In season of surprises, none bigger than Mets’ Dickey
Article By smcneal.tsn on 30th June, 2010
Among first-half surprises, the Padres' rise, the Cubs' collapse, Jose Bautista's slugging and now-retired Ken Griffey Jr.'s non-slugging top the list. But don't forget the Mets.
After a troubled offseason that seemed to put their general manager and manager on the firing line before the season opener, many figured the club would be buried in bad news by now.
But the Mets are hanging tough in the NL East. They have lost their past two games but trail the Braves, another surprise (a mild one, anyway), by just 1.5 games.
Surprise! R.A. Dickey has helped pitch the Mets into contention. Just as surprising as the Mets' climb into contention has been one of the key reasons behind their good fortune. If you pegged R.A. Dickey to be 6-1 with a 2.98 ERA at this point, you should be living in Las Vegas.
When the Mets agreed to a minor league deal with Dickey this past December on the same day the cross-town Yankees acquired Javier Vazquez, Dickey barely made it on the transactions page. He was an aging righthander who hadn't cut it as a conventional pitcher but didn't want to give up, so he converted to full-time knuckling in 2005. That didn't work so well, either, and Dickey spent about as much time in the minors as the majors over the next four years.
Well, score one for persistence. Dickey put his name in the Mets' record book by winning his first six decisions after he was promoted in May. He might have saved not only his career but the Mets' season, too. Dickey has had plenty of help, of course, but the club is 24-13 since his debut.
For now anyway, Dickey's career is spinning in the right direction after he conquered the difficult (and disappearing) skill of throwing a baseball without spin.
"It's not so much that it's working better, it's just working more," Dickey says. "The movement I'm getting is late in the strike zone. That was happening before but just not as ofte...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for MLB
After a troubled offseason that seemed to put their general manager and manager on the firing line before the season opener, many figured the club would be buried in bad news by now.
But the Mets are hanging tough in the NL East. They have lost their past two games but trail the Braves, another surprise (a mild one, anyway), by just 1.5 games.
Surprise! R.A. Dickey has helped pitch the Mets into contention. Just as surprising as the Mets' climb into contention has been one of the key reasons behind their good fortune. If you pegged R.A. Dickey to be 6-1 with a 2.98 ERA at this point, you should be living in Las Vegas.
When the Mets agreed to a minor league deal with Dickey this past December on the same day the cross-town Yankees acquired Javier Vazquez, Dickey barely made it on the transactions page. He was an aging righthander who hadn't cut it as a conventional pitcher but didn't want to give up, so he converted to full-time knuckling in 2005. That didn't work so well, either, and Dickey spent about as much time in the minors as the majors over the next four years.
Well, score one for persistence. Dickey put his name in the Mets' record book by winning his first six decisions after he was promoted in May. He might have saved not only his career but the Mets' season, too. Dickey has had plenty of help, of course, but the club is 24-13 since his debut.
For now anyway, Dickey's career is spinning in the right direction after he conquered the difficult (and disappearing) skill of throwing a baseball without spin.
"It's not so much that it's working better, it's just working more," Dickey says. "The movement I'm getting is late in the strike zone. That was happening before but just not as ofte...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for MLB
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