Tim Lincecum throws a no-hitter against Padres ... again

In the middle of a wretched stretch of baseball, in a game that offered little immediate hope, Tim Lincecum threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. Again. The Giants avoided the sweep, winning 4-0.

It was almost a year ago that Lincecum accomplished the feat in San Diego, but he did it on Wednesday in a much different fashion, needing just 113 pitches -- 35 fewer than he needed last year. He struck out six and walked just one. Also, he allowed no hits over nine innings.

This is the third time the Giants have thrown a no-hitter against the Padres in the last five years, with Jonathan Sanchez throwing one in San Francisco in 2009, and Lincecum's coming on July 13, 2013. Previous to Sanchez's no-hitter, the Giants had been without a no-hitter since John Montefusco in 1976.

After taking a cursory look at the pitchers who have thrown multiple no-hitters, it doesn't look like there's been a pitcher who has thrown a no-hitter twice against the same team. Tim Lincecum has no-hit the Padres twice. (Edit: Addie Joss no-hit the White Sox twice a billion years ago)

There will be much more to come on this. There will be videos. There will be Vines. There will be GIFs. There will be 50 things. Congratulations to Tim Lincecum. It's been a rocky couple years, but somehow he's emerged from his struggles with another championship and two no-hitters. There are a lot of pitchers who would have traded their Cy Youngs back in for that kind of career. Lincecum gets to keep it all.

Also, I started this in the seventh inning, so cram it, jinx-fearing freaks.