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R. A. Dickey

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R.A. Dickey
Dickey with the Blue Jays during the 2013 season
Toronto Blue Jays – No. 43
Starting pitcher
Born: (1974-10-29) October 29, 1974 (age 49)
Nashville, Tennessee
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
debut
April 22, 2001, for the Texas Rangers
Career statistics
(through May 13, 2014)
Win-loss record79–72
Earned run average4.04
Strikeouts963
WHIP1.32
Teams
Career highlights and awards
R. A. Dickey
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's Baseball
Summer Olympics
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta Team

Robert Allen "R.A." Dickey (born October 29, 1974) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. He previously played for the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins and New York Mets.

After limited success in the majors as a conventional starting pitcher, he learned to throw a knuckleball. As of the 2012 season, Dickey is the only active player in the majors who uses the knuckleball as his primary pitch. In 2012, Dickey was selected to his first career All-Star Game, won the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award and became the first knuckleball pitcher to win the Cy Young Award.

High School

Dickey attended Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 10th round (277th overall) of the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft but did not sign.

College

Dickey attended the University of Tennessee, where he played college baseball for the Tennessee Volunteers baseball team in the Southeastern Conference. He majored in English literature at Tennessee, where he had a 3.35 GPA and was named Academic All-American.[1] He was also named Academic All-SEC.[2]

Professional career

1996–2006: Texas Rangers

Dickey was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round (18th overall) of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft. After being drafted by the Rangers, Dickey was initially offered a signing bonus of $810,000, before a Rangers team physician saw Dickey's throwing (right) arm hanging oddly in a picture of him with other Team USA players in Baseball America. The Rangers subsequently did further evaluation of Dickey, leading to the discovery of a missing ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow joint, and reduced their offer to $75,000.[3][4] Dickey has been quoted as saying, "Doctors look at me and say I shouldn't be able to turn a doorknob without feeling pain,"[3] making his ability to pitch somewhat remarkable.

Dickey debuted with the Rangers in 2001. "His stuff was dime-a-dozen, though: a high-80's fastball, an occasional fringy breaking ball, and a forkball he dubbed 'The Thing.'"[4] The start of the 2004 season was thought to be a turning point in Dickey's career, as he managed to compile a 4–1 record through his first five starts. This hot streak was short-lived, however, and he ended up finishing the season a disappointing 6–7 with a 5.61 ERA.[5]

Transition to the knuckleball

Throughout his career, Dickey did not know that his "forkball" pitch was actually a hard knuckleball, but by 2005, Dickey had realized that the best way to extend his career was to perfect the pitch.[3] At the beginning of the 2006 season, the Rangers gave Dickey a chance to try out his knuckleball at the major league level by naming him the 5th starter. However, after giving up 6 home runs in his first start on April 6, tying the modern era baseball record with another knuckleballer, Tim Wakefield, he was demoted to the Rangers' Triple-A minor league affiliate, the Oklahoma RedHawks.

2007: Milwaukee Brewers

On January 13, 2007, he signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers and spent the 2007 season with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. After finishing the season with a 12–6 record and a 3.80 ERA, Dickey was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year.[6]

Dickey pitching for the Seattle Mariners in 2008

2007–2009: Minnesota Twins & Seattle Mariners

Dickey became a minor league free agent after the season. On November 28, 2007, he signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins that included an invitation to spring training, but was claimed in the Rule 5 Draft by the Seattle Mariners on December 6, 2007.

On March 29, 2008, the Mariners traded minor league catcher Jair Fernandez to the Twins to retain the rights for Dickey and initially optioned him to Triple-A Tacoma, recalling him to the major league club on April 14.[7]

On August 17, 2008, Dickey tied the record for most wild pitches in an inning, with four. This came against the Minnesota Twins in the fifth inning. He joins four others, including Hall of Famers Walter Johnson and Phil Niekro, who have accomplished this feat.[8]

In 2008, he led the majors in games started with fewer than five days of rest, with six.[9]

He became a free agent after the season after refusing a minor league assignment. On December 23, 2008, Dickey signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Minnesota Twins.[10] He would go on to pitch in 35 games for the Twins in 2009.

