Dickey will undergo surgery on October 18 to repair the tear
Leading NL Cy Young candidate R.A. Dickey disclosed after his start against the Marlins on Tuesday that he has been pitching since April with a torn abdominal muscle in his right side. Dickey will undergo surgery on October 18 to repair the tear and should be ready for spring training. Dickey has been a one-man highlight of an otherwise dismal New York Mets season. Dickey finished the season with a 20-6 record, a 2.73 ERA and 230 strikeouts.
“I was on my knees about it many times, hoping that it wasn’t going to get more significant than it was,” Dickey said. “My wife and I prayed quite frequently together about that because I was in the middle of a good season.” MLB.com
“The pain was fairly significant from time to time,” Dickey said, who pitched 7 2/3 innings in the Mets 4-3, 11-inning loss. “We just did a good job of managing that. Whether it was backing off in the bullpen in between starts or getting the treatment that I needed or whatever else I needed to help with that pain, we were able to do it in a way that I was able to perform and not worry about it.”
Tuesday night against the Marlins Dickey felt his abdomen tear further in the second inning, which began with a leadoff single and ended on a double play. “I guess the timing is fortuitous in that the significant pain that I’m feeling now, I hadn’t felt before. But tonight, it was hard to catch my breath sometimes. It’s obvious it needs to be taken care of.”
Dickey is a leading candidate for the National League Cy Young award along with, Clayton Kershaw ( 13-9, 2.58 ERA, 221 strikeouts )of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Gio Gonzalez ( 21-8, 2.89 ERA, 207 strikeouts) of the Washington Nationals and Craig Kimbrel ( 42 saves, 1.02 ERA, 113 strikeouts ) of the Atlanta Braves.
