Prior to joining Microsoft, Dennis worked as an in-house counsel for Accenture and IBM. Niekro completed 10 out of 20 starts and finished the year with an 11-9 record and an NL-best 1.87 ERA in 207 innings. And for the few who achieve fame Niekro and Charlie Hough in the past, the Toronto Blue Jays' R.A. Dickey in the present there are hundreds of other pitchers on MLB rosters who don't try to throw the pitch. Cicotte was widely reported to throw both the knuckleball and a variant on the spitball known as a "shine ball" (because he would "shine" one side of a dirty ball by rubbing it on his uniform). The Boston Red Sox, in their 2004 world championship season, had Mirabelli regularly catching in place of Jason Varitek when Tim Wakefield was pitching. Phil Niekro, Hall of Fame knuckleballer who starred with Braves, dies He was the seventh Hall of Famer to die this year, the most . However, Cicotte called the shine ball "a pure freak of the imagination", claiming that he did this to disconcert hitters and that the pitch was still a knuckleball. After giving up a two-out double to pinch-hitter Tony Fernandez and then a loud foul ball against former teammate Jeff Burroughs, he broke out the knuckler and got the final two strikes for win number 300, becoming the 18th pitcher to reach that milestone and, at 46 years and 188 days, surpassing Satchel Paige as the oldest pitcher to throw a shutout (Jamie Moyer would later eclipse him on that front): I figured if theres anyway Im going to win my 300th game by striking the guy out, I was going to do it with the pitch that won the first game for me, he told reporters afterwards while admitting that he would have traded the milestone for a game that meant something in the pennant race.. [20], As of 2019[update], Steven Wright of the Boston Red Sox was considered to be the last active knuckleballer in the MLB; he has since been released from the team. Basically, Nathan says, the pitcher lets "chaotic dynamics" determine how the ball moves. Seams catch on skin and send the ball spinning. One 2007 study offered evidence for this conclusion. Other names for the knuckleball have generally alluded to its motion and slower speed. Anything that you do that has a chance of putting even a tiny amount of spin on the ball must be eliminated, even if it feels comfortable. And in 2020 it was gone. He was 81. Alas, in the final days of 2020, Niekro joined an all-too-inclusive subset of Hall of Famers, passing away on Saturday at the age of 81 after a long bout with cancer. In Corporate America where ageism is a reality, Mr. Niekros career reminds us that older workers can still provide high value to their organizations as their age and that their experience, guile, confidence and ability to mentor others are very important assets. Phil Niekro is the seventh member of the Baseball Hall of Fame to die this year. My condolences to the entire Niekro family and may Mr. Niekro AKA Knucksie rest in peace. "We may look back on this period in another five years," he says, "and say it was the start of something a bit of a knuckleball era. [2] Because they cannot discuss pitching with non knuckleball-using teammates, they often share tips and insights even if on competing teams, and believe that they have a responsibility to help younger players develop the pitch. [10] Another reason for the difficulty of the knuckleball is due to the network effect. Unlike any other projectile known to man, a properly knuckled ball will change direction suddenly, several times, in different ways and for no apparent reason. Finally, Niekro was elected with 80.3% in 1997. But the knuckleball carried Niekro to more than 300 wins, earned him a . Play-by-play data prior to 2002 was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted Knucksie learned the pitch from his father, a coal miner and semiprofessional hurler, at the age of eight, and while he didnt establish himself as a big league starter for another 20 years, he carved out a 24-year-career in the majors, winning 318 games, striking out 3,342 batters, starting more games than all but four pitchers, and earning a spot in the Hall of Fame. Phil Niekro, a pitcher who used his signature knuckleball to fool generations of hitters and craft a Hall of Fame career, died Saturday night . Dickey's 20-6 record and dramatic success last year with the New York Mets (he won the National League's Cy Young award, which goes to the best pitcher) and the news that the Orioles are making an effort to groom three knuckleballers gives Nathan hope that the pitch will catch on. Phil Niekro Interview: How to Throw Knuckleball, Bob Uecker Braves On Deck with Tyler Redmond 4.35K subscribers Subscribe 46 Share 3.7K views 4 years ago Phil Niekro gave me a few minutes. Also Phil speaks on the relationship between him and his brother, Joe Niekro.Phil also hits on his legendary KnuckleballGet To Know Them Playlist:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9zLYO5bM7cLl1wWMlKmhB-ESjOvOy8d0Rick Camp Game Special Edition:https://youtu.be/xBeT4ybxfQoTwitter:https://twitter.com/bubblegum_jesus#Niekro #PhilNiekro #BobUecker Try to keep the logo of the baseball facing the catcher the entire time. In volleyball, the float serve involves hitting the volleyball in such a way to minimize the rotation of the ball, causing unpredictability in the ball's movement. getting into 31 Major League games with a 9.95 ERA. In 2012, Dickey became the only knuckleballer to have won the Cy Young Award. I think its time that everyone saw what females could do if given the chance