Why don t pitchers use the knuckleball?

Most knuckleballers end up throwing the pitch almost exclusively — mixing in few, if any, fastballs, curves or sliders. “They talk about having to ‘have a feel’ ” for the pitch that requires using it all the time, Nathan says. That means if they have a game where “the feel” just isn’t right, they can get shelled.

Do any major league pitchers throw a knuckleball?

But on Wednesday, Jannis, a 33-year-old knuckleballer, made his MLB debut for the Orioles. Jannis was picked in the 44th round of the 2010 draft by the Rays and adopted the knuckleball when Tampa Bay cut him after his second pro season.

Why is the knuckleball dying?

Phil Niekro, who rode his knuckleball to 318 wins and a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame, has died at 81 of cancer. The Hall said in an announcement Sunday that Niekro died overnight.

How many pitchers still throw a knuckleball?

four
Of the 80 pitchers in the Baseball Hall of Fame, there are only four knuckleballers: Hoyt Wilhelm, Phil Niekro, Jesse Haines and Ted Lyons. Here’s a little-known fact: Each one of them pitched a no-hitter in his career.

Are Knuckle balls hard to hit?

What makes this pitch so hard to hit? A knuckleball is famously difficult to throw, hit and catch because of its erratic behavior. It seems to fly through the air with no spin and then break suddenly in any direction. The ball’s seams are key to this behavior.

Can a lefty throw a knuckleball?

He struggled with weight in his later years but his injuries came from comebackers to both knees. His injuries slowed him down, but a sense of being “gun shy” for fear of batted balls hitting him. He is considered to be the best lefty to throw a knuckleball in major league history.

Has there ever been a left handed knuckleball pitcher?

After selecting the contract of Ryan Feierabend, the 33-year-old took the mound for Toronto against the Chicago White Sox and became the first left-handed knuckleball pitcher to start a game since Kirt Ojala did so for the Marlins on April 18, 1999. These were likely his knuckleballs.

Are there any knuckleballers?

Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro holds a knuckleball at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland on March 29, 2007. Niekro is considered one of baseball’s greatest knuckleball pitchers. In 2004, when the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years, knuckleballer Tim Wakefield was their Game 1 starter.

Who was the best knuckleball pitcher?

Phil Niekro Phil is probably the best known knuckleball pitcher. He took the mound for nearly a quarter of a century using the arm-saving pitch. Between 1964 and 1987, Phil racked up 318 wins (the most by a knuckleball pitcher), struck out over 3,000 and had a ERA of 3.35.

Is knuckleball dead?

Smith, the virtuoso shortstop, spoke by phone this month before the departure of yet another grand old man of the game. On Sunday we learned that Phil Niekro, the greatest knuckleball pitcher in baseball history, had died of cancer the day before at age 81. On a related note, the knuckleball is essentially extinct.

Why don’t more pitchers throw knuckleball?

There’s two reasons. The first is perception. Fair or not, there’s a feeling like knuckleball pitchers are pitchers who couldn’t succeed as conventional pitchers. It’s a “gimmick” pitch for guys who can’t hit 90 on the radar gun. The other, more nuts and bolts answer is that it requires a very narrow window of “effective wildness” to succeed.

Can Phil Niekro teach Orioles pitchers how to throw the knuckleball?

The Baltimore Orioles have hired Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro to teach three of the team’s minor league pitchers how to throw the knuckleball — a pitch that can make even the best hitters look helpless. Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Willie Stargell compared its flight to ” a butterfly with hiccups .”

Why is the knuckleball so effective?

Because the pitch travels at 60 mph to maybe 80 mph, throwing that “softly” puts far less stress on an arm than throwing 90 mph or above. So the knuckleball can be very effective.

Why do pitchers throw the ball so hard?

Basically, Nathan says, the pitcher lets “chaotic dynamics” determine how the ball moves. A breeze, a loose stitch, a bit of humidity: Such little things can add up to create a bit of chaotic movement that fools batters.