2010–2012: New York Mets

On January 5, 2010, Dickey signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets, receiving an invitation to spring training.[11] He was assigned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons to begin the season. While playing for the Bisons, Dickey threw a one-hitter on April 29. He gave up a single to the first batter, and then retired the next twenty-seven in a row.[12]

On May 19, 2010, the New York Mets purchased Dickey's contract from the Buffalo Bisons, and he made his first appearance as a Met against the Washington Nationals on the same day. In his debut for the Mets, Dickey pitched well, going six innings, giving up five hits, two earned runs, and striking out two, but received a no-decision. His next start, May 25 against the Philadelphia Phillies, he went six innings again, giving up 9 hits, walking 3 and striking out 7 in an 8–0 shutout for his first victory as a Met. On August 13, 2010, Dickey threw a complete game one-hit shutout of the Philadelphia Phillies — the only hit being a single surrendered to Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels.[13] Dickey finished the 2010 season with a very strong ERA of 2.84, which was 7th best in the National League and 10th in all of baseball, and served as a rare bright spot on an otherwise disappointing season for the Mets.[14] In 2010, Dickey posted career highs in Games Started (26), wins (11), complete games (2), innings pitched (174.1), strikeouts (104), ERA (2.84), WHIP (1.19), and BAA (.252).

Dickey pitching for the New York Mets in 2011

On January 29, 2011, Dickey agreed to a two-year contract with the Mets. Under the agreement, Dickey received a $1 million signing bonus, $2.25 million in 2011, and $4.25 million in 2012. In addition, the Mets have a $5 million option for 2013 with a $300,000 buyout.[15] His 2011 season was followed in the documentary film Knuckleball!.[16][17] During the 2011 season, Dickey posted career bests in game starts (32), innings pitched (208+2⁄3) and strikeouts (134). He finished the year with a record of only 8–13, despite a 3.28 ERA that was 12th best in the National League.[18]

2012: Cy Young Award season

Dickey's performance in the first half of 2012 drew comparisons to some of the most dominant pitching streaks of the last 50 years.[19] Mets Manager Terry Collins remarked, "I've never seen anything like this. Never. I've seen some dominant pitching, but nothing like what he's going through right now."[20] Hall of Fame Pitcher and fellow knuckleballer Phil Niekro commented on Dickey, "I had a few streaks, but nothing like he's going through. I don't know if any other knuckleballer has ever been on a hot streak like he has been. He is just dynamite right now."[21]

Dickey recorded double-digit strikeouts in back-to-back games in May,[22][23] becoming the first Mets pitcher to do so since Pedro Martinez in 2006. Over the two games, Dickey allowed one run in 14+1⁄3 innings for an ERA of 0.63, and he was named National League Player of the Week for the week ending May 27, 2012.[24]

In Dickey's next two starts, he pitched 16+1⁄3 innings, allowing no runs. During his next outing on June 13, Dickey allowed only one hit, struck out a career-high 12 batters, and walked none, facing only 29 total batters to lead the Mets to a 9–1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. The only hit was an infield single on a ball that third baseman David Wright failed to field cleanly. The Mets formally appealed the official scorekeeping of the only hit allowed to be changed to an error on Wright, but MLB denied the appeal.[25] Dickey was the first pitcher in the major leagues to reach 10 wins in 2012.[26] In his next start, Dickey pitched a complete game one-hit shutout against the Orioles, becoming the first pitcher since Dave Stieb in 1988 to throw two consecutive one-hitters.[27] He also became only the third pitcher, after Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan, to have two complete game one-hitters with 12 or more strikeouts in one season, and the only pitcher to do it in back-to-back starts.[citation needed]

Dickey set a new Mets franchise record of 44+1⁄3 consecutive scoreless innings, besting Jerry Koosman's 31+2⁄3 in 1973.[citation needed] On July 1, 2012, Dickey was named to the National League All-Star team. He was also honored with being the National League Pitcher of the Month after going 5–0 with a 0.93 ERA for the month of June.[28] On August 31, Dickey pitched his third complete game shutout of his year. The win marked the first time a Met pitcher had reached 17 wins since Al Leiter in 1998.[29] Dickey won his 20th game of the season on September 27, 2012, tying his career high with 13 strikeouts.[30] For the 2012 season, Dickey set new career bests in games started (33), wins (20), complete games (5), shutouts (3), innings pitched (233+2⁄3), strikeouts (230), ERA (2.73), WHIP (1.05), and BAA (.226).

