Editing Knuckleball (section)

==Rarity==
{{as of|2004}}, only about 70 Major League Baseball pitchers have regularly used the knuckleball during their careers, and its use has become rarer over time. This can be attributed to a variety of factors. The first is [[selection bias]] in [[Scout (sport)|scouting]]. Because the speed of any prospect's pitch is one of the quickest and easiest metrics in judging the skill of the prospect, the knuckleball, which is thrown slower than any other pitch, gets overlooked. [[Tim Wakefield]] argued that "The problem is that [baseball] is so radar gun-oriented." 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.<ref name="MLB.com">{{cite web|url=http://m.mlb.com/news/article/13690088/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024180429/http://m.mlb.com/news/article/13690088/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 24, 2014|title=Knuckleballers' paths as tricky as the pitch|work=Major League Baseball}}</ref> This effect is increasing over time as the modern game continues to emphasize power in pitching and average pitch speed increases.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://triblive.com/sports/mlb/5423918-74/mph-velocity-cole|title=MLB pitchers setting velocity records, altering balance of power|work=TribLIVE.com}}</ref>

[[Hoyt Wilhelm]], [[Phil Niekro]], and [[Jesse Haines]], three pitchers who primarily relied on the knuckleball, have been inducted into the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]]. Additionally, [[Ted Lyons]], another member of the Hall of Fame, relied heavily on the knuckleball after injuring his arm in 1931.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://research.sabr.org/journals/ted-lyons/|title=The Sunday Saga of Ted Lyons|author=Administrator|work=sabr.org}}</ref> Niekro was given the nickname "Knucksie" during his career. 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 (pitcher, born 1965)|Steve Sparks]], [[Eddie Rommel]], Tim Wakefield, [[Steven Wright (baseball)|Steven Wright]], and [[R. A. Dickey]]. During the 1945 season, with talent depleted by call-ups to fight in World War II, the [[Washington Senators (1901–60)|Washington Senators]] had a pitching rotation which included four knuckleball pitchers ([[Dutch Leonard (right-handed pitcher)|Dutch Leonard]], [[Johnny Niggeling]], [[Mickey Haefner|Mickey "Itsy Bitsy" Haefner]], and [[Roger Wolff]]) who combined for 60 complete [[game]]s and 60 wins, carrying the Senators to second place. Hall of Fame pitcher [[Bob Gibson]] said he threw a knuckleball in practice, and that one time in a game he used it to get [[Hank Aaron]] out.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gibson |first1=Bob |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8yQrrSERsu0C |title=Sixty Feet, Six Inches: A Hall of Fame Pitcher & a Hall of Fame Hitter Talk About How the Game Is Played |last2=Jackson |first2=Reggie |last3=Wheeler |first3=Lonnie |date=2011-04-05 |publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-7679-3110-6 |pages=88–89 |language=en}}</ref>

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]]. On March 2, 2010, she trained with Tim Wakefield at the [[Boston Red Sox]] minor-league training facility.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/alex-speier/2010/03/03/knuckleball-life-comes-full-circle-wakefield|date=March 3, 2010|title=Knuckleball life comes full circle for Wakefield|last=Speier|first=Alex |work=[[WEEI (AM)|WEEI]]|access-date=May 24, 2011}}</ref> And on April 8, 2010, she signed with the [[Chico Outlaws]], debuting on May 29, 2010.<ref name="Knuckle Princess Arrives">{{cite news|last=Witz|first=Billy|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/31/sports/baseball/31pitcher.html?src=me&ref=general|title=Japan's 'Knuckle Princess' Arrives in U.S.|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 30, 2010}}</ref>

