Seattle Mariners knuckleballer R A Dickey tied a major league record by throwing four wild pitches. In an inning Sunday against the Minnesota Twins.
Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima also was charged with a passed ball on another errant pitch in the fifth. The Twins scored on two of Dickey’s wild pitches.
The Metrodome’s still air usually provides a friendly environment for knuckleballs, but this time it didn’t help.
“It was moving violently. If I could have thrown it for strikes, it would have been a real fun day I think,” Dickey said. “But I couldn’t throw it for strikes.”
In and out of the rotation this season, Dickey has thrown 11 wild pitches in 97 innings. He entered the game in the fourth in relief of starter Ryan Feierabend and allowed three hits, three walks and two runs while recording only four outs.
Dickey became the fifth major league pitcher to throw four wild pitches in an inning. Philadelphia’s Ryan Madson was the last to do it, in 2006.
Another knuckleballer, Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, is on the list. So is Hall of Famer Walter Johnson and current Marlins closer Kevin Gregg – who was with the Angels when he tied the record.
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Pirates left fielder Brandon Moss left the game against the New York Mets on Sunday after spraining his left ankle while batting against Johan Santana.
Moss fell in the batter’s box after hitting a ground ball to first baseman Carlos Delgado in the seventh inning. He could not apply pressure to his left foot and was helped off the field by Pirates trainers.
Tests on the ankle were negative, and Pittsburgh manager John Russell said Moss will be further evaluated Monday.
“There was a lot of pain at first,” Moss said. “But it’s calmed down, and it feels a lot better.”
Moss was replaced in the top of the eighth by Jason Michaels, who moved over from right field. Steve Pearce replaced Michaels in right.
The 24-year-old, who went 0-for-3, was hitting .193 (11-for-57) with two home runs and five RBIs in 16 games since coming over from the Boston Red Sox as part of the Jason Bay-Manny Ramirez trade.
