A Little Knuckleball History

In most minds, speed is always an asset for an athlete. But that's not the case for a select group of freakish men who have found a way to make a career out of throwing a baseball even while throwing it with relatively little power.

They're called knuckleballers, and they are a rare breed. From the time most kids learn to throw a baseball, their top priority seems to revolve around firing it with ultimate force. Guys who throw the ball past hitters are dubbed strikeout kings. They're compared to baseball Hall-of-Famers Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax. Rarely, though, is there a kid standing in his back yard trying to figure out how to throw the ball a little slower and with an odd grip.

So it's the rarest of circumstances for someone to find the knuckleball. In fact, one might say that it sometimes finds the pitcher. But just what is this strange pitch?

The knuckleball is a marvel of physics. Pitchers' knuckleball grips vary, but the general rule is that the index and middle finger are bent almost 90 degrees so that the fingertips dig into the ball while the knuckles never touch it. The thumb is laid against the ball much like with a fastball, and the three fingers provide most of the grip. The ring and pinkie fingers more or less rest on the ball.

The key to throwing the ball begins with speed and also requires a release that ensures little rotation of the ball. Because the ball is moving slowly, air impacts its flight. The stitches on the ball interact with the air, and the ball hops and jerks erratically. Normally, a late drop is the key to a good knuckleball. When it doesn't dive, knuckleball pitchers generally have a tough time, which means they tend to give up lots of home runs. When the ball does its thing, though, it can be difficult to hit even while the batter has no problem with swing speed.

As a general rule, the fastball takes a heavy toll on a pitcher's arm. A knuckleball, though, has far less impact. Thus, knuckleball pitchers often toss their fluttering pitches well into their 40s.

In "The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers", baseball writers Rob Neyer and Bill James list more than 250 players who threw the knuckleball, and perhaps the most curious names are those of position players called to the mound for spot duty during a blowout. For example, longtime Oakland A's power hitter Jose Canseco threw some knuckleballs, and so did Hall of Fame third baseman Wade Boggs, who pitched just one inning in his career.

According to Wikipedia, the pitch is thought to have originated in the early 1900s. Eddie Cicotte is often credited with inventing the pitch, but some think other knuckleballers came before Cicotte. In any case, the pitch never gained much notoriety until Ted Lyons began to throw it. Lyons pitched a no-hitter in 1926 with help from his knuckler. He won 22 games in 1930 for Chicago's American League team and finished a 23-year career with 260 wins. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.

Hoyt Wilhelm also excelled behind a dancing knuckler. he appeared on the scene in the 1950s and won 143 games and recorded 227 saves in his 21-year career. He is considered baseball's first true closer, but he started many games later in his career, which saw him pitch in 1,000 games before retiring at age 49. Wilhelm threw a no-hitter in 1952. In 1985, Wilhelm became the second knuckleballer to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame. He died in 2002 at age 70.

Lyons and Wilhelm aren't the only knuckleball pitcher to have a stellar career. As Wilhelm's career wound down, the career of knuckleball pitcher Phil Niekro was just beginning. Niekro came to the pros in 1964 with a baffling knuckler that served him well over 23 seasons. He was 48 when he retired after the 1986 season with 318 regular-season wins, the most ever by a knuckleball pitcher.

According to the Baseball Hall of Fame, longtime New York Yankee Bobby Murcer said hitting Phil Niekro's knuckler was "like trying to eat Jell-O with chopsticks."

Phil's 24-year career featured a 23-win season in 1969 and an Aug. 5, 1973 no-hitter as a member of the Atlanta Braves. Niekro, who had a lifetime 3.35 ERA, held the San Diego Padres hitless. In 1997, Phil Niekro also was voted into Cooperstown, N.Y.'s baseball Hall of Fame. Brother Joe Niekro hasn't earned quite the same distinction, but he excelled with a knuckler, too. Joe won 211 games in his career. He died in 2006 Tampa, Fla.

In today's power-pitching world, few men throw the knuckleball, and even fewer do so with much success. At least three current major league pitchers regularly throw the knuckleball: Minnesota Twins relief pitcher R.A. Dickey, San Diego Padres pitcher Josh Banks, who had pitched just 22 innings in 2009 as of July 20, and Boston Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield.

Wakefield is considered the best knuckleball pitcher since Niekro. He is closing in on 200 wins as he continues to start games for the Red Sox in 2009. As of July 20, Wakefield, who will be 43 on Aug. 2, has an 11-3 record and 4.31 ERA. On April 15, he went the distance in a Red Sox win. He was working on a no-hitter when the Oakland A's came through with their first hit in the eighth inning.