33 Facts About Matt Cain

1. Matt Cain met his wife Chelsea Williams during spring training while she was a student at Arizona State University majoring in sociology.

2. Matt Cain threw curveballs in roughly equal proportions to righties and lefties.

3. Matt Cain led with his four-seamer, throwing it over half the time in his career.

4. On September 30, 2017, Matt Cain pitched five shutout innings in his last career game.

5. Matt Cain faced elbow and hamstring troubles in the latter years of his career.

6. Matt Cain made several appearances in relief during the second half of the 2017 season and recorded his first career hold in August against the Milwaukee Brewers.

7. Matt Cain becomes the twelfth pitcher in franchise history and joins Hall of Famers Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry as the only three pitchers in the San Francisco Era to reach the milestone.

8. Matt Cain is the second Giant on the 2016 season to earn his one-hundredth career victory after teammate Johnny Cueto won his on April 26.

9. Matt Cain won his third World Series ring in five years.

10. Matt Cain struggled for the remainder of the season before being sidelined due to elbow difficulties in July, pitching his last game on July 9, 2014.

11. Matt Cain started on Opening Day for the Giants in 2013.

12. Matt Cain singled against Rhiner Cruz and scored in the fifth inning.

13. Matt Cain reached the playoffs for the second time in his career as the Giants won the NL West after missing the playoffs in 2011.

14. Matt Cain was one of seven NL players to throw two or more shutouts.

15. Matt Cain finished eighth with 193 strikeouts, joining teammates Bumgarner and Lincecum among the top 10 in the NL in that category.

16. Matt Cain was scheduled to become a free agent after the 2012 season.

17. Matt Cain reached the playoffs for the first time in his career as the Giants won the NL West to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2003.

18. Matt Cain tied for third with four complete games, including two shutouts (which made him one of seven players in the NL to throw two or more shutouts).

19. Matt Cain was tied for first in complete games thrown with teammate Tim Lincecum.

20. Matt Cain finished the season with the 10th-lowest ERA in the NL at 3.65.

21. Matt Cain finished in a fifth-place tie with Andre Ethier in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.

22. Late in the season, Matt Cain increased his chances for Rookie of the Year consideration with a run of remarkable pitching.

23. When he was called up, Matt Cain was the second youngest player in the major leagues.

24. Matt Cain was called up to the Giants on August 26, 2005, to join their rotation.

25. Matt Cain attended spring training in 2005, but he began the season with the Fresno Grizzlies of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.

26. Matt Cain began his professional career in 2002 with the rookie Arizona League Giants.

27. Matt Cain took lessons on how to pitch from Mauro Gozzo, who lived near the Cains in Tennessee.

28. Matt Cain lived in Vincent, Alabama, for a year when his mother taught at a school nearby.

29. Matt Cain retired from Major League Baseball at the end of the 2017 season.

30. Matt Cain threw the 22nd perfect game in Major League Baseball history on June 13, 2012.

31. Matt Cain faced injury difficulties during the latter years of his career.

32. In 2012, Matt Cain signed a five-year, $112.5 million contract extension, which was at the time the largest deal for a right-handed pitcher in North American sports history.

33. In 2009, Matt Cain was named to his first career All-Star Game and won the Willie Mac Award.