TORONTO — R.A. Dickey’s fantasy of pitching against the Mets and Noah Syndergaard in Game 7 of the World Series died on Tuesday at Rogers Centre.
Speaking the previous day about facing his former team and one of the players he was traded for, Dickey let his mind wander.
“I think it would make for a great story, for sure. What a script that would be if I could face Syndergaard in [World Series] Game 7,’’ Dickey said “Wouldn’t that be something?’’
On Tuesday, Dickey dug the Blue Jays such a deep hole early in Game 4 of the ALCS, his teammates now need to win three straight against the balanced Royals to reach the World Series.
The knuckleballing right-hander absorbed a 14-2 loss in front of a bummed crowd of 49,501 and never gave the Blue Jays a chance.
“That is a really good team. They spit on the good knuckleballs and hit the ones that were a little flatter,’’ Dickey said of the Royals, who battered Dickey and five other Blue Jays pitchers for 15 hits. One of those pitchers was infielder Cliff Pennington, who worked the ninth and became the first position player ever to pitch in a postseason game.
Game 5 is Wednesday with the Royals clutching a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Kansas City will start Edinson Volquez and Toronto will counter with Marco Estrada in a rematch of Game 1 won by the Royals 5-0.
Dickey didn’t get out of the second inning. He allowed five runs (four earned), four hits, walked two and hit a batter in 1 ²/₃ innings. Two of the hits were homers by Ben Zobrist and Alex Rios.
When the Royals signed Chris Young, also a former Met, in early March they gave him $675,000 to be a long man and spot starter and were rewarded by an 11-6 record and 3.06 ERA.
Then the Royals decided he was a better option than Kris Medlen to start Game 4. And while the Princeton product didn’t dazzle, he allowed two runs and three hits in 4 ²/₃ innings.
“Chris Young threw the ball great. We got there in the fifth inning and my mindset was with [Josh] Donaldson, [Jose] Bautista and those guys, I didn’t want them seeing Chris for the third time. To get us to the fifth inning with a lead, he pitched great.’’
Liam Hendriks provided 4 ¹/₃ scoreless innings, but the Blue Jays bullpen then imploded and gave up nine runs.
“We’ll be fine [Wednesday] if we get a good outing by Marco [Estrada],’’ Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “It was ugly today, no doubt about it. That’s all I can say.’’
Not wanting to use late-inning relievers Aaron Sanchez and Roberto Osuna in a blowout, Gibbons turned to Pennington, who recorded the final out of the ninth and allowed two hits.
“Not the way you want it, but it is what it is,’’ said Pennington, who last pitched in college.
The Blue Jays were down 0-2 to the Rangers in the ALDS and won three straight. To reach the World Series for the first time since 1993 they will have repeat that three-game winning streak.
“It’s win or go home and I don’t feel like going home, so win three games and go to the World Series,’’ catcher Russell Martin said.
Which after the drubbing the Blue Jays absorbed sounded like more fantasy than reality.
