Tim Lincecum looked like a West Coast skateboarder who wandered onto a major league field, yet the 5-foot-11, 170-pound pitcher threw fastballs near 100 miles per hour. His violent, physics-defying delivery was engineered in a Bellevue, Washington backyard by his father Chris, a Boeing employee who filmed his motion from age four.

This deep dive explores his unconventional rise, his historic peak as a back-to-back Cy Young winner, his role in three World Series titles, and the steep physical toll that his hip-driven mechanics ultimately demanded.

• Turned down a $700,000 Cleveland bonus, then signed a franchise-record $2.025 million deal with the Giants after being drafted 10th overall in 2006.
• Won consecutive Cy Young Awards in 2008 and 2009, becoming the first pitcher to win it in his first two full seasons.
• Placed his two Cy Young Awards on the table at a 2010 arbitration hearing and secured a record $23 million contract.
• Won three World Series rings, adapting into a bullpen weapon and finesse pitcher who threw two no-hitters against the same team.
• Diagnosed with a degenerative hip condition, a logical breakdown given the extreme torque of his signature seven-foot stride.