Pokemon

Imagine a baseball pitch that has a mind of its own. Unlike most conventional fastballs and other pitches, crossing the plate at speeds up to one hundred miles per hour on up. This mysteries pitch seems to hover towards opposing batters in slow motion. This pitch floats through the air with no spin on the ball what so ever, coming in like a meatball. Batters mouth’s start salivating as the pitch comes crawling to the plate, but at the last second the pitch seems to dash, dart, and dance as it pleases. This pitch is called the knuckleball. Know more as a back yard baseball “junk” pitch rather than an effective major league pitch. There is science behind the knuckleball, its transformed players careers, and why don’t more pitcher throw it?

No one knows for sure who threw the first knuckleball, but baseball historians believe to have it narrowed down to two pitchers. The first, Toad Ramsey of the Louisville Colonels and the second as Eddie Cicotte of the Chicago White Soxs. These pitchers were believed to have hurled this pitch for the first time around the early twentieth century. Regardless of who threw the first knuckleball, it was a pivotal moment in Major League Baseball. Most historians are leaning toward Cicotte as throwing the first knuckleball due to the way he threw it. There are many different ways to grip the ball went attempting this pitch as well as many different release points to let the pitch go. With all these combinations no one knuckleballer is the same. Ciotte’s method was to grip the ball with his “knuckles”, thus giving the pitch its name (Whitaker). Another popular method of griping the ball is for pitchers to dig their fingernails in the seems of the baseball and making a flicking motion wit...

... middle of paper ...

...e appearance for the Mets. Dickey would have continued success with the Mets and in 2012, his best season of his career, R.A won the Cy Young award which is given to the best pitcher in the Major Leagues. The next season Dickey was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays who rewarded him for his great season last year signing him to a two year contract worth 25 million dollars (Schapp).

The knuckleball will always be a pitch loved by the fans, a tool used by pitchers, and feared by hitters. The pitch has helped pitchers establish their careers and their wallets. Regardless of who threw the first knuckleball it will continue to be thrown for years to come. The knuckleball is mysterious which makes it a fun pitch to throw and a fun pitch to watch. As long as the mystery behind the pitch is unsolved the pitch will continue to be loved by baseball fans.