R.A.Dickey Becomes First Knuckleballer to Win Cy Young Award

Mets News

Dickey won 20 games on a Mets team that went 74-88 this past season

The New York Mets R.A. Dickey received 27 of 32 first-place votes and 209 points overall to win the 2012 National League Cy Young Award as voted by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Dickey became the first knuckleballer to win the award.

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw got two first-place votes and 96 points to finish second, and was 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 said to 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.

Dickey became the third met to win the award, Tom Seaver won three times, 1969, 73, 75, and Dwight Gooden who won in 1985. Dickey led the National League in quality starts (27), strikeouts (230) and innings pitched (233 2/3) while finishing second in ERA at 2.73 to Kershaw’s 2.53. With a record of 20-6 Dickey became the first Met since Frank Viola in 1990 to win 20 games.