OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – A white cap on backward, Tim Lincecum stopped for a couple minutes to pet the bomb-sniffing dogs in the parking lot before greeting the workers at the security entrance who warmly welcomed him back to the Oakland Coliseum.
“Thanks, guys, how are ya?” the pitcher said with a smile.
Minutes later, Lincecum walked into a familiar clubhouse with a new team, joining the Los Angeles Angels after a quick minor league tour to find his timing 9 1/2 months after left hip surgery.
Come Saturday, the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner will be formally promoted for his debut with Los Angeles against the Athletics, and he is grateful for another chance a few days after turning 32 and nearly a year after his last appearance in the majors.
And it just so happens he returns to the mound in the Bay Area where he is still so beloved, even across the water in Oakland from his former San Francisco ballpark.