Alex Blandino, Knuckleball Pitcher

Alex Blandino, Filthy 67 mph Knuckle Ball. 🦋 pic.twitter.com/ivFAvcv7YQ

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 12, 2018

Game Theory and Knuckleballs

FiveThirtyEight does some pitcher analysis:

Of all the strategic elements of baseball, few are more fascinating than the poker game between pitcher and hitter. Each participant knows his strengths and those of his adversary, and that knowledge informs both players’ tactics in a complex entanglement of actions and counteractions.
If the best pitch in a hurler’s repertoire is his fastball, for instance, he might be inclined to use it really frequently. But batters will pick up on that proclivity, and in time, the fastball will lose its effectiveness if it’s not balanced against, say, a change-up — even if the fastball is a far better pitch on paper.
Eventually, we would expect this pitcher’s arsenal to settle into the optimal mix for retiring opposing hitters: a mix of fastballs and change-ups that’s impossible for a batter to exploit.¹ In game theory terms (and assuming the batter adapts accordingly), this is a version of the famous Nash equilibrium, which describes a situation in which neither party in a game has anything to gain by changing his or her strategy.
That’s all, well, theory. But how can we detect which real-life pitchers are closest to their equilibria? One idea is to look for hurlers whose effectiveness is relatively equal on every kind of pitch he throws. And fortunately, Fangraphs tracks not only the frequency with which each pitch type is employed, but also its potency, estimated in terms of runs added or subtracted per 100 pitches. Using that data to find out how balanced a pitcher’s performance is across his entire repertoire, I computed a metric that I’m dubbing the “Nash Score.”....
Here’s how it works: Start by measuring for each pitch type the difference² between its effectiveness and that of all the pitcher’s other pitches combined. Then weight those differences according to the frequency with which each pitch is thrown. The resulting average is the Nash Score, a sort of variance that measures whether a pitcher is close to his equilibrium (lower score) or could conceivably benefit from varying the distribution of his pitches (higher score).
Take R.A. Dickey as an example. The Blue Jays starter, known for his mesmerizing knuckleball, throws the pitch 87 percent of the time — about as much as any pitcher in baseball uses his No. 1 pitch. Yet Dickey’s Nash Score isn’t especially low, so under the concept of equilibria outlined above, he should be using the knuckler even more. Dickey’s fastball — his No. 2 (and essentially only other³ pitch) — is far less effective than his knuckler, even in its limited use as a complementary, change-of-pace pitch. According to game theory, Dickey could conceivably boost his overall effectiveness by throwing the knuckleball on an even greater proportion of his pitches.

That's one thing about the knukleball.  It is so unpredictable on its own that a good knuckleball pitcher should throw it every chance he gets.  As opposed to Dickey's 88 to 90 mph fastball, I was bringing a 55 mph fastball, so after the first two innings I pitched, I threw one fastball the rest of the season (about 29 more innings).  And that was thrown only because the catcher messed up the sign. Sure, a knuckleball pitcher may get pounded some days, but, generally,  the more non-knuckleballs he throws, the harder he gets hit.  Anyway, I only highlighted the article because of the Dickey shoutout.  

Corky Miller: Minor League Legend

Tom Archdeacon profiles the former minor-leaguer and occasional Cincinnati Red who's now a coach for the Dayton Dragons:

The new Dayton Dragons coach played 17 seasons of professional baseball. A journeyman catcher, he was called up to the major leagues on 11 different occasions — seven times by the Cincinnati Reds, once each by Minnesota, the Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta — and played for seven minor league teams, including a record 10 seasons and 548 games with the Triple-A Louisville Bats.
He’s something of a real life version of Kevin Costner’s Crash Davis — also a journeyman minor league catcher — in the movie Bull Durham. Miller, though, is less grizzled and more easy-going than the silver screen character.
In Louisville, he just might make the city’s Mount Rushmore of athletes now, his likeness chiseled right alongside Muhammad Ali, Rick Pitino and one of the great Kentucky Derby winners, like War Admiral, Secretariat or Citation.
On Aug. 31 last summer, Miller’s No. 8 was retired by the Bats — the first time the Louisville club ever so honored a player....
In the offseason he had jobs with a demolition crew, laying floors, pouring concrete and being a short order cook.
On the field he was meat and potatoes, too.
Although not much of a hitter, he was a superb catcher — in 2003, International League managers named him the league’s best defensive catcher — and he was especially adept at working with up-and-coming pitchers.
And along the way the legend was further enhanced by some unlikely exploits. Five times in his career he was brought in to pitch and promptly floated up knuckleballs, which he learned to throw from former big-league pitcher Jared Fernandez.
Stocky and not known for his speed, Miller had one stolen base in his 216 major-league games. And, of course, it was of home plate.

