I can't believe you made a nearly twenty minute video on the knuckleball and how hard it is to catch without including this classic from Bob Uecker, "The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling and then pick it up."
I'm Chris the guy featured at 4:07 + 7:01 and founder of Knuckleball Nation... I DO NOT CHARGE $4,000 or provide housing! I offer an hour-and-a-half instructional video for $95, Patreon+Discord online academy for $49, personal lessons for $150/hour and Worldwide Clinics featuring legends like Charlie HUFF for around $400 per pitcher... and no housing. That's one you... don't know where they come up with these lies.
Tim Wakefield saved the Pirates in that 1992 postseason. RIP Tim you will never be forgotten. Also favorite highlight of Wakefield was when he dualed another Knuckleballer Steve Sparks of the Tigers back in 2000, what a game.
He also was a literal cy young contender for most of the 1996 season. Until the end of the season when he tailed off really bad at one point he had the best stats of any picture in the league over halfway into the season
pitchers duels makes a boring game even more boring. not all time classics or remembered by the majority. the game i remember most was that 18 inning dodgers vs redsoxs game. thats what fans actually pay to see. not boring pitchers duels
Wakefield was my favorite pitcher on the Sox. I was lucky to grow up when the sox had their great teams in the late 90s early 2000's. We always had aces - Clemens, Pedro, Schilling, legends at the top of the rotation. They came and went - but when I say there wasn't a better no. 3 or 4 started in baseball during that stretch - he ate innings, pitched on short rest, came in relief, and his stuff was so good I remember he even closed out games. Wouldn't have won our title without him. When he had a good night and his knuckleball was moving, he was THE guy, THE ace - Absolutely unhittable - man he was something to watch when they went to play the rays down in tropicana, something about the air there that would make that ball flutter. RIP
As a former knuckleball pitcher, this is the best video I've ever watched on the pitch. One correction - as a lifelong DFW resident and Texas Rangers fan, Charlie Hough's last name is pronounced "Huff", not "How". He's the one who made me want to learn how to throw the knuckleball. Props to the GOAT! Thanks for the great vid!
Howdy fellow DFW resident & Texas Rangers fan. I don't miss the old Arlington Stadium though. I used to be in Boy Scouts & our troop would get tickets & the only part we got to sit in was the outfield bleachers.
One of Hough's catchers, Jim Sunberg, was from my hometown. When he was in high school and college, he volunteered with the local little league. Got some pointers from him before he went on to become a multiple gold-glove winning catcher (a streak that Hough had a lot to do with ending!).
These dudes are throwing knuckle balls at like 70+ mph. I wouldn't say that takes "no athletic ability" "no arm strength" or that "anyone can learn it". I'd bet well over 50% of people on earth can't throw a baseball 70+ mph anywhere near a strike zone even 5/10 times.
So you're telling me, alls my dad had to do when we were standing in the backyard in 110 degree heat in the middle of summer when I was 12, was teach me 1 friggin' pitch & I could've gone pro instead of "disappointing him" for not getting a D1 sports scholarship.
As the video talks about, knuckleballers have a lot of problems. The catcher can't catch it, it is easily stolen, and if it doesn't bend, it is just a slow fastball. Still, it is a changeable ball that does not seem to be going extinct, and as a viewer, I find it very romantic.
as seen later in the video, it's probably not too great if it's the only ball you can throw, but an all around great pitcher who can also throw a knucke ball here and there when the batter is not expecting it, is worth his weight in gold IMO. because even if you mess up the knuckle ball and it becomes a slow fast ball, if slow fast ball is not what the batter's expecting, he might just miss it anyway.
That's right, I find Waldron use of the knuckle ball to be very effective. I think the chances of a full time knuckleballer being successful in MLB or NPB are infinitesimally small.
@@windhelmguard5295 Depends. If a guy has a really nasty one he should throw it like 80-90%. The best knuckle ballers have put up way better numbers than Waldron so far.
@the_stixXx it was. It needed a round 3 though. I don't include 1999 ALCS as part 1, that was still dynasty era. 2002 - 2009 ish, King Kong vs Godzilla. The two classics in 2003 and 04. 2005 was a great year for the rivalry too, went right down to the last weekend. 2006 with the August massacre. And 2007 had the makings of ALCS Smackdown Part 3 but a swarm of bugs cost the Yanks the LDS.
I remember sitting in the stands for the inaugural game of the Marlins and watching old Charlie Hough shuffled up to the mound and absolutely destroy hot bat after hot bath throwing nothing but dead slow knuckleballs. I think he threw a 48 mph strike that day.
I saw that game also. Not in person but I lived there at the time. I also remember watching Neikro as a kid throw with the braves. It was crazy to me how someone who appeared so old could hang with the athletes in their primes.
I was there in RF stands strawberry strawberry ... great to see Charlie Hugh ( Huff) from Heliegh High school in miami open for the marlins ! he had big hands and could throw a baskball with no spin lol !
