Knuckleball

A knuckleball (or knuckler for short) is a baseball pitch thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. The lack of spin creates a chaotic airflow over the stitched seams of the baseball and produces an erratic, unpredictable motion. This makes the pitch difficult for batters to hit, but also difficult for pitchers to control. The challenge also extends to the catcher who must make an attempt to catch the pitch, and the umpire who must determine whether it was a strike or a ball.

Catching the knuckleball

The unpredictable motion of the knuckleball makes it one of the most difficult pitches for a catcher to handle. Catchers tend to be charged with a significantly higher number of passed balls when a knuckleball pitcher is on the mound. A team will sometimes employ a catcher solely for games started by a knuckleballer. The Boston Red Sox did this fairly systematically in their 2004 world championship season, with Doug Mirabelli regularly catching in place of Jason Varitek when Tim Wakefield was pitching.

Related Topics:
Passed balls - Boston Red Sox - 2004 - Doug Mirabelli - Jason Varitek - Tim Wakefield

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Quotes on catching the knuckleball:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• "You don't catch a knuckleball, you defend against it" -- manager and former catcher Joe Torre
• "Wait'll it stops rolling, then go pick it up." -- broadcaster and former catcher Bob Uecker
• "There are two theories on hitting a knuckleball. Unfortunately, neither of them works." -- famed hitting coach Charlie Lau
• "You know, catching the knuckleball, it's like trying to catch a fly with a chopstick." -- catcher Jason Varitek