I always liked Corky Miller, but I didn't realize he threw a knuckleball.  Now I like him even better.
 

The Next Generation Knuckleballer?

The Columbus Clippers waved vainly at Eddie Gamboa's knuckleball last night:

A good knuckleball is baseball’s version of the gnat. A swing at its darting form generally results in a miss.
The Clippers went hunting for Eddie Gamboa’s knuckler last night at Huntington Park and came up empty more often than not during an 8-1 loss to the Norfolk Tides.
Gamboa (2-3) teased the Clippers’ hitters with floaters that darted in and around their bats in the 66-mph range. He allowed one unearned run and three hits over six innings while striking out seven.
“I’d seen that kid throw last year — a conventional pitcher,” Clippers manager Chris Tremie said. “Sometime between the end of last year and today, he went to a knuckleball. He commanded it pretty well. He threw strikes with it. Obviously, there were some that danced more than others. And basically, he threw strikes with it. “When a knuckleballer throws strikes, it can be a pretty tough day for hitters.”

With only R.A. Dickey and now Steven Wright in the bigs, it is good to see somebody else a step below the majors.  Wright's first major league start earlier in the month went kind of badly:

Wright won his last two relief appearances and had thrown 9 2-3 scoreless innings entering Tuesday's game. But he had trouble with command from the start and walked leadoff hitter Robbie Grossman.

Grossman stole second before advancing to third on the first passed ball of the inning. He then plunked Brandon Barnes and he later advanced to second on another passed ball.
A third passed ball allowed Grossman to score and Barnes to take second. The last passed ball of the inning sent Barnes home before a single by Jason Castro.
Wright walked Marc Krauss, prompting a visit to the mound by Lavarnway. The visit didn't seem to help as Wright soon followed it with a wild pitch that left Castro at third.
He scored on a groundout by Wallace before Wright finally escaped the inning by retiring Matt Dominguez.
It was the third time in major league history that a team had four passed balls in one inning. It last happened on Aug. 22, 1987, when Texas Rangers catcher Geno Petralli did it against the White Sox in the seventh inning. Knuckleballer Charlie Hough was pitching in that game.

Knuckleballers will have days like that.

RA Dickey Is Bouncing Back

ESPN:

R.A. Dickey threw a faster floater, and that meant trouble for the Detroit Tigers.
The knuckleballer won again, Jose Reyes and Mark DeRosa homered and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the slumping Tigers 8-3 on Monday for their seventh straight home win.The Blue Jays delighted a sellout crowd of 45,766 on Canada Day with their 11th victory in 13 games at Rogers Centre.Coming off his two-hit shutout against Tampa Bay, Dickey (8-8) was sharp and won for the third time in four starts. The knuckleballer allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings, striking out four and walking one."Just another great outing," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "Second one in a row. I see more bite on his knuckleball than we've seen in the past a little bit."Plagued by back and neck soreness early in the season, Dickey has put those issues behind him and found increased velocity as a result."It's been kind of a tough go getting it back," Dickey said of his velocity. "I threw a knuckleball 81 miles an hour today, I threw a lot at 80 miles an hour, I threw an 85 mile an hour fastball. All those velocities are tops for the year."That's the velocity I could count on last year," he said. "You can get away with a lot more mistakes when the velocity's up there."Detroit slugger Prince Fielder said it was tough to track Dickey's dancing pitches."It was knuckling," Fielder said. "It's hard for catchers to catch it, so imagine how hard it is to hit it."