As a 40 year old woman who has loved baseball my entire life, some very stupid part of my brain keeps watching this and thinking, ah-ha! I do have a path to make it to the MLB! I definitely do not, but it's nice to dream.
@@TiagoGomez-hb9te there's nothing in the world that all males like/dislike, and there's nothing in the world that all females like/dislike. Everybody likes different stuff. It's not even remotely surprising to see a woman who likes baseball..... Have you ever even been to a baseball game? Because it seems like you think it's 100% dudes....?
@@emeraldaly7646 To be fair mistakes happen. Usually the editing on this channel is on point. I think they deserve a little slack. They fucked up my brain for a second but it was funny.
Was coming to offer the same note … I remember him from the first Marlins squad, and the announcers always called him “Huff,” not “Howe” Other than that tiny little thing, terrific vid as usual :)
I remember Charlie Hough with the Dodgers. He could still get guys out. You never knew if the next batter would be a strikeout or a home run. The catchers used extra large gloves. Very entertaining
Dude that was the one game my dad got tickets for lol. He could've chosen them for the next night but he wanted to see the Twins and then Waldron gave up 10 runs and totally ruined him. (He thinks he's cursed because whenever he starts watching the game they start sucking)
In 2011 I went to a game at Fenway park they were playing the Seattle Mariners and although I loved my Sox my favorite pitcher at the time was Felix Hernandez he was a special special player and arguably the best in the game at this point but on that same day I watched the old knuckleball legend Tim Wakefield our pitch and beat him!!! I’ll NEVER forget that game and being in crowd thinking how awesome Wakefield was…..RIP legend ❤
That Doug Mirabelli story is one of the silliest, most convoluted sports stories I have ever heard. Hundreds if not thousands of people's flight's delayed, across the country, they traded away multiple quality players, favours called in with air traffic controllers and Boston city police, a sitcom-esque series of delays to start the game just so Mirabelli could make it on time. And ALL of this just to avoid losing a primetime game against their bitter rivals, and to that end, it worked 😂😂 baseball, truly, does not exist
I pitched for decades and started to throw the knuckle, well try to throw it, when I was young, very young in fact, probably 10-12. It took literal years for me to be able to establish it in an actual game setting. Not an easy pitch to throw and learn. Especially back then when there was no net or guides.
@@PaulManninggYou do realize that things do indeed actually happen in the World, right? Not everything is a made up story. I wouldn't be surprised by this. I was a kid doing organized sports from the late 90s to 2010. With Baseball, everyone was trying to throw Knucklers. There was a Ban on Sliders for kids back then. We weren't even supposed to throw Curves unless we did it without a Wrist or elbow Flick (you'd do it by having a diagonal throwing motion instead) because of myths about destroying your arm if you threw sliders and such in your teens. I ran into a lot of Knucklers, and every single one of them was a crazy Ball or an outright Meatball. I loved every Knuckleball I ever saw, and I have no doubt the "OP" was serving up Meatballs left and right to kids back then.
@@tonycordero6105 Ironically, Ryan (and an ex player named Walt Weiss) were indeed coaches in my younger years. Granted it was a camp. I am actually quite surprised that people would find such a thing hard to believe. Unfortunate what the world is now. Glad I only have a few years left as this society is truly different from what it once was. Best to you all.
I love having Waldron on the Padres. He had a rough outing yesterday, but I truly hope he gets better. The upside of him having good pitches like cutters, sliders, fastballs, to go with a nasty knuckleball is worth it. I think a problem he’s had is if his knuckleball ain’t “knuckling,” and it’s just a meatball, he then has to lean on his other pitches which still need developing. If he can consistently get his fastball to 94mph, and have a good sweeper and cutter, he can still be competitive while having the best secret weapon in baseball
@@watso014 that was probably a precaution to get his pitching right, without costing the Padres games. It’s not a demotion I don’t think. But rather a chance for him to get it figured out.
In 2016 my parents took me to LA (we're from the Netherlands) to see a Dodger game, which was a lifelong dream of mine. They were playing the Red Sox (sort of my favorite AL team), so I was hyped af!!! Got to see al my heroes like Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Big Papi. Mookie Betts etc... The starting pitcher for the Red Sox was Steven Wright. I didn't know he was having an amazing year as a pitcher. I soon learned why... He pitched a 9 innings, 3 hit game. He absolutely dominated. Was extremely sad that the only opportunity (probably) I had in my life to see the Dodgers play, they got destroyed by this amazingly simple pitch... (The Friday Night Fireworks made it a bit more bearable)
I’ve been following Chris Nowlin for years! I taught myself to throw the knuckleball as a freshman in high school in 2014 and have been throwing it ever since! I’ve watched every video on his channel. Awesome to see him getting some recognition!
Thank you, sir. Hope you're keeping up with everything that's happening over at Knuckleball Nation. Just filmed a video with DSARM that comes out this week.
He creates such deep lore, but this stretches believability a bit -- a guy born without a UCL learns a magic pitch and becomes so good he earns what's called a "Cy Young" award? Yeah ok, I like my stories more realistic.
