ARLINGTON, TEXAS – Sure, R.A. Dickey was disappointed when he saw Blue Jays manager John Gibbons walking toward the mound.
The 40-year-old knuckleballer had a six-run lead and was one out shy of qualifying for a win in his first postseason start.
Dickey also knew he was handing the ball off to fellow Cy Young Award winner David Price, and Toronto went on to beat the Texas Rangers 8-4 on Monday to force a deciding Game 5 at home in the AL Division Series.
"When you look over your shoulder and you've got a guy like this coming in behind you, it makes it a whole lot easier to give the ball to Gibby," Dickey said, with David Price seated to his right after the game. "It's amazing what you can accomplish when you don't care who gets the credit. … We're going back to Toronto with a chance."
Toronto led 3-0 even before Dickey threw a pitch, with Josh Donaldson and Chris Colabello homering in the first inning.
"That's great. If you could script it, obviously, that's what you'd want," said Donaldson, who has reached safely in five of his past nine plate appearances, including two homers, in the series.
The Jays made it three homers in the first eight batters against Derek Holland when Kevin Pillar connected in the second for a 4-0 lead. Pillar's drive was caught by Price, who was playing catch in the bullpen with Marcus Stroman.
After losing the first two games in the series at home, the Blue Jays won both games in Texas in a span of 24 hours.