Yoenis Cespedes takes R.A. Dickey deep (GIF)
By Hayden Kane
Don’t look now, but there is showdown between two elite American League teams this weekend.
No, it’s not the series between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. It’s not the Texas Rangers against the Detroit Tigers either. It is the series taking place at the Rogers Centre as the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays take on arguably the best team in baseball in the Oakland Atheltics.
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Having won nine of their last 11 games, the Blue Jays sent knuckleballer R.A. Dickey to the mound on Saturday. The results from Dickey have been mixed so far this season: when he consistently keeps hitters off-balance he starts to resemble the former Cy Young winner who can carry a rotation. But when he doesn’t, his pitches start to look like meatballs to the opposing lineup and he gets hit hard.
On this particular pitch to Yoenis Cespedes, the outfielder was clearly quite comfortable and balanced as he blasted a home run over the center field wall.
Dickey recovered nicely, however, as he saw to it that no additional damage was done over the course of an outing that was otherwise stellar. If Dickey consistently pitches like an ace, it will just be the latest reason to take the Blue Jays seriously as a contender.