 Over the course of the season, Kershaw pitched opposite two-time Cy Young Award winner and three-time defending NL strikeout leader Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants in four particularly memorable matchups.Lincecum posted a 1.24 ERA over 29 innings in the four games but failed to record a win, as Kershaw countered with a 0.30 ERA over 30 innings and was the winning pitcher in each game.Each game was decided by a final score of 1–0 or 2–1, with many writers describing the matchups as historic and reminiscent of epic pitching duels of bygone eras.