Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher R.A. Dickey reacts to the crowed as he walks leaves the game against the New York Mets during eighth inning interleague MLB baseball action in Toronto on Thursday, June 18, 2015.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
They remain young at heart but are considered old by the parameters established by their livelihood as professional baseball players.
In a game in which 25-year-olds are routinely referred to as "kids" by their managers, R.A. Dickey and Bartolo Colon stand apart both for their longevity and their continued burning desire to compete at the highest level.
And, hey, the pay's also not too shabby.
Colon is 42 and is a starting pitcher for the New York Mets. Dickey, 40, does the same for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Together, they represent the two oldest starters in the majors this season.
Thursday night at Rogers Centre, in a game that should have been marketed as Bengay at the Ballpark Night, the two veterans squared off against one another in what was truly a game for the aged.
In the end, it was the younger, older gun who got the better of his senior, as Dickey helped lead the Blue Jays to a 7-1 victory over his former team.
The victory lifted the Blue Jays (36-32) to a two-game mini-series sweep of the Mets (36-32), outscoring New York 15-1 in the process.
It was a tight 1-0 game in Toronto's favour until the fourth inning, during which the Jays blew Colon's doors off with a five-hit, six-run outburst that increased the lead to 6-0.
Jose Bautista carded a big two-out single that scored two of the runs.
But it was a hustling play on the basepaths by Kevin Pillar that was the pivotal moment in the inning.
With one out and the bases loaded, Ryan Goins hit a bounding ball to the right side that was ripe for an inning-ending double play.
The ball was relayed to second base to force out Pillar, but he went in with a hard slide that clipped the feet out from under Wilmer Flores, who could not make the relay back to first.
A run scored on the play and the Blue Jays were in flight.
Chris Colabello cranked his fifth home run of the year for the Blue Jays in the fifth inning.
With Colon and Dickey toeing the rubber, it marked the first matchup of 40-year-old-plus starters since Aug. 15, 2008, when Philadelphia's Jamie Moyer (45) faced San Diego's Greg Maddux (42).
And what is remarkable with these two is that they are contributing in a starting role and not in relief, as is usually the case for those that long in the tooth.
This season, only seven players ages 40 or older have taken the field.
Six of them are pitchers and, apart from Dickey and Colon, all the others – Boston's Koji Uehara (40), Detroit's Joe Nathan (40), and Colorado's LaTroy Hawkins (42) and Rafael Betancourt (40) – are all relievers.
The only position player in the grey brigade is Ichiro Suzuki, who is still able to cover substantial territory in the outfield for the Miami Marlins.
And it is not as though either Dickey or Colon is just playing out the string on a long career.
Dickey, the knuckleball aficionado, has pitched better than his 3-6 record indicates and his 89 innings in 14 starts lead the Blue Jays.
He was in fine form against his former mates, going 71/3 innings and allowing one run (a Lucas Duda home run in the eighth) off just three hits with seven strike outs.
Dickey was struggling with his knuckleball command early on and walked the bases loaded in the second inning. And he nearly walked a fourth after Curtis Granderson worked the count full before striking out.
Despite his struggles on Thursday (41/3 innings, seven runs, nine hits), Colon (9-5) is still enjoying an amazing campaign.
His main calling card is a precision fastball that is able to nick the corners of the plate with incredible consistency.
"I think anybody who keeps doing it at that age surprises you," Gibbons said when asked if he is surprised by Colon's continued effectiveness. "It's really a young man's game.
"But when you're good, you're good. He's a master, he can pick that thing [the plate] apart."
The Blue Jays are anticipating the return early next week of Devon Travis, their young second baseman who was an early favourite for rookie-of-the-year honours before being sidelined by a sore shoulder in the middle of May.
His return will spell the end of Goins seeing regular duty at second, where he has excelled defensively and, lately, with the bat as well.
In the previous six games heading into Thursday night, Goins – a career .222 hitter – averaged .381 with a homer, three doubles and nine runs batted in.
When Travis returns, Gibbons said he would return to everyday duty at second, but Goins should not fret about playing time, according to the manager.
Gibbons said Goins will see plenty of playing time at both second, third and shortstop as well as in the outfield.