I used to pronounce his name Hoh like "though" but it wasn't until I moved to Texas that I learned his name was pronounced Huff like "rough." Not sure where the How pronunciation came from.
Wakefield was a cool dude...but 4.41 Career ERA. Good back of the rotation piece if you were willing to keep .231 BA Doug Mirabelli on your active roster to catch for him.
The real GOAT of knuckleballs would probably be a cricket player, since it is so much more viable there... I imagine maybe someone like Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Dwayne Bravo
You could always tell when Dickey was going to have a bad night because he would have all kinds of topspin on his knuckleball. The more spin, the easier a knuckleball is to hit. My dad threw knuckle balls at me for BP and you don't try to smash them, you try to make line drive contact and hope it gets over the infielders. 😂
We had a kid named Eddie Gamboa who I always hoped would have the trajectory that Waldron HAS enjoyed. Gamboa was our pitcher when we beat Stanford in the NCAA regional, then got drafted in the middle to late rounds. Somewhere along the way, he started working with Phil Niekro to develop his knuckler and had a few different opportunities to ascend the ranks to the big club, including (for some reason) two with Baltimore. Where I was hopeful for Eddie is that he could use his knuckler off his fastball and curve. Neither of those "normal" pitches were MLB quality, but if his knuckler could get good enough, he could end up with an intriguing mix of pitches where he only needed the knuckleball about a third of the time. That's quite different from a guy like Wake, who pretty much threw no other pitch throughout his career. Things never panned out, plus I always wonder if his PED suspension was the ultimate undoing in his progress.
I wish someone like that would try play cricket, where his knuckle would actually make sense and these flaws would not matter as much... If you know the guy maybe offer him
This is my best pitch by far. I only go out to mess around with buddies after work. I only started throwing it because I'm garbage and picked it up by fluke. Pretty funny to see my friends dive while chasing it.
Great video. I do want to mention that Bill James wrote about the history of the knuckleball a while ago and learned that Waldron's speed and arsenal was once the default way to throw a knuckleball. He even predicted its return despite the all slow knuckle balls all the time approach having reigned for decades at that point. This was before Dickey, too.
Living proof the knuckleball can get you a job. I’ve been out the game since junior year of high school that’s 2012 for you young folks. Long story short I went to an independent league tryout in 2022 and I got signed 2 years later I am still on the roster chasing this dream. The knuckleball is such an art I’ve never had anyone teach me how to throw it as a Yankees fan the years of watching Tim Wakefield deal it definitely inspired me to throw it. Looking forward to training at knuckleball nation this offseason!
As a life long Red Sox fan I got to enjoy many games of great knuckleballs, and many games of terrible knuckleballs. RIP Wakefield, one of my all-time favorite Red Sox pitchers.
the screwball has an unfounded reputation for injuring pitchers (statistics show that the screwball actually puts less stress on the elbow than many of the most common pitches) don't take my word for it though, i just remember learning that from another youtube video, i don't know shit about baseball.
I know very little about the game of baseball but I was mesmerized by this history of the knuckleball. Who knew pitching a ball could be this fascinating to watch?
As a kid, my favorite pitcher was Tom Candiotti. Watching his pitches dance, hearing all the praise that his catchers got, made me want to become a catcher myself!
OMG...At 6:47 in the video, that's the exact grip on the ball I used as a pitcher and led 3 different little league teams to championships in 1961, 1962, 1963. The ball did some nasty stuff. Never pitched again after those 3 years. Still have newspaper pictures of my teams winning the championships. My nickname those years was "Muscleman", cause I use to hit all the homers also.
I umpire little league and I just had a knuckler pitcher this last season. I didn’t pay attention during warmups and he threw one and I was like in awe amazement as the pitch is coming in and almost forgot to call it a strike. It’s so cool, it’s an awesome pitch if you can throw it because those batters are never balanced swinging. It’s crazy
I remember when R.A. Dickey made The Show with the Knuckleball. I played my friend in MLB 2k, and he chose the Nats for Strausburg's insane fastball, so I chose the Mets for the polar opposite in pitch speed. Then a few years later I was playing Fantasy and meme drafted him,,, and, he had his CY Young season!
There's nothing better than watching MLB Hitters look completely foolish trying to hit a 65MPH Knuckleball!! Especially when they fall down swinging. God, I love Baseball......
The bit about them also being really hard to catch for the catcher sounds like a great setup for a buddy comedy film. Just imagine the hijinx a pitcher and catcher could get up to, being unbeatable together but also stuck together as a duo on a team for them to both succeed.
In Triple Play 98 (the *GOAT* of baseball video games) a knuckleball is a demon pitch. All over the place. I made a player, named after my middle school language arts teacher, who could throw the nasty knuckler and had a 95+ fastball and nasty slider. Dominated that game with _Larry Bowers._
Growing up a Red Sox fan in the late 90s/early 2000s, I can tell you, it was a love/hate relationship with the knuckleball. Sometimes it was amazing but sometimes things just seemed to go off the rails sometimes when Wake took the mound. Took a while to get truly comfortable with having him out there and living or dying by the knuck
A video from this baseball channel is better to watch than a good movie. So entertaining. Very informative. They really make me appreciate the game even more.