Dickey won the NL Cy Young Award, beating out Gio Gonzalez of the Nationals and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. He became the first knuckleballer in MLB history to win the award.[31] He also became the third Met pitcher to win the award, joining Tom Seaver (1969, 1973 and 1975) and Dwight Gooden (1985).[32]

2013–present: Toronto Blue Jays

Dickey on April 7, 2013

On December 16, 2012, the Mets agreed to trade Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays (along with Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas) in exchange for Travis d'Arnaud, John Buck, Noah Syndergaard and Wuilmer Becerra, contingent upon his agreeing to a contract extension with the Blue Jays.[33] The two sides agreed on December 17 to a two-year, $25-million extension with a club option for a third year in 2016 at $12 million; the deal became official once he passed his physical.[34][35] On February 5, 2013, manager John Gibbons said Dickey would be the opening day starter for the Blue Jays.[36] Dickey lost his first start for his new team, giving up four runs and five hits in six innings in a loss to the Cleveland Indians. Dickey pitched his first complete game and shutout as a Blue Jay in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on June 26.[37] Dickey would finish his first season as a Blue Jay with a record of 14–13, an ERA of 4.21, and 177 strikeouts over 2242⁄3 innings pitched.

On October 25, Dickey was announced as a finalist for the AL Pitcher's Gold Glove, along with teammate Mark Buehrle and Detroit Tigers pitcher Doug Fister.[38] He was awarded the 2013 Pitcher's Fielding Bible on October 28, 2013,[39] and was announced as the AL Pitcher's Gold Glove Award winner on October 29. Dickey led all American League pitchers with 40 assists and 7 defensive runs saved, and yielded only 8 stolen bases.[40]

Pitching style

Dickey relies primarily on the knuckleball. He uses the pitch around 80% of the time. His repertoire is rounded out by two-seam and four-seam fastballs (82–85 mph) and a rare changeup (76–78 mph).[41] Dickey's knuckleball comes in two forms — a "slow" knuckler in the low-to-mid 70s that has been clocked as low as 54 mph, and a "fast" one in the upper 70s, sometimes reaching as fast as 83 mph. Dickey tends to use the slow knuckleball when he is behind in the count, using the fast one when he is ahead.[42] However, he resorts to a fastball in most 3–0 and 3–1 counts.[41]

Personal

On June 20, 2012, it was reported that Dickey was helping coach an 18-year-old knuckleball pitcher from Long Island, helping him become a walk-on pitcher for the University of Maryland Terrapins.[43][44]

International career

Dickey was a member of the 1996 US Olympic Baseball team that won a bronze medal in Atlanta. Dickey started two games, recording wins in both.[45] 17 years later, Dickey once again pitched for Team USA in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. He started two games, going 0–1 with a 5.00 ERA.

Awards, honors, and notable achievements

  • 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner
  • All-Star selection (2012)
  • National League Pitcher of the Month (June 2012)
  • National League Player of the Week (5/27/2012)[24]
  • Won a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta for Men's Baseball.
  • Baseball Prospectus Cy Young Award (2012)
  • Sporting News NL Pitcher of the Year (2012)
  • Holds the Mets franchise record of 32+2⁄3 consecutive scoreless innings (set June 13, 2012).[46] Stands second among Mets pitchers all-time with 44+1⁄3 consecutive innings pitched without giving up an earned run.
  • Threw two consecutive one-hitters on June 13 and 18, 2012. The last time a pitcher threw two consecutive one-hitters was in 1988 in the AL and 1944 in the NL. During the June 18 one-hitter, he also set a career high in strikeouts with 13.[47] Dickey is also the only pitcher to throw consecutive one hitters and post 10+ strikeouts.
  • With his June 18, 2012 win over the Orioles, he became the only pitcher in major league history to have five consecutive starts without giving up any earned runs and still getting at least eight strikeouts in each game.[48]
  • Branch Rickey Award (2012)[49]
  • National League Outstanding Pitcher of the Year (2012) [50]
  • Received an honorary degree from Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto on May 13, 2013.[51]

