John Lackey turns 38 next week. If there’s any consolation to the Giants losing Game 7 of a World Series to a mostly unknown rookie, it’s that the rookie pitched for 14 seasons. He’s essentially had the career of Catfish Hunter, a Hall of Famer, with just a little less health. It would have felt worse, somehow, if Lackey had vanished into the ether after 2002, one of those random postseason sprites that seems less real the more time passes.
It’s also allowed him to become an underrated Giants nemesis. He’s the worst and the best, reminding us of 2002 .