It's good he's coming around.  The amazing stat is that he's started 18 games and gotten 16 decisions.  If he can keep bring that knuckleball at 80 or 81, he'll be sitting pretty damn good.

A Rough Start

R.A. Dickey is struggling to start up the season:

Middlebrooks hit three home runs, two off NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey, and the Red Sox routed the Toronto Blue Jays 13-0.
"He had about 2,000 feet of homers," Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester said of Middlebrooks. "He obviously feels pretty good at the plate. It's fun to watch."Middlebrooks went 4 for 5 with four RBIs. He hit two home runs off Dickey, a two-run shot to right in the first inning and a solo drive into the second deck in left in the fifth. He connected again off Dave Bush with a leadoff longball to left in the seventh, the first three-homer game of his career.Mike Napoli added a two-run shot, and Jacoby Ellsbury and Daniel Nava also went deep as the Red Sox connected for six homers and set season highs for runs and hits (15), one day after getting just two hits in a 5-0 loss.....Boston jumped on Dickey in the first, scoring five runs before the knuckleballer had recorded an out.Ellsbury led off with a double, Shane Victorino singled to center and Pedroia drove in a run with a groundball single through the right side.Napoli hit a two-run double and Middlebrooks followed with a first pitch homer to right.Even the outs Dickey got were loud. Nava and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each flied out to the warning track before Jackie Bradley Jr. struck out to end the inning.Dickey (0-2) allowed eight runs -- seven earned -- and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings. It was his shortest start and the most runs he'd allowed since giving up eight runs in 4 1/3 innings of a 14-6 loss at Atlanta last April 18, when he pitched for the New York Mets."Throughout the course of the season you're going to have a clunker or two," Dickey said. "You just have to try and forget it as soon as you can. Obviously today was one of those days for me."The five first-inning runs allowed by Dickey matched the amount he gave up in the first inning in all of 2012, when he made 33 starts.

That's the crazy part about the knuckleball.  When it's on, it's on.  When it's off, it's really off.  He'll come around eventually, but man, those games are painful.

A Class Act Says Goodbye to Mets

RA Dickey wrote a letter in the New York Daily News thanking the Mets and their fans for giving him a shot and cheering him on:

There were so many special relationships I formed that made my time with the Mets so much richer. Not just in the clubhouse, either. I enjoyed talking with Bill Deacon, the head groundskeeper, about his craft, and all that went into it. The security people who helped my wife and kids get in and out of the family lounge, the policemen who helped me get out of the parking lot, the folks at the Hodges Gate — so many people went out of their way to be kind to me, and they should know how much it was, and is, appreciated.

I was going to take out an advertisement to express these thank yous, but decided in the end that there was too much I wanted to say. So I am writing this instead.

As I move beyond the sadness over leaving here, I know I have a tremendous amount to look forward to. The Blue Jays may need name tags on the first day of spring training, but once we get acquainted, well, this team could be something. I appreciate the welcome I’ve already gotten from them, and what they’re trying to build. We’ll see how it all unfolds.

God has blessed me in so many ways. His grace and mercy are at the center of my life. I may not pitch for the home team anymore (a friend told me I now have to start calling myself a Canuckleball pitcher ) but wherever I go from here — wherever I might wind up in the future — I hope you know that I will never forget my three years in New York, and never be able to adequately thank you for everything you’ve given me.

If only more athletes showed that kind of class.  I do like the Canuckleball joke, as well.  I received the RA Dickey autobiography from my Goddaughter for Christmas, and the Knuckleball! movie from my sister, so I had a very knuckleball Christmas.

