Baseball Hall of Famer, Knuckleballer Phil Niekro Dies at 81 Former knuckleballer and pitching coach Charlie Hough says that the increased rarity of the knuckleball is due to scouts increasingly looking only for the best arm. Not only did he have incredible success as a pitcher, but since the knuckleball did not exact a toll on his pitching arm like other harder thrown pitches do he was able to be even more valuable, durable and versatile to his teams by pitching on short rest, pitching many complete games, serving as both a starter and a relief pitcher and pitching in the major leagues for an incredible 24 seasons. Phil Niekro, who rode his knuckleball to 318 wins and a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame, has died at 81 of cancer. A successful knuckleball shot will move, dip, or wobble in the air unpredictably, making it difficult for the goalkeeper to save. Atlanta Braves pitcher won 318 games over 24-year career, Niekro also played for Yankees, Indians and Blue Jays. You can pitch seven good innings with a knuckleball, and as soon as you walk a guy they go, 'See, there's that damn knuckleball.'" He made All-Star teams in 1975 and 78, began a run of three straight Gold Gloves in the latter season, and won the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award in 1979 and the Roberto Clemente Award in 1980. Also while winning 318 games over 24 seasons, only 3 other major pitchers ever pitched more than Mr. Niekros 5,404 total innings. The airflow over the baseball seams creates a strange movement since there is no spin, making the ball essentially dance or flutter in the air towards the home plate. Phil Niekro, one of baseball's greatest knuckleball pitchers, who rode a baffling, fluttering pitch to the Hall of Fame in a long career that lasted until he was 48, died Dec. 26 at age 81.. Now you have to apply even pressure using three fingers. [3] In 1917, Druery taught the pitch to Eddie Rommel who became successful with it for the Philadelphia Athletics.[4]. in Political Science from Binghamton University and his J.D. Like a knuckleball, it would be deadly against that type of approach by hitters, assuming a pitcher could master it. Good fingernails are important. ", "Knuckleballers' paths as tricky as the pitch", "MLB pitchers setting velocity records, altering balance of power", "Knuckleball life comes full circle for Wakefield", "Japan's 'Knuckle Princess' Arrives in U.S.", "Knuckleball pitchers may be a dying breed", "The art of the mysterious knuckleball is on the verge of extinction", "Wakefield, Dickey share a unique relationship", "R. A. Dickey calls Cy Young Award a victory for all knuckleballers", "Knuckleballer Mickey Jannis Making His MLB Debut at Age 33 Is So Cool", "Frazier breaks out knuckler in pitching debut", "You knew Wade Boggs could hit, but did you also know he had a nasty knuckleball? The origins of the knuckleball are unclear. Knuckleballs can move a lot when they slowly flutter towards home plate and they can be very difficult for opposing batters to hit if thrown correctly (and if they are thrown incorrectly they are like batting practice for major league hitters). Thats all were going to throw.. The pitch he perfected also appears to be lost. That raises a logical question: Why aren't there more knuckleballers? Baseball pitchers in Major League Baseball love seeing how fast they throw a pitch. Niekro spent one more year in Atlanta, but slipped to 11-10 with two complete games, a 3.97 ERA (98 ERA+) in 201.2 inning, and 2.7 WAR.
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