Played for USA

Personal life

Dickey is married and has two daughters and two sons.[2] A born-again Christian, he helps operate the Ocala, Florida-based Honoring the Father Ministries which provides medical supplies, powdered milk and baseball equipment to the impoverished in Latin America.[52]

A 2010 New York Times article reported that Dickey is an avid reader and that at the time, the stack of books in his locker included Life of Pi by Yann Martel and a collection of works by C. S. Lewis. Dickey has said that if he had not become a professional athlete, he would have become an English professor.[53] Dickey named his bats for literary swords--Orcrist the Goblin Cleaver (from The Hobbit) and Hrunting (from Beowulf).[54] Dickey mixed up Orcrist and Sting when explaining the origin of the name.[55][56] In addition to his fantasy-named bats, Dickey's at-bat introduction song is the theme from Game of Thrones.[57]

In November 2011, Dickey announced that he would risk his 2012 season salary ($4,250,000) to attempt to climb Mount Kilimanjaro; he credits this aspiration to his boyhood reading of Hemingway's The Snows of Kilimanjaro.[58] While climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, he set out to raise awareness of the issue of human trafficking in India. His climb was in support of an organization called "Bombay Teen Challenge" that ministers to victims of human trafficking and their children in the heart of the red-light districts. Dickey returned from this trip in January 2012 with Mets bullpen catcher Dave Racaniello and the Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Kevin Slowey, and together raised over $100,000.

