The Dance of the Knuckleball

Watching a little of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) last night at a friend's house, I was able to see Tim Wakefield pitch for the Boston Red Sox. Unfortunately, he wasn't doing so well when we tuned in, so he didn't stay on the mound for long. But, seeing him pitch and seeing the frustration of many of the Indians' hitters made me think about the Knuckleball. Having pitched myself, I know how difficult it is to throw a knuckleball and how it is even harder to catch, much less hit. Many times the action on a knuckleball is described as dancing, fluttering, or dipping and diving. It is difficult to get a real sense of just how much movement is on that pitch if you're just watching the game on television. But trust me, I've played catch with an outfielder in college who could throw a good knuckler, and I was always worried that I would miss it and it would hit me in the face.

With most pitches, pitchers are trying to increase the amount of spin on the ball, as well as the direction. But with a knuckle, the pitcher is actually trying to minimize the amount of spin on the ball. By decreasing or eliminating the spin on the ball, the movement of the pitch becomes random and somewhat unpredictable. If you've ever played volleyball at a family picnic, you may have experienced a knuckleball effect. When a volleyball is served with little or no spin, the seams of the ball as well as the ridges and valleys of the ball causes it to "float," or to knuckleball.

Here's a good connection to a past posting: In the recent post about baseball movies I talked about "Eight Men Out," a story of the 1919 Chicago White Sox and how they were bought off in exchange for throwing the World Series. One of the pitchers, Eddie Cicotte, is widely credited as the first knuckleball pitcher, and finished his career with 221 wins. Some say he may have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame had he not been (spoiler alert) banned from baseball for his involvement in the Black Sox scandal.

So, would you like to learn how to throw a knuckleball? Me too. I could actually explain how to throw it, but I can't really do it myself (Actually, there are quite a few things about baseball that I could explain mechanically, but I can't actually do well... Maybe coaching is in my future). But I found this video tutorial to help you learn. Notice the sudden movement of the ball back to your right just before the ball crosses the plate.