I'm only one minute in and already extremely bothered by the statement "It takes NO arm strength!" which is not only categorically wrong, it pisses me off because it perpetuates this ridiculous myth that somehow knuckleballers, well, do not require stamina training or have to deal with fatigue or shoulder wear and tear - they ABSOLUTELY do, and it absolutely does require a great deal of arm strength to stand on a Major League mound and throw ~100 Major League pitches at ~70 mph. I guarantee that any human being who does that every fifth day for 6 straight months will not only require arm strength and training, but will deal with more than normal amounts of pain and discomfort in their shoulder and elbow. Just because they're not throwing 90mph fastballs doesn't mean it doesn't require strength. And it also absolutely does require skill and pitching experience to be a knuckleballer - it's not as if Tim Wakefield EXCLUSIVELY threw the Knuckler in there - he would use it between 55% and 95% in various games, depending how "on" the knuckler was on a given day and whether he was able to consistently throw it for strikes. On days when it was getting hit around, he would throw his fastball and curveball well over a third of the time - it would be effective because he'd throw it out of the same arm-slot and delivery as his knuckler. I can not think of a single Tim Wakefield game in watching his starts for over 15 years where he exclusively threw the knuckleball.
100 percent try to learn the knuckleball I started throwing it about a year ago and it is so frusterating, but when you get it working there is no better feeling. If you have pitchback just stay about 10 feet away from it and throw it as much as you can. For me there is a certain feeling and without even seeing i know its a good one. Do that everyday and it will become such a good pitch
Save 18 minutes: The video is about the Knuckleball. It's a difficult pitch to teach, takes years of training, is too inconsistent for the catcher, and there aren't enough people left to teach it. That's the whole video. You are welcome.
No one throws it because as impossible as it is to square up when it’s perfect, if you get any spin on it by accident, it’s a duck that batters tee off on, since they’ve already adjusted for the timing of a 60ish MPH delivery. It’s almost impossible to be perfect in anything. RIP to Wake, he got shelled at times, but he’s been as far as longevity wise has been the anomaly in the modern era. Great video, worth the watch. You hit every pro, and con. And admittedly, I started typing during video. Just found the channel. Really great stuff!! Sub for sure, man
One thing I just realized while watching this - Wilbur was labelled by BDE as an "Old Man" playing baseball at 47. Gordie Howe played in the NHL at age 52 and was named an all star! There's others in many sports who have played into their 40s and been called "old men" by that time, including guys like Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, Chris Chelios, Janamir Jagr, to name a few. Howe was effective enough to be an all star in the NHL at 52. He also got to play on a line with his sons, a feat I've only heard of with Ken Griffey Jr and Sr playing a season together with the Mariners.
You know you're the best baseball youtuber, right? Side note, i sucked when i played baseball. Too old to try to learn the knuckleball at this point. Perhaps i could invent a pitch machine that pitches knuckleballs. Or do they already have that?
I was a pitcher in high school and I threw the knuckle, sinker, and circle changeup mostly. To help, the day I pitched I'd have my friend sharpen my fingernails into little points (kept my nails long on that hand) and then she'd use the clear nail polish hardener on them.
RA got me into baseball. Didn't care much for it beforehand but when I saw some of his highlights, that got me started watching him and eventually just started enjoying baseball in general.
6:40 Frank Viola's son had a long minor-league career as a knuckleballer, and I've seen Frank Viola himself coaching his son on throwing the knuckleball, but I'm quite sure Viola Sr. never tried to come back as a knuckleballer.
Wasn't a pitcher, but mastered this pitch. Used to throw so many knuckleballs that my cuticles bled. Its so fun to throw because they're all different.
RIP Tim Wakefield. So many incredible memories and what a great human he was. He would have been the MVP of the ALCS in 2003 had we didn't lose on that Aaron Boone game winner, but we won the next year so it turned out ok at the end. Really sad to see him die so young...a true legend.
Wow you just keep getting better and better!! Took only 2 hours after posting this video for Matt Waldron to get sent down 😂. But really start using your powers for good(the Orioles)!! So next vid is on the Yankees and Judge's season 😆
This video was super interesting! I always thought the knuckleball was a joke, but it's wild how much skill it really takes! ⚾️ Also, can we talk about how Tim Wakefield had such an amazing impact? Just goes to show, baseball's full of surprises! 😄
Another aspect of using a knuckleball as primarily and out pitch is if you throw one that tumbles it can act as a change of speed pitch like a changup or forkball both pitches use minimal but not zero spin and can be effective.
RIP to Wakefield but I’m so glad to see a couple knuckleballers coming into the big leagues we need more of them in the game it makes for an interesting watch
Good video, but may want to edit it for misinformation. Don’t know where you got the source, but Chris Nowlin never was picked up or played for the reds. He just played independent ball.