Dickey Gets Pay Boost, New Team

ESPN:

Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey has reached an agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays on a two-year, $25 million extension that allowed Toronto and the New York Mets to complete their trade.
Said Dickey on Twitter: "Now that its official, I want to say that I don't have the words to express how grateful I am to you for the steadfast support and... Encouragement I received from all of you.Ive always felt that there was a connection beyond the uniform.Thank you for making me feel wanted."
Dickey will be getting the dollar value that he had requested in failed extension talks with the Mets. Some of the money will be paid out immediately this year, along with his $5 million salary, in the form of a signing bonus to offset the difference in taxes between the United States and Canada. The sides are still haggling over how much money will be front-loaded, sources said.
Dickey will get a team option for $12 million for 2016.
News of an agreement was reported earlier by the Toronto Sun and FoxSports.com.
The Mets will receive highly regarded catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud, Class A right-hander Noah Syndergaard, and 18-year-old outfielder Wuilmer Becerra from Toronto. The teams also will exchange catchers, with Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas headed to Toronto and John Buck to the Mets.
Before talks broke down with New York, Dickey sought a two-year extension worth at least $26 million on top of the existing amount owed.

That is one knuckleball pitcher who won't have to worry about a career after baseball.  I thought this was interesting:

For one, Dickey is hardly a one-year wonder. While he has never pitched quite as well as he did in 2012 — few pitchers have — he was one of the 15 best pitchers in the NL in both 2010 and 2011. Consider this:
R.A. Dickey, 2010–2012: 91 starts, 617 IP, 2.95 ERA, 468 Ks, 150 walks
Zack Greinke, 2010–2012: 95 starts, 604 IP, 3.83 ERA, 582 Ks, 154 walks
In Greinke's defense, he was the better pitcher in 2009. In Dickey's defense, Greinke signed for three times as long and nearly six times as much money as Dickey requested from the Mets. To repay Dickey's Cy Young performance this season, not only did the Mets turn down his request, they embarked on a misguided character assassination campaign against Dickey in the media. Dickey addressed his contract situation at the Mets' holiday party? HE HAD THE AUDACITY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM REPORTERS?! The nerve of that guy.

Even the Cy Young winning knuckleball pitcher has a hard time getting respect.  At least from the Mets.  

Mets May Trade Dickey

New York Post:

According to an industry source, the Mets consider four teams as “serious” potential trade partners. What defines “serious” at this point? A willingness to include one top prospect in a deal for Dickey. Nevertheless, the Mets aren’t budging from their position of seeking multiple highly rated prospects in any trade for the Cy Young Award winner, and haven’t yet found a team willing to make such a deal.
The Mets have not spoken to the Rangers since the Winter Meetings, according to sources, but Texas and Toronto remain the most logical destinations if Dickey is traded. The Mets have asked the Rangers for stud prospect Mike Olt as part of a deal for Dickey. The Mets are believed to have asked the Blue Jays for highly regarded catcher Travis d’Arnaud as part of a package.
The latest contract offer the Mets have extended Dickey is for two years and $20 million, beginning in 2014. The 38-year-old knuckleballer is signed for $5 million next season.
”It’s a pretty fair offer,” an AL executive said yesterday. “He’s 38, so how far out there are you going to get? And if I’m going to guarantee him that type of money, I want an option for an additional year.”

What should a bad team do to improve itself?  Trade your Cy Young winning pitcher?  That's what the Mets are threatening in the midst of contract negotiations.  I can't imagine that will go over well in the Big Apple.

King of the Hill

Belated congratulations to knuckleballer R.A. Dickey on his Cy Young Award win:

Dickey, who went 20-6, received 27-of-32 first-place votes and 209 overall points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw finished second with two first-place votes and 96 points, followed by Washington Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez, who received one first-place vote and 93 points.
"Clayton and Gio were both just supernatural in the way that they perform," Dickey told MLB Network. "I've had to hit against them both, and it is ridiculous trying to pick up the ball on those guys. They gave everybody fits. Just being mentioned in the same breath as those guys is an honor.
"But for me, this is an honor to be shared. It's a great honor, and I am not a self-made man by any stretch of the imagination. There have been countless people who have poured into me in a way that has changed my life -- not only on the field, but off."
Dickey congratulated AL Cy Young winner David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays on Twitter: "What a great night. Congrats to David price. A good friend and fantastic competitor."

He's a class act and a fascinating guy.  

