Russell Martin said R.A. Dickey's knuckleball was dancing. John Gibbons thought his pitch had a lot of movement. Dickey was just stunned how fast it all unraveled.
Dickey's disastrous outing - the shortest playoff start in franchise history - lasted just 12 batters and 1 2/3 innings after the 40-year-old knuckleballer was chased out of Toronto's Game 4 loss with two outs in the second inning and trailing 5-0.
The Kansas City Royals battered the former Cy Young winner early and often in his shortest start in more than seven years, picking him apart with a bunt single, two-run homer, walk, single, and wild pitch before he had even recorded an out.
"They spit on a lot of good knuckleballs, and they hit the ones that were a little bit flatter," Dickey said after the Blue Jays' 14-2 loss. "Two singles and two home runs and I'm out of the game. It happened really quickly. This is my 103rd start with the Blue Jays and this is the first time I've gone this short, so it was the anomaly for sure. But, it was a poor time to have the anomaly."
| Batter | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Alcides Escobar | Bunt Single | 0-0 |
| Ben Zobrist | 2-Run HR | 2-0 |
| Lorenzo Cain | Walk/SB | 2-0 |
| Eric Hosmer | Single | 2-0 |
| Kendrys Morales | Wild Pitch/Groundout | 3-0 |
| Mike Moustakas | Sac Fly | 4-0 |
| Salvador Perez | Strikeout | 4-0 |
| Alex Gordon | Groundout | 4-0 |
| Alex Rios | Solo HR | 5-0 |
| Alcides Escobar | HBP | 5-0 |
| Ben Zobrist | Groundout | 5-0 |
| Lorenzo Cain | Walk | 5-0 |
Dickey said he was "sad" after his dismal performance, which may have been the final appearance of his Blue Jays career. Toronto holds a $12-million option on Dickey for next season - and there's been no indication it won't be exercised - but the 13-year veteran wants a shot at redeeming himself immediately.
"I'm begging. I hope I get another chance," he said. "I'll be available to do whatever we need done. So if that means being in the bullpen tomorrow, bullpen in Kansas City, of course I'll be ready to do that."