I did record the best spin rates in pro baseball, thought. But yeah, never with the REDs nor do I charge $4K for lessons or provide housing. Don't know where they are getting any of this... plus, the kid says "HOW" instead of Hough and Charlie's on the Mount Rushmore of knuckleballs.
I can't believe you made a nearly twenty minute video on the knuckleball and how hard it is to catch without including this classic from Bob Uecker, "The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling and then pick it up."
Lol I thought about that quote, it was in an old baseball video game.
@@davidsmith40769 It's a loading screen quote in Out Of The Park
😄
I like you
Lmao that’s awesome
I'm Chris the guy featured at 4:07 + 7:01 and founder of Knuckleball Nation... I DO NOT CHARGE $4,000 or provide housing! I offer an hour-and-a-half instructional video for $95, Patreon+Discord online academy for $49, personal lessons for $150/hour and Worldwide Clinics featuring legends like Charlie HUFF for around $400 per pitcher... and no housing. That's one you... don't know where they come up with these lies.
Why would he lie about that wtf
Comment sorting needs to put this higher
Insane that this isn’t the top comment
@hyungunn I've been reaching out to them to fix their error because I believe it's hurting my business
Tim Wakefield saved the Pirates in that 1992 postseason. RIP Tim you will never be forgotten. Also favorite highlight of Wakefield was when he dualed another Knuckleballer Steve Sparks of the Tigers back in 2000, what a game.
Steve Sparks is a radio announcer for the Astros. I wish he would talk more about his playing days. It’s very interesting!
He also was a literal cy young contender for most of the 1996 season. Until the end of the season when he tailed off really bad at one point he had the best stats of any picture in the league over halfway into the season
pitchers duels makes a boring game even more boring. not all time classics or remembered by the majority. the game i remember most was that 18 inning dodgers vs redsoxs game. thats what fans actually pay to see. not boring pitchers duels
Yes, he did it was a great post season. I was so angry at Stand Belinda
Wakefield was my favorite pitcher on the Sox. I was lucky to grow up when the sox had their great teams in the late 90s early 2000's. We always had aces - Clemens, Pedro, Schilling, legends at the top of the rotation. They came and went - but when I say there wasn't a better no. 3 or 4 started in baseball during that stretch - he ate innings, pitched on short rest, came in relief, and his stuff was so good I remember he even closed out games. Wouldn't have won our title without him. When he had a good night and his knuckleball was moving, he was THE guy, THE ace - Absolutely unhittable - man he was something to watch when they went to play the rays down in tropicana, something about the air there that would make that ball flutter. RIP
As a former knuckleball pitcher, this is the best video I've ever watched on the pitch.
One correction - as a lifelong DFW resident and Texas Rangers fan, Charlie Hough's last name is pronounced "Huff", not "How". He's the one who made me want to learn how to throw the knuckleball. Props to the GOAT!
Thanks for the great vid!
Howdy fellow DFW resident & Texas Rangers fan. I don't miss the old Arlington Stadium though. I used to be in Boy Scouts & our troop would get tickets & the only part we got to sit in was the outfield bleachers.
People always ask who's on first, never how's on first
Half this video is false or misleading
One of Hough's catchers, Jim Sunberg, was from my hometown. When he was in high school and college, he volunteered with the local little league. Got some pointers from him before he went on to become a multiple gold-glove winning catcher (a streak that Hough had a lot to do with ending!).
@@davidzauhar6813
Hold on a second. You know Jim Sundberg but don't know his name?
Why doesn't any throw the best pitch in baseball? Well that seems to have an obvious answer: Because Baseball doesn't exist.
baseballs don't exist
Tired ass comment.
bro everyone says the same thing every video "baseball doesnt exist, thats why! 🤓"
@DavadWilson, a man who never makes a bde joke, is never whole man.
@@plebianmarsh2373 oh nah
These dudes are throwing knuckle balls at like 70+ mph. I wouldn't say that takes "no athletic ability" "no arm strength" or that "anyone can learn it". I'd bet well over 50% of people on earth can't throw a baseball 70+ mph anywhere near a strike zone even 5/10 times.
90% can’t throw a strike 5/10 times at any speed…
Think of the number of female, obese & uncoordinated to the point of it being a pseudo disability.
I'd be surprised if 5% could do it let alone 50
most people can't make a throw to the plate from the mound.
You could probably get most men to throw 60mph with coaching and conditiong
@@YOSSARIAN313 without coaching though you can’t play catch with a non baseball player past 90 feet. It becomes fetch…
So you're telling me, alls my dad had to do when we were standing in the backyard in 110 degree heat in the middle of summer when I was 12, was teach me 1 friggin' pitch & I could've gone pro instead of "disappointing him" for not getting a D1 sports scholarship.
I sure hope your dad was a D1 athlete or he doesn’t have a lot of room to judge.
@jag1892 I'd bet he wasn't. Most overzealous sports dad's weren't even good athletes when they were young.