His autobiography, Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball, written along with New York Daily News reporter Wayne Coffey, was released in 2012.[59] In the book, Dickey reports suffering sexual abuse as an 8-year-old child by a 13-year-old female babysitter, and later by a teenage male, and discusses his struggles with suicidal thoughts as an adult.[60] In September 2012, Dial Press announced a deal with Dickey to publish three books, including a children's version of his memoir, which is scheduled for the fall of 2013.[61]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Major League Baseball's first-half surprises — ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. June 30, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Chasing the Dream- About RA, Chasing the Dream
  3. ^ a b c Schwarz, Alan (February 27, 2008). "New Twist Keeps Dickey's Career Afloat". The New York Times.
  4. ^ a b "Dickey Has Mets Fans' Hearts Aflutter | FanGraphs Baseball". Fangraphs.com. July 22, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  5. ^ "R.A. Dickey Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  6. ^ "R.A. Dickey Named PCL Pitcher-of-the-Year". Nashville Sounds.com. August 29, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  7. ^ "Seattle Mariners 2010 Team Transactions: Trades, DL, Free Agents and Callups — ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  8. ^ "Wild Pitch Records". Baseball-Almanac.com. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  9. ^ "2008 Major League Baseball Starting Pitching". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  10. ^ Thesier, Kelly (December 24, 2008). "Dickey, Twins agree to terms". MLB.com. Retrieved December 24, 2008.
  11. ^ "Mets sign Dickey, five others to minor league deals". Sports Network. seattlepi.com. January 5, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  12. ^ "Dickey retires 27 straight for Bisons". MLB.com. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  13. ^ Lapointe, Joe (August 14, 2010). "Dickey, Man of Letters, Lets Numbers Do Talking". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  14. ^ Belson, Ken (July 15, 1990). "Dickey an Unexpected Bright Spot in Mets' Dim Season — Bats Blog — NYTimes.com". Bats.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  15. ^ "Mets Give R.A. Dickey New 2-Year Deal". January 31, 2011.
  16. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (September 20, 2012). "The Art of the Flutter: 'Knuckleball!' Considers the Unpredictable Pitch". The New York Times. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  17. ^ Burr, Ty (September 17, 2012). "'Knuckleball!' documentary is pitch-perfect". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  18. ^ "R.A. Dickey Career Stats". MLB.com. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  19. ^ Schoenfield, David (June 19, 2012). "R.A. Dickey on one of great rolls of all time". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  20. ^ DiComo, Anthony (June 13, 2012). "One-hit wonder: Dickey brilliant in 10th win". MLB.com. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  21. ^ "Otherworldly Pitch Meets Its Jedi Master".
  22. ^ "Dickey cranks up to 11 as Mets drop Bucs late". mlb.com. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  23. ^ "Dickey shuts down punchless Padres". yahoo.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  24. ^ a b Casella, Paul (May 29, 2012). "Dickey's big week leads to NL honor". MLB.com. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  25. ^ "MLB upholds R.A. Dickey's one-hitter".
  26. ^ "Mets' Dickey holds Rays to 1 hit for 10th win".
  27. ^ Fitzpatrick, Mike (June 19, 2012). "Dickey Ks 13 in latest 1-hitter, Mets beat O's 5-0". Associated Press. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  28. ^ "Dickey named National League Pitcher of the Month". Mets.com. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  29. ^ Asofsky, Aaron (August 9, 2012). "Torres, Mets complement R.A.'s complete game". Mlb.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  30. ^ Carig, Marc (September 27, 2012). "Mets' R.A. Dickey wins 20th game of season". Newsday. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  31. ^ "R.A. Dickey wins NL Cy Young". ESPN. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  32. ^ "Baseball Almanac Cy Young Award Winners". Baseball Almanac. Baseball Almanac.
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  34. ^ "R.A. Dickey, Toronto reach extension". espn.com. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  35. ^ "Dickey trade to Blue Jays official". foxsports.com. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  36. ^ "Jays manager John Gibbons says Dickey will start opening night". TSN.ca. February 5, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  37. ^ Chisholm, Gregor (June 26, 2013). "Dickey dominates Rays with two-hit shutout". MLB.com. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  38. ^ "Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey named as American League Gold Glove Award finalists". bluebirdbanter.com. October 25, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  39. ^ "The 2013 Awards". fieldingbible.com. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  40. ^ Chisholm, Gregor (October 29, 2013). "Dickey edges teammate Buehrle for Gold Glove". MLB.com. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  41. ^ a b "Brooks Baseball · Home of the PitchFX Tool — Player Card: R.A. Dickey". Brooks Baseball. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  42. ^ "Knuckling Under With Two Speeds: RA Dickey's Two Knuckleballs". SBNation.com. July 30, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  43. ^ Martin, Phil (September 24, 2012). "Taylor". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  44. ^ Martin, Dan (June 20, 2012). "Mets pitcher OK with sharing his secrets". New York Post. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  45. ^ R. A. Dickey Sports Reference
  46. ^ "MLB.com Gameday | mets.com: Gameday". Newyork.mets.mlb.com. June 13, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  47. ^ 7:10 PM ET, June 18, 2012Citi Field, New York, NY  (June 18, 2012). "Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Mets - Recap - June 18, 2012 - ESPN". Scores.espn.go.com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  48. ^ "R.A. Dickey leads NL Cy Young field; Justin Verlander tops AL - Cliff Corcoran - SI.com". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. June 21, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  49. ^ "Dickey earns Rickey Award for philanthropic efforts". MLB.com. September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  50. ^ "Players pick R.A. Dickey for NL's Outstanding Pitcher | MLB.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  51. ^ Kennedy, Brendan (May 13, 2013). "Blue Jays' R.A. Dickey receives honorary degree from U of T". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
  52. ^ Vecsey, George (September 14, 2010). "Dickey Is at Home, In Any House". The New York Times. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  53. ^ Kepner, Tyler (July 8, 2010). "Mets Knuckleballer Dickey Keeps His Fingers Crossed". The New York Times.
  54. ^ Kepner, Tyler (April 30, 2011). "R.A. Dickey's Well-Named Arsenal". The New York Times. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  55. ^ Read, Max (May 8, 2011). "The New York Times Is Very Sorry For Getting Bilbo's Sword Wrong". Gawker. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  56. ^ Is This The Greatest NY Times Correction Of All Time? Gothamist
  57. ^ Dickey, Jack (September 28, 2012). "Everything You Need to Know About R.A. Dickey, the Man Who Throws Baseball's Best and Strangest Pitch". Gawker.com. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  58. ^ "Mets Pitcher R.A. Dickey Risking $4 Million Salary To Climb Mount Kilimanjaro". November 2, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  59. ^ "Mets' knuckler Dickey reaches new heights". January 30, 2012.
  60. ^ DiComo, Anthony. "Dickey addresses childhood abuse in book". Mlb.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  61. ^ "Mets Ace R.A. Dickey Signs Deal To Have Three Children's Books Published". CBS News New York. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by Opening Day starting pitcher
for the Toronto Blue Jays
2013—present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by National League Cy Young Award
2012 		Succeeded by

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