to compete in professional baseball at the minor league or major league level, Niekro said. Quite frankly if you ever saw Mr. Niekro on the pitching mound he could have been mistaken for someone who was playing on a weekend softball team of over the hill players. The website Fangraphs, which tracks every pitch, counted only three pitchers who threw the knuckleball in 2020: Erik Kratz, Todd Frazier and Bryan Holaday, position players moonlighting as pitchers at the end of blowouts. It's not 'really baseball.' The knuckleball is radically different from any other pitch in a pitcher's arsenal, being less predictable and difficult to control. Though unhappy about the decision, Niekro held his tongue while totaing just 19.1 innings over the first month of the season as the Braves stumbled to a 10-18 start. Other prominent knuckleball pitchers have included Joe Niekro (Phil's brother), Charlie Hough, Dave Jolly, Ben Flowers, Wilbur Wood, Barney Schultz, Tom Candiotti, Bob Purkey, Steve Sparks, Eddie Rommel, Tim Wakefield, Steven Wright, and Dickey. From 1977-79, Niekro threw a jaw-dropping total of 1006.2 innings and completed 65 of 129 starts; his lowest total of innings in that span was 330.1. Copyright 2023 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. Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who pitched well into his 40s with a knuckleball that baffled big league hitters for more than two decades, mostly with the Atlanta Braves, has died after a long fight with cancer, the team announced Sunday. There are two primary reasons why a knuckleball pitcher is uncommon in baseball today. Phil Niekro owns one of, if not, the best knuckleball in MLB history. List of knuckleball pitchers - Wikipedia That was no small matter in a race that was decided on the final day of the season, when Morgans three-run homer for the Giants prevented the Dodgers from matching the Braves 89 wins. Unlike other pitchers where the sequence has a pattern, like a traditional curveball, a knuckleball can dramatically drop at the last second or even stay nearly flat and land in the middle of the strike zone. Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks once said, He simply destroys your timing with that knuckleball. "Very few pitchers make a living throwing the knuckleball," says Sain, "simply because they can't make it work. Heck, he didn't even know where it was going most of the time. Charlie Hough was 46, Tim Wakefield 45, R.A. Dickey 42. All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, When the Braves won 88 games and finished third in the NL West in 1974 the best they would do between 1969 and 82 the 35-year-old Niekro led the way, pacing the NL in wins (20), innings (302.1), and complete games (18) while ranking second in WAR (7.9). This is due to both the knuckleball's low average speed and its erratic movement, which force the catcher to keep focusing on the ball even after the runners start stealing their next bases. It would be incredibly effective in todays game as hitters swing hard and go for launch angle. Then there's the basic problem that the pitch isn't as easy to toss at least not to toss well as it looks. * Imminent Big Leaguers article. Phil Niekro did not reach the majors for good until he was 27. If not, a pitcher just ends up walking too many batters. Instead, they should be celebrated and appropriately recognized. Aside from that 1969 season, the Braves had been within a few games of .500 every year since moving to Atlanta, and they would continue a similar tack, though from 1970 to 73, they finished above .500 just once, that with an 82-80 record in 71. He didnt want to mess up his swing fooling around with a thing like that.. The Stadium Reviews, LLC He lost 20 games in both 1977 (against 16 wins) and 79; in the latter year, during which he picked up his 200th win on May 1 against the Pirates, he went 21-20 and became the only pitcher since 1901 to lead the league in both wins and losses. The fingers that stabilize the ball shouldnt be on any seams. Phil Niekro, the Hall of Fame pitcher who confounded batters with his fluttering knuckleballs . But things did not go well, for Niekro, Candiotti, or most of the team as they skidded to 101 losses. [1] A pitcher who throws knuckleballs is known as a knuckleballer. The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling and pick it up. By continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy. He won 221 games over 22 years in the big leagues, making the Niekros baseballs winningest set of siblings, with a total of 539 victories, just ahead of Gaylord and Jim Perry. There are certain key points to a knuckleball grip that cant be ignored. Philip Henry Niekro was born in Blaine, Ohio, and learned the knuckleball from his father, who played for a coal-mining team in eastern Ohio. This use of a "specialist" catcher continued into the 2008 season following the signing of Kevin Cash, and 2009 saw George Kottaras fulfill this role. Ive done that before, said Niekro afterwards. These include the flutterball, the floater, the dancer, the butterfly ball (the name for the pitch used by French language game commentators employed by the Montreal Expos), the ghostball, and the bug. Niekro learned his knuckler as a 12-year-old from his coal miner father in Ohio. After experimenting with the knuckleball grip, he reduced that WHIP to around 1.2 from 2010 2017. [22], On September 18, 2020, the first knuckleball thrown in 2020 was by the New York Mets' Todd Frazier, normally a third baseman, in a 15-2 blowout loss to Atlanta Braves. The Baseball 100: No. 83, Phil Niekro - The Athletic All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. Atlanta Braves pitcher won 318 games over 24-year career, Niekro also played for Yankees, Indians and Blue Jays. His 50.9 WAR over that span not only led the majors, it was 13.1 more than runner-up Rick Reuschel. So use the fingertips and not the knuckles. Phil Niekro, Knuckleball. The most important thing was to wear the (Braves) uniform again.. [10], Coaches have also been seen as a barrier to succeeding with the knuckleball. This modern pitch is unrelated to the knuckleball. Tim Wakefield learned the knuckleball in the minor leagues. It was during those community and fan activities where he would communicate with fans as if they were long lost friends.. ? 