Sorry you had to feel like a disappointment. That sounds rough. But also that pitch is incredibly hard to get right
Yes
It sounds like you can start when you are old though so its not too late
As the video talks about, knuckleballers have a lot of problems. The catcher can't catch it, it is easily stolen, and if it doesn't bend, it is just a slow fastball. Still, it is a changeable ball that does not seem to be going extinct, and as a viewer, I find it very romantic.
as seen later in the video, it's probably not too great if it's the only ball you can throw, but an all around great pitcher who can also throw a knucke ball here and there when the batter is not expecting it, is worth his weight in gold IMO.
because even if you mess up the knuckle ball and it becomes a slow fast ball, if slow fast ball is not what the batter's expecting, he might just miss it anyway.
That's right, I find Waldron use of the knuckle ball to be very effective. I think the chances of a full time knuckleballer being successful in MLB or NPB are infinitesimally small.
@@windhelmguard5295 Depends. If a guy has a really nasty one he should throw it like 80-90%. The best knuckle ballers have put up way better numbers than Waldron so far.
RIP Tim Wakefield
Man totally forgot that 😔 RIP
Rip🕊
RIP Tim 😢
Feel so bad for his kids, I can’t even begin to imagine what losing both your parents in 5 months would be like
Fr
That Boston story should be a movie! Like whattt 😂
That entire Yankees Red Sox rivalry was a movie.. what a great time for baseball. Those were the days..
Crazy that they traded away the only catcher who could handle it without testing their other catchers first 😂
Actual bush league mistakes.
@the_stixXx it was. It needed a round 3 though. I don't include 1999 ALCS as part 1, that was still dynasty era.
2002 - 2009 ish, King Kong vs Godzilla.
The two classics in 2003 and 04.
2005 was a great year for the rivalry too, went right down to the last weekend.
2006 with the August massacre.
And 2007 had the makings of ALCS Smackdown Part 3 but a swarm of bugs cost the Yanks the LDS.
I remember sitting in the stands for the inaugural game of the Marlins and watching old Charlie Hough shuffled up to the mound and absolutely destroy hot bat after hot bath throwing nothing but dead slow knuckleballs. I think he threw a 48 mph strike that day.
I saw that game also. Not in person but I lived there at the time. I also remember watching Neikro as a kid throw with the braves. It was crazy to me how someone who appeared so old could hang with the athletes in their primes.
And then he’d walk back to the dugout and smoke a cigarette. Yes, really. Between innings, he looked like your uncle who worked “down at the plant.”
@@mshiver77 the one that didn’t believe in wearing PPE? yep.
I was there in RF stands strawberry strawberry ... great to see Charlie Hugh ( Huff) from Heliegh High school in miami open for the marlins ! he had big hands and could throw a baskball with no spin lol !
@@winnieraygo6994
-Hialeah
-Hough
As a 40 year old woman who has loved baseball my entire life, some very stupid part of my brain keeps watching this and thinking, ah-ha! I do have a path to make it to the MLB!
I definitely do not, but it's nice to dream.
Females like MLB?
@@TiagoGomez-hb9te there's nothing in the world that all males like/dislike, and there's nothing in the world that all females like/dislike.
Everybody likes different stuff. It's not even remotely surprising to see a woman who likes baseball..... Have you ever even been to a baseball game? Because it seems like you think it's 100% dudes....?
That's great; seriously.
For real. When he mentioned the Knuckleball Academy I imagined myself going there for like 1 second until he said the price.
@@TiagoGomez-hb9tefemales are real?
My favorite part was at 14:27
Same. Thought the vid had stopped but my brain was still making up the audio.
@@mrspoon1259yo that’s such a perfect description
Fr fr
Weirdly sloppy editing
@@emeraldaly7646 To be fair mistakes happen. Usually the editing on this channel is on point. I think they deserve a little slack. They fucked up my brain for a second but it was funny.
14:04 I'm old so I remember watching him, Charlie Hough's name is pronounced "huff," like "puff"
The correct pronunciation hʌf is in his Wikipedia page
Was coming to offer the same note … I remember him from the first Marlins squad, and the announcers always called him “Huff,” not “Howe”
Other than that tiny little thing, terrific vid as usual :)
Your memory is not failing you.
I remember Charlie Hough with the Dodgers. He could still get guys out. You never knew if the next batter would be a strikeout or a home run. The catchers used extra large gloves. Very entertaining
Unfortunate timing on this video for Waldron since his last 3 games were awful for him. Still heated about his 10 ER last night against the Twins.
I was gunna say the same thing. He’s been ass since buddy started editing this video hahaha
We still won the series against them. But man, I hope he can get over that mental barrier. We need him
Glad somebody mentioned it. He's been off.
Dude that was the one game my dad got tickets for lol. He could've chosen them for the next night but he wanted to see the Twins and then Waldron gave up 10 runs and totally ruined him. (He thinks he's cursed because whenever he starts watching the game they start sucking)
And he just got sent down to the minors
I'm blown away by the quality of this video. Amazing facts and research. Extremely well done!
