Former Blue Jays pitcher makes stunning name change request

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A former Toronto Blue Jays reliever is pitching a new name for himself – one that may leave some fans giggling.

After signing with the New York Mets this week, left-handed pitcher Richard Lovelady is now asking to go by his nickname, Dicky.

That’s right, coming out of the bullpen in Queens sometime in the near future will be a pitcher named Dicky Lovelady.

According to Mets beat reporter Anthony DiComo, Lovelady made the request upon joining the team on Monday.

“For those asking, yes, new Mets reliever Richard Lovelady has requested to go by his nickname Dicky. So it will be Dicky Lovelady from here on out,” DiComo posted on X.

He also clarified that while the pitcher wants teammates, staffers and fans to refer to him as Dicky, his official name would remain Richard in print and on the scoreboard at Citi Field.

Fans on social media went wild for the reliever’s new moniker.

“Dicky Lovelady joins Rusty Kuntz as one of the greatest names in MLB history,” Barstool Gambling posted on X.

“This is somebody who understands the assignment,” another user wrote.

“If you don’t think that a guy named DICKY LOVELADY can’t turn around your season, you’re an idiot and don’t know baseball. This is a VIBES move from Stearns. Dicky Lovelady here to save the season,” he third user wrote.

Of course, we’re not sure that Lovelady will be the man to “save” the Mets, who have won just one of their past 10 games.

Lovelady pitched just 1.2 innings for the Jays earlier this season, posting an ERA of 21.60 before being released. He then joined the Twins and spent two months with their triple-A affiliate before being released and signing with the Mets.

Over his six-year MLB career, the 29-year-old southpaw has a record of 5-13 and an ERA of 5.26 over 110 appearances with five different teams.

New York might’ve missed an excellent opportunity to use Lovelady on Monday night, though – it was Women’s Night at Citi Field.