R.A. Dickey had a rough go of things while he was with the Texas Rangers at the beginning of his career. In five seasons as a Ranger, split between starting and relieving, Dickey never posted an ERA under 5.00 and had two seasons over 6.00 before his final season in 2006 when he threw just 3 1/3 innings and had an 18.90 ERA before spending two years out of the big leagues while developing a knuckleball.
Now, Dickey is the first knuckleballer to ever win a Cy Young award after posting a 20-6 record and a 2.73 ERA this season with the New York Mets while leading the NL in innings pitched (233 2/3), starts (33) and strikeouts (230).
Always a likeable guy, it's good to see Dickey get recognized for his stellar year, but he's not just your average knuckleballer that throws it up there at 70 mph and just hopes. Dickey has a hard knuckler, sometimes hitting the mid 80s on the gun, which is what has made him so effective over the years.
Making this even more interesting is the fact there are reports the Mets are looking to shop Dickey, who has one year left on his deal and at 38 years old still has a ton of life left as a knuckleballer.