0:53 *THE LAST NAME OF A LEGEND*
He hit .600 for the '97 marlins
General Booty.
Idk if they're related but there's a college qb named General Booty now
@@coole29 That is his nephew
In 2011 I went to a game at Fenway park they were playing the Seattle Mariners and although I loved my Sox my favorite pitcher at the time was Felix Hernandez he was a special special player and arguably the best in the game at this point but on that same day I watched the old knuckleball legend Tim Wakefield our pitch and beat him!!! I’ll NEVER forget that game and being in crowd thinking how awesome Wakefield was…..RIP legend ❤
14:27 We've been betrayed.
Wdym
i got changed! ogs saw a yt recomendation page
That Doug Mirabelli story is one of the silliest, most convoluted sports stories I have ever heard. Hundreds if not thousands of people's flight's delayed, across the country, they traded away multiple quality players, favours called in with air traffic controllers and Boston city police, a sitcom-esque series of delays to start the game just so Mirabelli could make it on time. And ALL of this just to avoid losing a primetime game against their bitter rivals, and to that end, it worked 😂😂 baseball, truly, does not exist
I pitched for decades and started to throw the knuckle, well try to throw it, when I was young, very young in fact, probably 10-12. It took literal years for me to be able to establish it in an actual game setting. Not an easy pitch to throw and learn. Especially back then when there was no net or guides.
1. No you didn’t 😂
2. The rest is a lie
@@PaulManninggYou do realize that things do indeed actually happen in the World, right? Not everything is a made up story. I wouldn't be surprised by this. I was a kid doing organized sports from the late 90s to 2010. With Baseball, everyone was trying to throw Knucklers. There was a Ban on Sliders for kids back then. We weren't even supposed to throw Curves unless we did it without a Wrist or elbow Flick (you'd do it by having a diagonal throwing motion instead) because of myths about destroying your arm if you threw sliders and such in your teens. I ran into a lot of Knucklers, and every single one of them was a crazy Ball or an outright Meatball. I loved every Knuckleball I ever saw, and I have no doubt the "OP" was serving up Meatballs left and right to kids back then.
@@PaulManninggrude, maybe bro is goated
Sure, buddy. And Nolan Ryan was your teeball coach.
@@tonycordero6105 Ironically, Ryan (and an ex player named Walt Weiss) were indeed coaches in my younger years. Granted it was a camp. I am actually quite surprised that people would find such a thing hard to believe. Unfortunate what the world is now. Glad I only have a few years left as this society is truly different from what it once was. Best to you all.
I love having Waldron on the Padres. He had a rough outing yesterday, but I truly hope he gets better. The upside of him having good pitches like cutters, sliders, fastballs, to go with a nasty knuckleball is worth it. I think a problem he’s had is if his knuckleball ain’t “knuckling,” and it’s just a meatball, he then has to lean on his other pitches which still need developing. If he can consistently get his fastball to 94mph, and have a good sweeper and cutter, he can still be competitive while having the best secret weapon in baseball
Waldron will bounce back!
They optioned him to AAA. Unbelievable. Hope he’s back with the club soon. He belongs here
@@watso014 that was probably a precaution to get his pitching right, without costing the Padres games. It’s not a demotion I don’t think. But rather a chance for him to get it figured out.
14:11 😂 editor said fuck it here
In 2016 my parents took me to LA (we're from the Netherlands) to see a Dodger game, which was a lifelong dream of mine. They were playing the Red Sox (sort of my favorite AL team), so I was hyped af!!! Got to see al my heroes like Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Big Papi. Mookie Betts etc... The starting pitcher for the Red Sox was Steven Wright. I didn't know he was having an amazing year as a pitcher. I soon learned why... He pitched a 9 innings, 3 hit game. He absolutely dominated. Was extremely sad that the only opportunity (probably) I had in my life to see the Dodgers play, they got destroyed by this amazingly simple pitch... (The Friday Night Fireworks made it a bit more bearable)
Baseball doesn't exists dropped a video on the knuckleball, oh boy I can finally die happy
I’ve been following Chris Nowlin for years! I taught myself to throw the knuckleball as a freshman in high school in 2014 and have been throwing it ever since! I’ve watched every video on his channel. Awesome to see him getting some recognition!
Thank you, sir. Hope you're keeping up with everything that's happening over at Knuckleball Nation. Just filmed a video with DSARM that comes out this week.
I can't believe this guy makes such good videos about a sport that doesn't even exist
He creates such deep lore, but this stretches believability a bit -- a guy born without a UCL learns a magic pitch and becomes so good he earns what's called a "Cy Young" award? Yeah ok, I like my stories more realistic.
This is a quite padded out video. Maybe 8 minutes of info in this 19 minute video
AI is getting crazy with generating clips for a made up sport
I don’t even like baseball, but this gets me pumped.
I've been loving knuckleball compilations lately, this upload came at the right time
0:31 That’s Legendary
And also a lie. You honestly think they were trying and not just being nice?
14:05 His name is pronounced Huff.
Good, I wasn't the only one who noticed.