Another factor contributing to the rarity of the knuckleball is the difficulty of throwing it. [[R. A. Dickey]] estimates that it takes at least a year to grasp its fundamentals. The knuckleball is radically different from any other pitch in a pitcher's arsenal, being less predictable and difficult to control. It is for this reason that the knuckleball is widely regarded as unreliable, and knuckleball pitchers are prone to extended slumps, such as when Tim Wakefield was released from the Pirates in a mid-career slump during spring training in 1995.<ref name="MLB.com"/> Another reason for the difficulty of the knuckleball is due to the [[network effect]]. Because there are so few knuckleball pitchers, the resources for learning and improving the knuckleball are few compared to more common pitches. Pitching coaches often struggle with knuckleball pitchers due to a lack of experience with the pitch. "I think the hardest thing for me is just the alone-ness that you feel sometimes because nobody else really does it," said Wakefield.<ref name="MLB.com"/>

Coaches have also been seen as a barrier to succeeding with the knuckleball. [[Jim Bouton]] said, "coaches don't respect it. 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.{{'"}} R. A. Dickey argues that, "for most managers, it takes a special manager to be able to really trust it—the bad and the good of it. Coaches are quick to banish the pitch after one bad outing. This was common due to the amount of practice one must put into the pitch. And traditionally, if you look at Tim Wakefield, Joe and Phil Niekro, Tom Candiotti, Wilbur Wood, Hoyt Wilhelm and all the guys that threw it, through their success they had guys who really believed in what it could do long-term and committed to giving them the ball every fifth day to do it."<ref name="MLB.com"/>

In 1991, Hall of Fame catcher [[Rick Ferrell]] was quoted as saying, "I think the knuckleball is fading out." Ferrell knew knuckleballs: he had the task of being the Washington Senators catcher in 1944–45, when the Senators had four knuckleball pitchers in their starting rotation. Furthermore, other factors, such as a dearth of knuckleball teachers and the dramatic increase in the running game—base stealing is often easier against knuckleball pitchers—may be contributing to its demise.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19910804&id=LrEeAAAAIBAJ&pg=6855,777685|title=Knuckleball pitchers may be a dying breed|work=Herald-Journal|via=Google News Archive Search}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19910706&id=KzgdAAAAIBAJ&pg=1980,731371|title=The art of the mysterious knuckleball is on the verge of extinction|work=The Tuscaloosa News|via=Google News Archive Search}}</ref>

Perhaps as a result, knuckleball pitchers often view themselves as members of an exclusive club, with its own [[uniform number]] (49, first worn by Wilhelm) and leader (Phil Niekro, whom ''The New Yorker'' in 2004 called "the undisputed Grand Poobah" of the group after Wilhelm's death).{{r|newyorker}} 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.<ref name="mcadam20080722">{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/columns/story?id=3500094|title=Wakefield, Dickey share a unique relationship|work=ESPN|date=2008-07-22|access-date=2013-05-03|author=McAdam, Sean}}</ref> When, in 2012, R. A. Dickey became the first [[Cy Young Award]]-winning knuckleball pitcher, he called the award "a victory for … the knuckleball fraternity", and of the dozens of phone calls he received after the announcement, Niekro's was the only one he answered.<ref name="schilken20121115">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-xpm-2012-nov-15-la-sp-sn-r-a-dickey-20121115-story.html|title=R. A. Dickey calls Cy Young Award a victory for all knuckleballers|work=Los Angeles Times|date=2012-11-15|access-date=2013-04-07|author=Schilken, Chuck}}</ref>

When originally developed, the knuckleball was used by a number of pitchers as simply one pitch in their repertoire, usually as part of changing speeds from their [[fastball]]. It is almost never used in a mixed repertoire today, however, and some believe that to throw the knuckleball effectively with some semblance of control over the pitch, one must throw it more or less exclusively.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7FfRLE6I5EEC&pg=PA44|title=The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers|isbn=9781439103777|last1=James|first1=Bill|last2=Neyer|first2=Rob|date=16 June 2008|publisher=Simon and Schuster }}</ref> At the same time, pitchers rarely focus on the knuckleball if they have reasonable skill with more standard pitches. Unlike conventional pitches, which perform fast results without much exertion, a knuckleball pitcher must train his body and muscle memory to be able to execute a 65&nbsp;mph pitch with less than one rotation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/23525-the-future-of-the-knuckleball|title=The Future of the Knuckleball|author=Nate Beard|work=Bleacher Report}}</ref>

