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Lincecum: I'm not 'pumping the cheese' like I used to

Jason O. Watson / Getty Images Sport / Getty

OAKLAND, Calif. - The uniform is different. The flowing locks of shaggy brown hair that once protruded from his cap are gone. He's lost a little zip off his fastball, too.

Even so, ''The Freak'' came back as a force.

Tim Lincecum made a winning return to the majors, restarting his career after nearly a year away with six sharp innings and several ovations to lead the Los Angeles Angels over the Oakland Athletics 7-1 Saturday. The two-time Cy Young winner didn't show the electric velocity he did earlier in his career, but he was able to find success with his trademark changeup.

"I'm not pumping the cheese the way I used to," said Lincecum, who failed to hit 90 mph during his outing, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. "But I was trying to induce more contact. My defense played well behind me."

Watch: Lincecum fools Valencia for 1st K in return

Lincecum, who was returning to the majors after undergoing hip surgery in September, looked like his former Cy Young self while pitching in the same Bay Area where he won three championships with the Giants. The Angels' new right-hander showed little rust in limiting Oakland to four hits and one run to earn his first victory since June 16, 2015.

''He pitched backwards,'' Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. ''He threw fastballs in breaking ball counts and breaking balls in fastball counts. We couldn't solve him.''

The four-time All-Star struck out two and walked two before leaving to a raucous ovation from the crowd of 25,078.

''It was pretty incredible, I wasn't expecting that,'' Lincecum said. ''It's nice being here close to where I started and having my Bay Area fans here. Definitely made it feel like a home game to me.''

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