What Makes Dickey's Knuckler So Good?

A variety of speeds and an ability to throw it for strikes:

After years of work, Dickey mastered the virtually untamable pitch by coming up with two innovations in the way he throws it. First, he pitches it faster than any other successful knuckler has ever done before. Tim Wakefield, the only other knuckleball pitcher in the league when Dickey started learning the pitch, threw it at a typically snail-like speed of 67 miles per hour. Dickey throws it on average at 77 mph, changing speeds with a slow version between 73 and 75 mph and a fast version between 75 and 80 mph. This “angry” knuckleball is like no pitch big league hitters have ever seen before.

Dickey also came up with a clever way for perfecting the mechanics of the pitch. Charlie Hough, a legendary knuckleballer and Dickey’s mentor, initially taught him how to conceptualize the knuckleball throwing motion. He keeps his body compact by imagining that he is projecting himself through an open door frame with each pitch, and that his goal is to avoid touching the sides of the frame. Dickey took this concept one step further and began to visually project the door frame toward the plate, shrinking it to the size of a vertical shoebox. By aiming to throw the ball somewhere inside this imaginary vertical shoebox, he is able to make sure that the unpredictable pitch lands at least somewhere for a strike the vast majority of the time. 

I'd say he's almost a lock for the Cy Young.  Gio Gonzales ended up with one more win than he did, but Dickey had a better ERA and led the league in strikeouts.

The Knuckle Squad

From MLB:



and from Kevin Kaduk:

Dickey further solidified his place in knuckleball lore by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 at Citi Field for his 20th victory of the season.
With the win, Dickey becomes the first knuckleball pitcher to hit 20 wins in one season since the last Joe Niekro did it for the Houston Astros in 1980. He also became the first Met since Frank Viola in 1992 to hit the mark. Even if he comes up short in the competitive Cy Young voting, it's been a heck of a year for Dickey. He'll get a shot at lucky win No. 21 when he faces the Miami Marlins next Tuesday.

What a tremendous season.

A Beautiful Pitch

Cubs Dad won't like it (piss on him), but here's another trailer for Knuckleball!:



Dickey goes for his 20th win Thursday afternoon.

Dickey Wins His 18th

ESPN:

R.A. Dickey had more than enough to hold off the St. Louis Cardinals and become the first pitcher in the majors to reach 18 wins this season.
He didn't have his best stuff, but still managed to strengthen his case in the NL Cy Young Award race.Dickey was backed by Ike Davis' three-run homer that powered the New York Mets to a 6-2 victory over the Cardinals on Wednesday.The knuckleballer allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings en route to his 18th win, the first Mets pitcher to reach the mark since Frank Viola (20-12) and Dwight Gooden (19-7) both did it in 1990. Dickey (18-4) gave up eight hits and struck out five to help New York salvage a win to close out the three-game series."It was a battle for me," Dickey said. "I didn't really have a great feel for (the knuckleball) early on. I threw a couple of more fastballs than I ordinarily would have."I'm pleased with the results, but obviously I have a little bit of work to do."Dickey should have five more starts as he tries to become a 20-game winner, which would further bolster his Cy Young resume. Considering where Dickey was just a few years ago -- in the minors trying to refine his knuckleball -- Mets manager Terry Collins said it has been an incredible journey.

The guy has an amazing case for the Cy Young.  Johnny Cueto also has a good case, and as a Reds fan, I'd love to see somebody from Cincinnati win it for the first time ever, but I'm pulling for Dickey.

Dickey Bounces Back For Win

After losing two of his last three decisions, R.A. Dickey pitched a complete game five-hitter to capture his 15th win of the season:

Dickey pitched a complete game for his 15th victory, stopping Jose Reyes' 26-game hitting streak in the process and helping the New York Mets end their nine-game home skid with a 6-1 win Thursday over the Miami Marlins.
"That nine-game streak that was stopped today is more important than the 15 wins," said Dickey, who allowed five hits and struck out 10.Dickey (15-3) turned in his third straight stellar outing -- he allowed only two earned runs combined in his previous two starts -- after going through a monthlong rough patch. He was 12-1 at the All-Star break but just 2-2 in six starts afterward. That leveling off coincided with the Mets' fall from the NL wild card race.Pitching in 89-degree heat, perfect weather for his fluttery pitch, Dickey threw his fourth complete game of the year and eighth of his career."He's got the feel for it back, again," manager Terry Collins said. "All I can tell you is I hope the next eight starts are like this one."

