Can R.A. Dickey Continue Incredible Streak vs. the Yankees’ Powerful Lineup?
June 22, 2012 · Ian Casselberry · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Sunday night, R.A. Dickey will face the New York Yankees during a nationally televised game. Dickey’s recent success has gotten plenty of attention, and justifiably so.
He’s the best pitcher in baseball right now, having pitched 42.1 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. He’s allowed only one hit in each of his past two starts. Throwing a knuckleball, he’s third in the majors with 103 strikeouts.
Can Dickey keep that streak of success going against the Yankees? He’s actually pitched well against them, though the sample size to draw from is small. In nine career appearances (three of them starts), he has a 3-1 record and 2.30 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 31.1 innings. Last year, Dickey faced the Yankees twice, finishing with a 1-0 record and 1.64 ERA with nine strikeouts in 11 innings.
But how have the current Yankees hitters fared against knuckleball pitchers throughout their careers? Most of them have had plenty of experience against a knuckleballer, with Tim Wakefield pitching for the Boston Red Sox. However, a few Yankees have been in the league long enough to have faced other pitchers who employed the knuckleball. Let’s look at how they’ve done.
Derek Jeter
Jeter has faced Wakefield more than any pitcher in his career, logging 133 plate appearances against him. He batted .288/.323/.408 with three home runs and 12 RBI.
But in 18 major-league seasons, Jeter has faced other knuckleballers. Against Steve Sparks, he hit .417/.447/.639 with two homers and three RBI in 38 PAs. In 18 PAs versus Tom Candiotti, Jeter batted .333/.333/.556. And he had a .313/.353/.375 average against Dennis Springer.
In 11 PAs against Dickey, Jeter has a .200/.273/.200 average.
A-Rod has also seen Wakefield plenty of times. In 109 PAs, he has a .277/.326/.553 average with eight homers and 14 RBI. Against Steve Sparks, he batted .421/.450/.868 with five home runs and 10 RBI.
But Rodriguez has been in the big leagues for 19 seasons. He’s also faced Tom Candiotti, compiling a .300/.300/.700 average in 10 plate appearances. In 20 PAs against Dennis Springer, he batted .333/.500/.400.
Against Dickey, A-Rod has compiled a 1.077 OPS in 13 PAs.
Raul Ibanez
The other old-timer in the Yankees’ lineup has faced a handful of knuckleballers in his time. Against Wakefield, Ibanez batted .265/.286/.559 with two homers and six RBI in 35 plate appearances.
He logged 29 PAs against Steve Sparks, compiling a .296/.310/.333 average. Ibanez also faced Tom Candiotti three times, getting one hit.
But here’s the guy Dickey might want to watch out for on Sunday. In 26 plate appearances, Ibanez has a 1.026 OPS with three homers and six RBI.
One other guy in the Yankees’ lineup Dickey might want to approach cautiously is Eric Chavez. Chavez has faced Dickey 13 times, compiling a 1.051 OPS. He also had success against Wakefield (.837 OPS) and Sparks (.886 OPS).
Two more Yankees who had success against Wakefield are Robinson Cano (.987 OPS, four homers, 12 RBI in 50 plate appearances) and Curtis Granderson (.899 OPS in 24 PAs).
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