Surrendering the Spin: The Unpredictable Path of a Knuckleball Pitcher

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About the Episode

Former Major League Baseball player R.A. Dickey shares his triumphant story of resilience and faith during this live conversation at the 2024 Hope Summit.

Overcoming Trauma. Surrendering Control. Living Authentically.

From overcoming childhood trauma to becoming the first knuckleball pitcher to win the Cy Young Award, R.A. Dickey’s journey is a testament to the powers of authenticity and hope. His transition from a conventional fastball pitcher to a knuckleballer came after health challenges forced him to adapt – a shift that mirrors his personal transformation. “I had to really unlearn my mechanics as a conventional pitcher and relearn a mechanic that could produce a good knuckleball,” R.A. shares. “Similarly, in my life as I was learning this pitch, I was also learning a new way to live. I was unlearning all those toxic mechanisms. I was relearning how to do things with character and integrity and really trying to commit to the moment.”

This episode covers…

• R.A.’s childhood challenges and how they shaped his mindset of survival.
• The role faith, mentors and relationships play in helping R.A. thrive and embrace his calling as an agent of hope.
• R.A.’s transition into a post-sports career, now focused on family and giving back through humanitarian efforts.

The Struggle, the Surrender and the Transformation

R.A.’s journey to becoming a Cy Young Award-winning pitcher is a story of profound struggle and redemption. At his lowest point, he sat in his car, contemplating ending his life. It was at that moment he heard God’s voice.

“‘Do not turn the key. I’ve got something else for you,’” he recalls.

This moment became the turning point for R.A.’s transformation. He began to rebuild his life, confronting past traumas and leaning into hope.

Reflecting on this journey, R.A. describes how he transitioned from merely surviving to thriving, finding strength in self-awareness and faith.

“I knew how to survive, right? But I didn't know how to thrive. I didn't know how to really live authentically,” he says. “Those are the things that have made my life so much more enjoyable.”

Knuckleballs and Life Lessons

As a knuckleball pitcher, R.A. relied on a rare and unpredictable pitch thrown with little to no spin, causing it to flutter and move erratically. This uncommon skill became a metaphor for his life, filled with uncertainty and tremendous growth.

“The thing that makes a knuckleball successful is that if I don’t know where it’s going, the hitter surely doesn’t know,” R.A. explains, underscoring how he learned to embrace life’s unpredictability.

His success would not have been possible without mentors, a group R.A. calls the “Jedi Council of Knuckleballers.” Legendary pitchers like Phil Niekro, Tim Wakefield and Charlie Huff guided through the challenges of mastering the craft.

“‘Living the next five minutes well became a lifestyle,” R.A. shares, describing how he stayed grounded while navigating both personal and professional challenges.

His dedication ultimately led to winning the Cy Young Award, an honor given annually to Major League Baseball’s best pitchers. For R.A., this achievement symbolized not just career excellence but personal redemption.

“When I won that award,” R.A. recalls, “it wasn't just for me. It was a way for me to get to share my story with all these other great people who had poured into my life.”

Faith and Purpose

Maintaining hope has played a central role in R.A.’s transformation. He describes hope as the “heartbeat of change,” acknowledging its challenges and its rewards.

“Hoping is risky,” he believes. “For all my life I feel like I was really afraid to risk it. It wasn't until 2005 when he felt he was “at the end of myself” that R.A. found strength again in his faith.

“You have to learn how to re-engage hope over and over,” he says. “There's a perpetuity to hope that does not go away, real hope, and that was my quest. How do I get into that spot where even if it doesn't go well, I still trust that God's got an incredible plan for my life?”

R.A. emphasizes the importance of surrender in faith and life, a concept he once resisted but now sees as transformative. “Surrender,” he reflects, “is maybe the strongest word in the human language.”

“How do you surrender to putting others before yourself? How do you surrender to being humble and leading by humility? How do you surrender to not being in control of 

your future but working hard with the gifts God's given you? To hope for and dream big and do all the things that you know in your core you've been called to do?”

Living those values and inspiring others to do the same is R.A.’s next calling. Today, his life is devoted to giving back through mentoring young athletes and supporting humanitarian efforts.

“I am a work in progress, and I'm still trying to figure all that out. And more than that, I'm trying to teach my children, and that's really hard to do,” he shares. “I want to give away what I was given.”

His message is clear: true success comes not from achievements alone but from using one’s gifts to inspire others and a commitment to personal growth.

“I really believe that two of the things you can hold onto are being incredibly self-aware and embracing lifelong learning. If you can possess those two things, you're going to have a lot of success in your life.”