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.

Use of the knuckleball in pitching

When originally developed, the knuckleball was used by a number of pitchers as simply one pitch in their repertoire, usually as part of changing speeds from their fastball. It is almost never used in a mixed repertoire today, however, and some believe that to throw the knuckleball effectively with some semblance of control over the pitch, one must throw it more or less exclusively. At the same time, pitchers rarely focus on the knuckleball if they have reasonable skill with more standard pitches, so knuckleball pitchers have become quite rare.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, the knuckleball does provide some advantages to its practitioners. It does not need to be thrown hard (in fact, throwing too hard may diminish its effectiveness), and is therefore less taxing on the arm. This means knuckleball pitchers can throw more innings than orthodox pitchers, and are able to pitch more frequently because they require less time to recover after having pitched. The lower physical strain also gives them the potential for greater career longevity, as some have continued to pitch professionally well into their forties. In addition, some pitchers (such as Jim Bouton) have had success as knuckleballers after their ability to throw hard declined.

Related Topics:
Innings - Jim Bouton

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hoyt Wilhelm and Phil Niekro, two pitchers who primarily relied on the knuckleball, have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame (Haines is also in the Hall of Fame). Niekro was given the nickname "Knucksie" during his career. Other prominent knuckleball pitchers have included Joe Niekro (Phil's brother), Charlie Hough, Wilbur Wood, Tom Candiotti, and Tim Wakefield. During the 1945 season, with talent depleted by call-ups to fight in World War II, the Washington Senators had a pitching rotation which included four knuckleball pitchers (Dutch Leonard, Johnny Niggeling, Mickey "Itsy Bitsy" Haefner and Roger Wolff) who combined for 60 complete games and 60 wins, carrying the Senators to second place.

Related Topics:
Hoyt Wilhelm - Phil Niekro - Baseball Hall of Fame - Joe Niekro - Charlie Hough - Wilbur Wood - Tom Candiotti - Tim Wakefield - 1945 - World War II - Washington Senators - Dutch Leonard - Johnny Niggeling - Mickey "Itsy Bitsy" Haefner - Roger Wolff - Games

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~