Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher R.A. Dickey is congratulated by teammates after leaving the game against the Texas Rangers during the fifth inning in Game 4 of baseball's American League Division Series on Monday, Oct. 12, 2015, in Arlington, Texas.LM Otero/The Associated Press
The last time Toronto Blue Jays fans saw R.A. Dickey on the mound, he wore a look of confusion as his manager and infielders converged on him in the fifth inning of a game his team led 5-1, at a time when his knuckleball was really cooking.
When he took the hill in Arlington a week ago in Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers, the 40-year-old became the oldest player in major-league history to make his playoff debut. It was an elimination game, the stakes were high, and it nearly went into the books as a win for Dickey. But manager John Gibbons pulled the knuckleballer one out shy of the mark that would have awarded him the victory instead of David Price, the starting pitcher who was unconventionally pitching out of the bullpen that particular afternoon – as insurance.
The day ended with Dickey and Price sitting shoulder to shoulder in an awkward news conference, both saying all the right things about the win being more important than who gets the credit. Price was quick to admit, Dickey had the better game. Dickey admitted he had more in his arm that day. The quirky, little-seen pitch that can be unpredictable was doing all the right things on that afternoon.
Dickey will face the Kansas Royals in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series on Tuesday. It's another opportunity. Many have speculated that Gibbons must not trust the knuckleballer in order to pull a guy on a day like that. Some wondered if he'd change the rotation going into this Game 4. The manager said Monday there's no way that Dickey won't start this game.
"I don't think I ruined his career, to be honest with you. I don't think that he was overly sensitive about it, but maybe I'm wrong," Gibbons said. "We've talked briefly. There's been so much going on, I haven't had a chance to sit down. But he knows I'm on his side. He may not have understood the move. A lot of people may not have. … I don't sense any problem. Really, it's about the team winning, it's not about the individual, really. That's the key to championship."
Dickey, who was loose and as conversational as usual at his Monday news conference, dared to ponder aloud what a great story it would be if the Jays could advance, and he could pitch versus the New York Mets in the World Series, the team that traded him to the Jays.
The last time Dickey faced the Royals, he threw seven shutout frames in a 5-2 win back in August.
"If he's executing his pitches and keeping the ball down and has good floater on his knuckleball, he's going to be tough. If he's a little bit flat with it, it's going to be a little bit easier to hit," Royals manager Ned Yost said on Monday. "But we don't expect him to be flat. We expect him to be tough."
The well-spoken pitcher with the southern drawl and the 2012 NL Cy Young Award on his résumé projected confidence in pitching in a closed dome where he's had success, a place where his knuckleball can thrive without facing cold, heat or moisture. He felt good about the last time he faced the Royals, too.
"The great thing and the beauty about a knuckle ball is that it can be in the strike zone and be just as effective as out of the strike zone, because it moves so chaotically, so late. If I'm inducing a lot of weak contact, it's great," Dickey said. "That's something that when I pitched against them last time I really tried to attack the strike zone, and I was fortunate because they're a swinging team. And they were hitting pieces of the ball because it was moving well. And hopefully I can repeat that."
Rachel Brady