Lincecum to honor late brother with number change

Once one of the league’s best pitchers, Tim Lincecum is looking to make a comeback while honoring a lost loved one.

After winning back-to-back Cy Young awards and earning three World Series rings, Tim Lincecum considered walking away from the game of baseball at the age of 33. 

His love for the game and the desire to honor his late brother has the four-time all-star suiting up for the Texas Rangers.

Lincecum is officially under contract and spoke at a press conference for the first time as a Texas Ranger. While sitting out the 2017 season, he contemplated retirement, but the two-time Cy Young award winner couldn’t walk away from the game saying the Rangers were the perfect fit.

“I’ve contemplated whether or not it was time to leave the game or not, but I think I owed it to myself to keep trying and I feel like I’m still at the age, have the youth and the will to kind of go after it,” Lincecum said.

When he takes the mound for the Rangers, he won’t wear the familiar number 55 he’s donned throughout his career. He’s making the switch to 44.

“My brother passed away recently and fortunately Destin Hood has that [number] and he exchanged a text with me last night willing to give it to me. The number behind that is it was my brother’s number as he became a coach and was around kids a lot, so he was a big part of my life. And I just want to feel like I can carry him out there and honor him in a way and have him close,” Lincecum said.

Hood signed a minor league contract with the Rangers in January. He played 13 games with the Miami Marlins in 2016.