On June 24, 2023, the [[San Diego Padres]] called up [[Matt Waldron]] to start against the [[Washington Nationals]];<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/padres-calling-up-knuckleballer-matt-waldron-to-start-saturday-vs-nationals/ |title=Padres calling up knuckleballer Matt Waldron to start Saturday vs. Nationals |author=Mike Axisa |date=June 23, 2023 |access-date=June 24, 2023 |website=CBSSports.com}}</ref> this makes him the most recent and only active knuckleballer in Major League Baseball. Prior to Waldron, [[Steven Wright (baseball)|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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/steven-wright-released-by-red-sox |title=Red Sox release knuckleballer Wright |author=Ian Browne |date=October 18, 2019 |access-date=January 27, 2021 |website=MLB.com}}</ref> [[Mickey Jannis]], prior player of the [[Baltimore Orioles]] organization, also throws the knuckleball, and made his major league debut on June 23, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2021/06/24/orioles-mickey-jannis-knuckleball-pitcher-debut |title=Knuckleballer Mickey Jannis Making His MLB Debut at Age 33 Is So Cool |author=DAN GARTLAND |date=June 24, 2021 |access-date=June 28, 2021 |publisher=Sports Illustrated}}</ref>

Among [[Pitching by position players|position players making pitching appearances]], those who have utilized the knuckleball include [[Wade Boggs]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-aug-11-sp-64806-story.html | title=Boggs Can be a Pitcher Too | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=11 August 1999 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/cut4/wade-boggs-pitches-against-angels-throws-knuckleball-c290620092 | title=You knew Wade Boggs could hit, but did you also know he had a nasty knuckleball? | website=[[MLB.com]] | date=19 August 2018 }}</ref> [[Danny Worth]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/tigers-danny-worth-debuts-knuckleball-in-rare-mound-appearance/c-76419228 | title=Worth debuts knuckleball in rare mound appearance | website=[[MLB.com]] | date=22 May 2014 }}</ref> [[Alex Blandino]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/mlb/reds/2018/07/12/alex-blandino-pitches-8th-blowout-reds-strikes-out-two-indians/777902002/ | title=Position players pitch: Alex Blandino outdoes fellow St. Francis HS alum Daniel Descalso }}</ref> and [[Ernie Clement]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/ernie-clement-on-pitching-debut-vs-twins | title=Catcher turned third baseman turned knuckleballer ... In one day | website=[[MLB.com]] }}</ref>

On October 1, 2023, pitcher [[George Kirby (baseball)|George Kirby]] of the [[Seattle Mariners]] threw his first knuckleball in an MLB game, drawing a swing and miss from the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]]' [[Corey Seager]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-01 |title=Mariners' George Kirby unveils knuckleball in final game of the season |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/mariners-george-kirby-unveils-knuckleball-in-final-game-of-the-season/ |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US}}</ref> After the game, Kirby confirmed that he chose this day to debut the pitch as a tribute to [[Boston Red Sox]] knuckleballer and World Series champion [[Tim Wakefield]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Williams |first=Madison |date=2023-10-02 |title=Mariners' George Kirby Had the Best Tribute to Tim Wakefield |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2023/10/02/george-kirby-tim-wakefield-mariners-red-sox-best-tribute |access-date=2023-11-17 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |language=en-us}}</ref> who had died that morning.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sandomir |first=Richard |date=2023-10-01 |title=Tim Wakefield, Pitcher Who Helped Boston Break the Curse, Dies at 57 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/01/obituaries/tim-wakefield-dead.html |access-date=2024-07-05 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>