Dickey is scheduled to start next Wednesday in Cincinnati.  I would be attending, but I'm getting sent out to Illinois and Iowa for work, instead.  Bummer.

The Jedi Council

RA Dickey talks about the knuckleball pitchers' fraternity:

A knuckleball is confounding, both going and coming, because it's thrown with almost no rotation. The baseball's laces interact with the air, turning it into a Godard jump-cut of pitches.
Currently, Dickey is the only regular knuckleballer in the major leagues. It's a hard pitch to learn, but there is a fraternity of knuckleballers who can offer advice.
"The people that poured into me and lent me their wisdom and acumen were Tim Wakefield, Charlie Hough and Phil Niekro," Dickey says. "And so speaking from that experience I can tell you that there's nobody on this Earth that knows more about it than they do."
Dickey calls those former major leaguers "The Jedi Council." In addition to throwing a quirky pitch, he loves Star Wars and The Lord Of The Rings. He names his bats after swords in Beowulf, and the music he has cued up over the stadium PA when he walks up to bat is the theme to Game Of Thrones.
There's also Dickey's literary side. His revelatory memoir, Wherever I Wind Up, is clearly written by a lover of language who entertained thoughts of becoming an English professor.
And then there's the side of Dickey that wants to teach others his recondite skill. Though Cy Young award winner Frank Viola is the pitching coach of the Savannah Sand Gnats, the knuckleball is as baffling to him as string theory. But Dickey eagerly passed along what he knew to minor leaguer Frank Viola III." He's amazing," the elder Viola says. "R.A. invited him to the games he pitched, invited him to his side sessions to watch; they planned on having Frankie tape a couple workouts and then sending it to New York and having R.A. look at it to critique it and get back to him. I mean he just shared his wealth with Frankie."

It is nice that knuckleballers stick together.  Maybe they can console him on getting screwed out of starting the All-Star Game.

Dickey Wants To Start

I'm not sure when LaRussa is announcing who's starting for the NL on Tuesday, but RA Dickey wants to pitch:

Dickey, who completed the first half tied for the National League lead in wins with 12 and fifth in ERA at 2.40, remains hopeful All-Star manager Tony La Russa will select him as the NL's starting pitcher.
"Look, I want to start the game. Of course I do," said Dickey, who had a 42 2/3-inning scoreless streak during the first half. "I think any competitor would like to."
Dickey said it "logically" would be beneficial for him to open the game with Posey so the San Francisco Giants catcher would have extra time to get acquainted with the knuckleball.
With Yadier Molina withdrawing from the game due to a bereavement leave, and with only two catchers currently on the NL squad, Dickey's only other opportunity for extra work with the catcher who will receive his knuckleballs would be to simultaneously enter the game with the Philadelphia Phillies' Ruiz.
"I think you have a better shot starting the game, because you get to go through the whole workout routine, the whole warm-up routine, the pregame bullpen -- all that -- before you ever go into the game," said Dickey, a first-time All-Star at age 37. "If I'm brought into the game -- because you only have two catchers now, and Buster Posey hasn't seen me at all -- and all of a sudden here he is with seven warm-up pitches, that's a whole different animal."
Regardless, Dickey is thankful that it seems he will be used in the game. Past knuckleballers have gone unused out of concern for how an unfamiliar catcher might struggle with them.

He's earned it.  If the NL has four or five passed balls, that just comes with the territory.  Winning home field advantage shouldn't matter much to LaRussa this year.

Will Dickey Start The All-Star Game?

