R.A. Dickey hasn’t officially retired from Major League Baseball yet. The 43-year-old finished his 15th MLB season in 2017 with the Braves, with whom he went 10-10 with a 4.26 ERA in helping to provide leadership and mentoring to a very young Atlanta ball club.
While we all wait to see if Dickey will return for a 16th season, he’s spending more time with his family and more time sharing his faith in Christ.
“Foundationally, to have a personal relationship with a living God, can not only help you overcome things that have been really difficult and traumatic in your past, but can also be something that can enrich your life,” Dickey told WRCB in Chattanooga, Tenn., in January.
The 2012 Cy Young award winner says he hasn’t made a decision on if he’ll pitch in 2018, but he’s thankful for the extra time he’s gotten to spend with his family.
“It’s nice just to be a dad and a husband without having to kind of climb through a bad outing,” Dickey says. “It’s been nice to be available and present with my family. I think that’s something that I’ve longed for.”
In 2012, Sports Spectrum asked the knuckle-ball throwing Dickey how long he thought he could pitch.
“I feel like my body will be able to endure into my 40s; however, this game has demanded a lot of me and my family,” Dickey says. “If God calls me away from baseball tomorrow, I would gladly walk away knowing that He has given me an incredible story to tell and an incredible journey where He has taught me so many different things. But He still continues to make me hungry to compete and make me passionate to pursue a craft that’s very hard. It’s a very specialized thing and He’s given me a passion to try to cultivate that craft.”
MLB players are now reporting to their clubs this week as 2018 spring training begins. Time will tell if God’s plan has Dickey pitching this year at the age of 43.
You can read more on Dickey’s walk of faith in a 2012 Sports Spectrum article by clicking below.
RELATED LINKS:
– MLB Closeup: R.A. Dickey
– Cardinals Adam Wainwright to honor victims of Western Kentucky shooting
– Josh Mitchell on pitching in Royals organization: ‘God was every bit the reason I made it’
– NEW PODCAST: Minnesota Twins Brian Dozier and Kyle Gibson
– Astros Jose Altuve says his success comes from putting God first
