NLCS Game 1 for the aces: Halladay, Lincecum

PHILADELPHIA - Bill James knows numbers, not pitching, and only in his stat-driven universe could Tim Lincecum's 14-strikeout performance against the Braves be considered "more dominant" than Roy Halladay's no-hitter against the Reds.

According to James' Game Score metric, Lincecum, who allowed only two hits in his postseason debut last week, graded slightly higher than Halladay's no-no, which of course was only the second in postseason history, along with Don Larsen's perfect game.

But Dave Righetti, who knows a great deal about pitching and also something about throwing a no-hitter (see July 4, 1983), laughed when the Jamesian analysis was presented to him. "Some guy was bored," Righetti said Friday.

As far as comparisons go, the Giants' pitching coach had to side against his own player and take Halladay in that duel of playoff debuts. But now that the two will square off Saturday in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, this time the verdict will be delivered on the field and not spit out by any advanced algorithms.

"That's what's fun about baseball," Righetti said. "It's not like any other sport. There's no blockers and tacklers involved. To see two pitchers compete against each other like this, it's a baseball fan's dream. I wouldn't miss it."

The long-haired Lincecum is coming off back-to-back Cy Young Award seasons. On Oct. 7, he joined Roger Clemens as the only two pitchers in playoff history to earn a complete-game victory with 14 strikeouts while allowing three or fewer baserunners.

He also was only the second pitcher to strike out at least 10 and allow two or fewer hits during a shutout in his postseason debut. The only other pitcher to do it was the White Sox's Ed Walsh in the 1906 World Series.

"He's a franchise player," Giants closer Brian Wilson said. "All of America knows about The Freak. As for Halladay, he's thrown a perfect game this season, a no-hitter. It's probably going to be one of the best matchups baseball has seen this year."

Halladay is pretty much a lock to equal Lincecum with his second Cy Young Award after his performance this season: 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA and nine complete games. After waiting 13 years to throw a pitch in the playoffs, when he made his postseason debut Oct. 6, he came within a fifth-inning walk to Jay Bruce - on a full count - of matching Larsen with a perfect game.

Still, the low-key Halladay has been all business since coming to the Phillies last winter in a three-team trade that shipped Cliff Lee - their playoff ace a year ago - to the Mariners. Whether it's October or July doesn't seem to matter much to Halladay, who really had no idea what to expect in the postseason.

"The champagne's colder," Halladay said. "But it's been as much fun, if not more fun, than I anticipated. I think going in, you kind of wonder what it would be like, how it would feel. And really, it's been more of an exciting challenge for me than I haven't felt like I'm dealing with pressure."

For Lincecum, the situation is a little different. The Phillies are making their fourth straight postseason appearance and third consecutive trip to the NLCS. The Giants haven't been to the NLCS since 2002, and that can put a little more weight on the slight shoulders of their ace.

Righetti said Lincecum "has been born and bred with a mentality that he has to be good all the time," which actually could work to his advantage.

"I just deal with what position I'm put in," Lincecum said. "Obviously, it's a big game. But I don't want to get too over-amped."

Save that for everyone else. As for the numbers-crunchers who declared Lincecum the winner in Round 1, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel scoffed at the whole idea of that statistical comparison.

"I think it doesn't make any sense at all," Manuel said. "What time is the game tomorrow? Seven? Eight? I think that's when we're going to find out. I think that's what is going to tell the story."