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.

References

• Adair, Robert K. (1990). The Physics of Baseball. New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-096461-8.
• James, Bill & Rob Neyer (2004). The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers. New York: Fireside. ISBN 0-7432-6158-5.
• Project Knuckleball, an article in The New Yorker about the history of the knuckleball and contemporary knuckleball pitchers.