Despite the San Francisco Giants finishing 18 games below .500 last season, their stud pitcher Tim Lincecum had himself a year: He went 18-5, led Major League Baseball with 265 strikeouts and held opposing batters to an NL-low .221 batting average.
And after winning the 2008 Cy Young award today, Lincecum can add another title to his resume: video game cover boy.
The young San Francisco Giants right-hander did indeed get the prestigious honor as the NL’s premier pitcher in the 2008 season, but he also was announced as the cover athlete for the upcoming Major League Baseball 2K9 video game from 2K Sports.
As a video game fanatic, Lincecum said he couldn’t be happier.
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“Whenever I’m hanging out at home or traveling on the road, you can find me playing video games, and I’m definitely the best gamer in the clubhouse by far. I’m incredibly stoked that 2K Sports picked me to represent Major League Baseball 2K9, and I look forward to lending my baseball knowledge to the development process.” — MLB News Release
I’ll leave my obligatory plug for a Chicago Cubs player to be the face of MLB 2K9 out of this and say hey, you know what would have been cool? If AL Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays made the cover. Lincecum’s a nice pick, but the Rays were the story of the year, in my opinion.