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. There are other prominent knuckleball pitchers like Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who had a very effective knuckler and knuckle curve, and Cy Young Award winning pitcher R. A. Dickey. I didnt coach him; he was too old to coach, Gibson said with a laugh in 2015. The little spin that takes place on the ball creates erratic and unpredictable motion. Toad Ramsey, a pitcher from 1885 to 1890, is credited in some later sources with being the first knuckleballer, apparently based primarily on accounts of how he gripped the ball; however, based on more contemporary descriptions of his pitch as an "immense drop ball", it may be that his pitch was a form of knuckle curve. The Cardinals pounded Pascual Perez in the makeup Game 1. In 2013, J. P. Arencibia set a Toronto Blue Jays franchise record by allowing four passed balls in the season opener (a 42 loss) while catching for knuckleballer R. A. Dickey. The Knuckleball Can Devastate, So Why Don't All Pitchers Throw It? - NPR Niekro, who pitched well into his 40s with a knuckleball that baffled big league hitters for more than two decades, mostly with the Atlanta Braves, has died after a long fight with cancer . There will be a period when they will beat the daylights out of you. Hes one of 10 pitchers to attain the dual milestones of 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts six of them cohorts from That Seventies Group and ranks 16th overall on the all-time list for the former and 11th for the latter. A paper presented at the 2012 Conference of the International Sports Engineering Association argues, based on PITCHf/x data, that knuckleballs do not make large and abrupt changes in their trajectories on the way to home plateor at least, no more abrupt than a normal pitch. Good fingernails are important. In association football (soccer), the method of striking the ball so that it produces almost no spinning motion during its flight has been colloquially described as "knuckleballing" by commentators, due to the ball's motion that resembles a baseball thrown with a knuckleball pitch. Improper grip using the knuckles instead of fingertips. Knuckleball - Wikipedia Knuckleball Grips, Part 2 - Knuckleball Nation He finished with a career record of 318-274 an a 3.35 ERA. Hoyt Wilhelm, Phil Niekro, and Jesse Haines, three pitchers who primarily relied on the knuckleball, have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Supernatural, thats what he was for me that supernatural representation of what the pitch could become., Niekro became eligible for election to the Hall of Fame in 1993, but he fell short, receiving 65.7% of the vote while Reggie Jackson was the years only honoree. Youve made you development 50% more difficult. He received a lengthy, hearty ovation before things escalated into a six-run rally. And next time someone says they have a nasty knuckler and shows you a knuckle ball grip like this, laugh at them. The men on the stage in Cooperstown, N.Y., at the annual Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, brought joy to millions. Phil went to the well three more times in pursuit of the milestone but was tagged for 17 runs in 19.2 innings. Although he may have never looked or pitched like a prototypical major league pitcher, he consistently fooled hitters throughout his career enroute to 318 pitching wins with his very hard to hit knuckleball. So, I think we can trust the key points found in the conventionally successful grips of Dickey, Hough, Niekro and Candiotti. The foundation of any great knuckleball is the grip, but there is a lot of confusion out there about proper knuckleball grips. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images Failed to subscribe, please contact admin. His younger brother, Joe, also had a long baseball career with an arsenal that included the knuckleball. Nothing else, Niekro replied, and Bouton felt pity for him. When you start off learning the knuckleball, it can be frustrating. He was nearly six months past his 48th birthday when he returned to make one final start for Atlanta on September 27, 1987. If you have any question, please contact me at knuckleballnation@gmail.com, Monday Friday: 10am 9pmSaturday: 10am 4pm, Copyright OceanWP Knuckleball Nation. He lived in the Atlanta suburb of Flowery Branch, where a main thoroughfare bears his name. Plus, as the seemingly ageless Niekro, Hough and Tim Wakefield have shown in past years, mastering the knuckleball can keep someone pitching well into his 30s or beyond. Many people, including pros, think that the pitch is thrown with fingertips dug into the seams. Also while winning 318 games over 24 seasons, only 3 other major pitchers ever pitched more than Mr. Niekros 5,404 total innings. The knuckle curve has a somewhat similar name because of the grip used to throw it (also with the knuckles or fingernails), but it is generally thrown harder and with spin. He reinvented pitching by adding this slow, crazy moving pitch. Its these similarities that make up the key points of a great knuckleball grip. We wouldnt leave him in there long enough to get whacked around, because in the seventh or eighth inning, he started getting pretty tired and because he was throwing a knuckleball, he figured he could just go ahead and pitch nine innings. Using everything but his knuckleball for the first 26 outs, he held the Blue Jays hitless into the fourth inning. He was a hard thrower until he injured his arm, whereupon he asked teammate Nick McKay, a former minor league player, to teach him the knuckleball. 