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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Right-hander Matt Cain and the San Francisco Giants agreed Thursday to a $9 million, four-year contract that includes a vesting club option for 2011.

Matt Cain

Starting Pitcher San Francisco Giants Profile

2006 SEASON STATISTICS GM W L BB K ERA 32 13 12 87 179 4.15

The 22-year-old Cain led rookies with 13 wins and 179 strikeouts last season, going 13-12 with a 4.15 ERA in 190 2/3 innings, finishing in a tie for fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Cain also led the Giants in victories.

"It's great to have this opportunity at this age and to know that the Giants want to keep me around," Cain said. "I'm looking forward to being with these guys for the next four or five years."

His deal is similar to the $9.25 million contract left-handed starter Noah Lowry received before last season for the same number of years.

"It has its own quirks but the template was pretty much on Lowry," general manager Brian Sabean said. "When you have an opportunity to cement a working relationship with a young man like Matt, you definitely have to investigate it and I think both parties are happy that we were able to work it out. Obviously, we all saw his immense talent over the last two years, but we all have to remind ourselves that Matt is only 22 years old and his best years are ahead of him."

Cain pitched a one-hitter in the Giants' 6-0 victory over Oakland on May 21.

He started last season 1-5 with a 7.04 ERA over his initial seven starts and had his turn in the rotation skipped during a May trip to Houston. He made one relief appearance, then was 12-7 with a 3.34 ERA in his final 24 outings, which included the two innings out of the bullpen.

Sabean heard requests all offseason from teams interested in acquiring Cain, but the Giants were determined to hold onto their talented young pitchers. The Giants selected him 25th overall in the first round of the 2002 amateur draft.

"Almost every conversation we had about a position player, Matt's name came up," Sabean said. "It would have taken an extreme case, which obviously did not crop up for us, to want to part with such a talent."

Cain became the fourth-youngest San Francisco pitcher to win a game at 20 years, 338 days, on Sept. 24, 2005. He made seven starts that year, then spent the entire '06 campaign in the big leagues.

He wasn't sure he would be given a new contract before the 2007 season. Once the sides started talking, it didn't take long.

"It's a good surprise that this happened," Cain said. "I love the Giants' organization and how they've handled everything in the past with recent players."

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press