A battle of old vs. new unfolded Saturday at the Coliseum, where 23-year-old Paul Blackburn made his big-league debut against 42-year-old knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, making his 385th appearance.
As a bonus, Blackburn is a local guy who grew up in Brentwood and played at Heritage High School. “Especially for a local guy here, hopefully the baseball gods shine on him today,” Oakland manager and Bay Area native Bob Melvin said.
Blackburn hung right in there with Dickey, allowing just one unearned run in six innings in the A’s 4-3 loss to the Braves.