Knuckleball pitches are the rarest and arguably the most difficult pitches in the game. I remember watching a game where John Smoltz came in to close. He decided to try out his new knuckleball pitches. It wasnt very pretty: hit after hit. After the game, he said hed never try that again.
Some pitchers try to mix knuckleball pitches in with their regular arsenal, but this is rare. Most of the time knuckleballs are used by a knuckleball specialist, like Tim Wakefield. The scarcity of knuckleball pitchers works in the pitchers favor. Batters may have been facing heat all week and all of a sudden heres this pitcher thats throwing wobbly softballs. Its like trying to swat a fly in midair.
Acquiring Knuckleball Pitches
If youre looking to break into the big leagues or even the minor leagues, learning the knuckleball might be a ticket in. Not many of us can throw even 80 miles an hour–slow by pro standards. If you cant, but would love to try your hand at pitching, you could learn to throw a knuckleball.
An advantage of the knuckleball is that its not hard on the arm. A knuckleball pitcher could pitch two games in a row if he wanted to–unheard of for regular pitchers. One year the Boston Red Sox used Tim Wakefield as their closer. This was a strange set-up because its just as hard for a pitcher to throw strikes as it is for a hitter to hit. A knuckleballer doesnt always know where the ball is going himself. This is the major challenge to being a consistent knuckleball pitcher.