Newsday:

R.A. Dickey has one -- maybe two -- starts to go before the All-Star break. He's assured of being named to his first All-Star team when the rosters are announced Sunday afternoon. But what about starting the Midsummer Classic?
"Oh, man, just getting to the All-Star Game would be fantastic," Dickey said Friday night at Dodger Stadium after his latest fantastic outing. "Obviously, it would be a tremendous honor."
Dickey, who shut out the Dodgers on three hits in eight innings in the Mets' 9-0 victory, is the majors' only 12-game winner. He has one loss. He has allowed 75 hits and walked 25 in 113 innings. He has struck out 116. He threw back-to-back one-hitters earlier this month. His ERA is 2.15.
With his knuckleball and his rags-to-riches back story, the 37-year-old has the goods to be a terrific draw for the July 10 game in Kansas City.

I'm only slightly biased, but I'd definitely give him the start.  Look at the stats.  He's leading the league in wins, he's third in ERA, he's first in WHIP, hell, he's second in strikeouts.  And his start would garner more attention for baseball than anything.

The Physics of the Knuckleball

Scientific American:

A knuckleball is famously difficult to throw, hit and catch because of its erratic behavior. It seems to fly through the air with no spin and then break suddenly in any direction. The ball’s seams are key to this behavior. Not just tools to keep the leather together or leave impressive welts when you “catch” a ball with your shin, the seams affect the airflow around the ball.
Air drags along the smooth parts of a baseball surface, but the seams produce little vortices that allow air to travel more quickly over them. A fastball rotates 16 or 17 times between the pitcher and batter, and the rapid rotation means that the airflow turbulence caused by the seams is pretty evenly spread over the whole ball and the entire trajectory of the throw, so it travels steadily. On the other hand, a knuckleball rotates only one half to one time on its way to the batter, so the airflow turbulence stays on one side of the ball for a while before slowly moving to the other. The ball drifts in the direction of the leading seam, which slowly moves from one side to the other.
Slow is, of course, relative when it comes to pitching. Most knuckleballs poke along at a zesty 65 to 70 miles per hour, although Dickey’s have averaged 77 mph this season. By comparison, fastballs in the majors average about 90 mph. Dickey’s speed may be part of the secret to his success, especially when it comes to his unusually high strikeout percentage. Higher speeds mean less erratic movement, which helps him stay in the strike zone.

Dickey's speed on his knuckleball is amazing.  However, he was having some difficulty controlling it against the Yankees on Sunday.  I enjoyed listening to Terry Francona answer a question about when Wakefield would have a game when his knuckleball wasn't unhittable.  Francona said that he could be unhittable for four innings, then get pounded in the fifth, then be unhittable for two more innings.  That is part of the frustration of the pitch.  It can all of the sudden become meat.  That tempermental nature makes Dickey's streak so much more impressive.

Dickey Does It Again

ESPN:

R.A. Dickey became the first major league pitcher in 24 years to throw consecutive one-hitters and Ike Davis hit a grand slam to lead the New York Mets past the Baltimore Orioles 5-0 on Monday night.
Coming off a one-hit gem at Tampa Bay last Wednesday, the knuckleballer struck out a career-high 13 and allowed only Wilson Betemit's clean single in the fifth inning. 

The previous pitcher to throw consecutive one-hitters was Dave Stieb for Toronto in September 1988, according to STATS LLC. The Mets said the last to do it in the National League was Jim Tobin with the Boston Braves in 1944, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau.The 37-year-old Dickey (11-1) walked two and became the first 11-game winner in the majors, baffling Baltimore with knucklers that ranged from 66-81 mph in a game that took just 2 hours, 7 minutes. He fanned his final two hitters, topping his previous career best of 12 strikeouts set Wednesday against the Rays.Dickey has won nine straight decisions and six consecutive starts. It was his fourth game this season with double-digit strikeouts and the fifth of his career. The right-hander has an incredible 71 strikeouts and six walks in his last seven starts, lowering his ERA to 2.00.

11-1 with a 2.00 ERA?  Pretty damn amazing for a knuckleballer.  And the first guy to throw back-to-back one-hitters since Dave Stieb in 1988?  Didn't know that.