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bktheirregularBoston's Tim Wakefield throws a pitch they call the knuckle ball.
Part of what makes a baseball do its thing when it's thrown by a pitcher is the spin that gets put on the ball. That, combined with the raised stitching on the cowhide covering the ball, creates the airfoil effect that makes a fastball rise, or a curveball skid sideways. The spin also has a gyroscope effect, though, making the ball a little easier to control.
The knuckleball is thrown with an odd motion that leaves it with almost no spin at all. When it leaves the pitcher's hand, it is affected by the air flowing over the stitches in the ball, but there's no gyroscopic stability to it - so the ball wanders, sometimes wildly.
It's also a very slow pitch, so if it doesn't do enough wandering - if there aren't good atmospheric conditions for it - the batter has all the time in the world to see it coming, and do lots of damage.
But when the conditions are right? It's unhittable. And well-nigh uncatchable. A catcher needs a special mitt to catch it. According to Hall of Famer Bob Uecker [insert joke here], the best way to catch the knuckleball:
"Wait until it stops rolling, then pick it up."
eta:
Duh. The reason they call it the "knuckleball" is because the pitching grip involves gripping the ball not with one's fingertips, but with one's knuckles...
Part of what makes a baseball do its thing when it's thrown by a pitcher is the spin that gets put on the ball. That, combined with the raised stitching on the cowhide covering the ball, creates the airfoil effect that makes a fastball rise, or a curveball skid sideways. The spin also has a gyroscope effect, though, making the ball a little easier to control.
The knuckleball is thrown with an odd motion that leaves it with almost no spin at all. When it leaves the pitcher's hand, it is affected by the air flowing over the stitches in the ball, but there's no gyroscopic stability to it - so the ball wanders, sometimes wildly.
It's also a very slow pitch, so if it doesn't do enough wandering - if there aren't good atmospheric conditions for it - the batter has all the time in the world to see it coming, and do lots of damage.
But when the conditions are right? It's unhittable. And well-nigh uncatchable. A catcher needs a special mitt to catch it. According to Hall of Famer Bob Uecker [insert joke here], the best way to catch the knuckleball:
"Wait until it stops rolling, then pick it up."
eta:
Duh. The reason they call it the "knuckleball" is because the pitching grip involves gripping the ball not with one's fingertips, but with one's knuckles...