season.  He pitched like an ace when all eyes were on the dazzling Tim Lincecum or the flops of Barry Zito.  And he pitched like an ace when it mattered most - in the playoffs, shutting down opponents at a rate that legends tell of.  People have spoken endlessly about Cliff Lee's 7-0 playoff run, but perhaps it is time to discuss the emergence of a new legend, one that quietly excelled in the background.

If/when the Giants win the World Series this year, the MVP award might well go to Freddy Sanchez or Edgar Renteria, but if we really wanted to give an MVP award, one that truly told the story of the past 5 seasons, there is no doubt that Matt Cain would win it.