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.. Niekro joined Al Kaline, Tom Seaver, Lou Brock, Bob. Phil Niekro, Baseball Hall of Famer known for knuckleball, dies He was game for the task, telling Niekro to throw the knuckleball on every pitch. Age + Experience = an Asset and Not a Liability:Incredibly, Mr. Niekro pitched until he was 48 years of age into the 1987 baseball season. Elsewhere in the piece, Blount presciently suggested that because knuckleballs seem to suspend the natural aging process in the arm, Niekro might stick around to an even later age than his 46-year-old knuckleballing teammate, reliever Hoyt Wilhelm. Its a good reminder for me of the tortoise and the hare.. Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, Empower Field at Mile High Stadium Parking, After experimenting with the knuckleball grip, he reduced that WHIP to around 1.2 from 2010 2017, Just like that link at the top of the article from The Atlas. MLB Vault 149K subscribers Subscribe 242 Share Save 24K views 2 years ago Phil Niekro owns one of, if not, the best knuckleball in MLB history. In November 2008, it was announced that 16-year-old knuckleballer Eri Yoshida was drafted as the first woman ever to play in Japanese professional baseball for the Kobe 9 Cruise of the Kansai Independent Baseball League. Like how it is difficult for batters and catchers to follow knuckleball pitches, umpires also have a hard time. Ive had people film it at 28,000 frames a second. Since it developed during a period when the spitball was legal and commonly used, and was similarly surprising in its motion, the knuckleball was sometimes called the "dry spitter". [21] Mickey Jannis of the Baltimore Orioles organization also throws the knuckleball, and made his major league debut on June 23, 2021. Niekro also pitched for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays late in his career. A free agent for the first time, Niekro was pursued by the Cardinals, Pirates, As and Yankees. Marshall, Bill Campbell, and Bob Stanley are the only pitchers to throw 162+ innings in a season without making a single start. At any one time, only one or two are usually in the major leagues. This sports news got our attention this week: 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. Additionally, Ted Lyons, another member of the Hall of Fame, relied heavily on the knuckleball after injuring his arm in 1931. Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro, who rode his knuckleball to 318 victories, was the seventh Hall of Famer to pass away in 2020. . He. For decades after Niekros retirement, the pitch wobbled but endured; someone was always throwing it, from Hough to Tom Candiotti to Wakefield to Dickey, with others mixed in. Defying age, of course, is part of the magic of the knuckleball. As of 2004[update], only about 70 Major League Baseball pitchers have regularly used the knuckleball during their careers, and its use has become rarer over time. If one of the fingers puts more pressure on the ball than the other, the ball spins. [5] Thats a long phrase, but it is an important one to learn, A solid knuckleball grip with no fatal flaws. 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.'" 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. Hall of Famer that he never saw the need for other pitches. As I reflect upon Mr. Niekros career, heres some learnings for us as lawyers and business professionals: Be Authentic and a Maverick: Mr. Niekros highly successful baseball career was premised upon doing something entirely different from his peers by throwing his signature knuckleball pitch. Phil Niekro, who rode his knuckleball to 318 wins and a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame, has died at 81 of cancer. Light-hitting and self-effacing, Uecker was hardly the knuckleball specialist that the Braves presented him as being, but Torre, the regular catcher, was at wits end, and Uecker did have experience catching the knuckleballs of the Cardinals Barney Schultz, and before that the Braves Bobby Tiefenauer. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey of the Toronto Blue Jays won the 2012 Cy Young award for best pitcher in the National League after winning 20 games and losing just six for the New York Mets. None of them succeeded to the extent that Phil Niekro did. Right before we got there, hed be winning 19 or so, but also losing 19. The Braves botched things when Turner told the 44-year-old Niekro that Torre and his staff wanted him to retire. 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. Known for a pitch that befuddled hitters and catchers heck, Niekro didnt even know where it was going he was a five-time All-Star who had three 20-win seasons with Atlanta.
