R.A. Dickey joins exclusive club with seventh straight 100-strikeout season at age 36-plus
ATLANTA -- R.A. Dickey's latest 100-strikeout season has him in an impressive class of veteran pitchers.
The 42-year-old Braves knuckleballer fanned the Reds' Jesse Winker in the second inning of Friday's 5-3 loss, putting him into triple digits for the seventh consecutive seasons at 36 or older.
Only six pitchers have done it more times than Dickey: Nolan Ryan and fellow Braves knuckleballer Phil Niekro with 10 seasons each, Jamie Moyer (nine) and Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson (eight each). That's three Hall of Famers in Ryan, Niekro and Johnson, Clemens, winner of seven Cy Young Awards and Moyer, who pitched until he was 49.
Johnson and Moyer were the last players to join that list, with both getting their last 100-K year in 2008.
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Dickey followed his milestone K by fanning the Reds' former MVP, Joey Votto, in the fourth. It was the second time he'd struck Votto out in the game. Coming into Friday, Dickey had struck the first baseman out just once in 10 previous plate appearances, but with that second strikeout in the series opener, Dickey joined the Nationals' Max Scherzer as the only pitchers to fan Votto twice in a single game this season.
He exited the game after a sixth inning in which he gave up home runs to Adam Duvall, Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winkler, with the latter two coming in consecutive at-bats. Dickey allowed eight hits in all with four runs (all earned), a walk and nine strikeouts. Those Ks were a season high, surpassing the eight he had against the Phillies on both June 8 and July 30.
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Dickey fanned 104 in 2010 when he was with the Mets, then followed it with seasons of 134, 230 (which led the majors), 177, 173, 126, 126 and 100 and counting this year. He is 8-8 in 24 starts with the Braves, posting a 3.98 ERA.
Follow Cory McCartney on Twitter @coryjmccartney and Facebook. His books, 'Tales from the Atlanta Braves Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Braves Stories Ever Told,' and 'The Heisman Trophy: The Story of an American Icon and Its Winners.' are now available.
