The Toronto Blue Jays were thrown a bit of a knuckleball on Saturday evening.
Toronto starting pitcher R.A. Dickey left his start against the Baltimore Orioles after an apparent groin injury hampered the former Cy Young Award winner.
Scott MacArthur of TSN reported Dickey’s injury:
Anthony Rieber of Newsday offered more insight into the injury:
Dickey’s season has been a bit rocky despite his current 6-4 record. Coming into Saturday’s outing, Dickey held a 4.20 ERA with just 68 strikeouts and 38 walks during that span.
While the season has been far from stellar for Dickey, his outing against the Orioles was going well before the injury, as Barry Davis of Sportsnet points out:
Dickey spoke recently about his season, sharing his thoughts with Megan Robinson of Sportsnet:
This isn’t the first injury of Dickey’s career. Back in 2012, the same season he won the Cy Young, Dickey was suffering from an abdominal tear that he still pitched through.
With his team currently in the lead in the AL East with a 40-30 record heading into Saturday, having Dickey back on the mound will be crucial. Following a good outing that was derailed by the injury, he might be finally turning the corner after a slow start to the year.
The New York Yankees are currently riding a four-game winning streak and are once again nipping at the Blue Jays’ heels. Following the series with the Orioles, the Jays will travel to New York to tangle with the Yankees.
There is no word yet on the extent of the injury, but missing a start against the Cincinnati Reds next weekend or the Yankees the following week could be a minor setback for the former ace.
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