I used to pronounce his name Hoh like "though" but it wasn't until I moved to Texas that I learned his name was pronounced Huff like "rough." Not sure where the How pronunciation came from.
yeah that caught me too, heard his name so many times I didn't even think about how it was spelled, just pronounced.
@@ILoveMisty1985 Probably from the word "out" and "dough".
The best way to catch a knuckle ball is to wait for it to stop rolling then pick it up. -Bob Uecker
RIP the goat of knuckleballs, Tim Wakefield
Phil Neikro
I love Tim Wakefield as a pitcher and human.
But Neikro was 100% better.
Wakefield was a cool dude...but 4.41 Career ERA. Good back of the rotation piece if you were willing to keep .231 BA Doug Mirabelli on your active roster to catch for him.
RA Dickey?
The real GOAT of knuckleballs would probably be a cricket player, since it is so much more viable there... I imagine maybe someone like Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Dwayne Bravo
I haven’t watched baseball since the 90s, not a single inning let alone a game, but I love this channel. Great stuff.
even though I was vaguely aware of all this, it is fascinating to see this all laid out in detail like this.
You could always tell when Dickey was going to have a bad night because he would have all kinds of topspin on his knuckleball. The more spin, the easier a knuckleball is to hit. My dad threw knuckle balls at me for BP and you don't try to smash them, you try to make line drive contact and hope it gets over the infielders. 😂
0:19 is an eephus
No. That's Phil Niekro. The greatest knuckleballer of all time.
ohh thats what i thought at first but i wasnt sure
We had a kid named Eddie Gamboa who I always hoped would have the trajectory that Waldron HAS enjoyed. Gamboa was our pitcher when we beat Stanford in the NCAA regional, then got drafted in the middle to late rounds. Somewhere along the way, he started working with Phil Niekro to develop his knuckler and had a few different opportunities to ascend the ranks to the big club, including (for some reason) two with Baltimore.
Where I was hopeful for Eddie is that he could use his knuckler off his fastball and curve. Neither of those "normal" pitches were MLB quality, but if his knuckler could get good enough, he could end up with an intriguing mix of pitches where he only needed the knuckleball about a third of the time. That's quite different from a guy like Wake, who pretty much threw no other pitch throughout his career. Things never panned out, plus I always wonder if his PED suspension was the ultimate undoing in his progress.
I wish someone like that would try play cricket, where his knuckle would actually make sense and these flaws would not matter as much... If you know the guy maybe offer him
This is my best pitch by far. I only go out to mess around with buddies after work. I only started throwing it because I'm garbage and picked it up by fluke. Pretty funny to see my friends dive while chasing it.
1:34 I love how this implies he was arrested because he was so bad
This man puts way too much effort into his videos about a sport that doesn't exist. The clips look so real.
He should look up how to pronounce the names of these fictional characters.
Great video. I do want to mention that Bill James wrote about the history of the knuckleball a while ago and learned that Waldron's speed and arsenal was once the default way to throw a knuckleball. He even predicted its return despite the all slow knuckle balls all the time approach having reigned for decades at that point. This was before Dickey, too.
18:29 video ends btw
Sweet thanks man
Living proof the knuckleball can get you a job. I’ve been out the game since junior year of high school that’s 2012 for you young folks. Long story short I went to an independent league tryout in 2022 and I got signed 2 years later I am still on the roster chasing this dream. The knuckleball is such an art I’ve never had anyone teach me how to throw it as a Yankees fan the years of watching Tim Wakefield deal it definitely inspired me to throw it. Looking forward to training at knuckleball nation this offseason!
WHAT HAPPENED AT 14:27!
NSFW
Too bloody for tv
Copyright BS.
As a life long Red Sox fan I got to enjoy many games of great knuckleballs, and many games of terrible knuckleballs. RIP Wakefield, one of my all-time favorite Red Sox pitchers.
What about the screwball?
Fernando Valenzuela literally set the baseball world on fire because of how well he could throw the screwball.
Was about to say this. Isn't there a guy back in the league this year who finally has a screwball again?
@@willlasdf123 Had to look it up but it's Brent Honeywell.
the screwball has an unfounded reputation for injuring pitchers (statistics show that the screwball actually puts less stress on the elbow than many of the most common pitches) don't take my word for it though, i just remember learning that from another youtube video, i don't know shit about baseball.
How does one go about literally setting the baseball world on fire
I know very little about the game of baseball but I was mesmerized by this history of the knuckleball. Who knew pitching a ball could be this fascinating to watch?
god damn the music was so hype for this video 😂🤣
ruclips.net/user/shortsBmc9NFfhx74?si=TiKXf5cRWajHBknV
ruclips.net/user/shortsBmc9NFfhx74?si=TiKXf5cRWajHBknV
I’m Australian. I have never watched baseball in my life. But I love this channel
2:50 is the grossest pitch this year
Doug Mirabelli was my favorite player on the 1992 single-A San Jose Giants. Super player, loads of hustle. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
And like an hour after this video was released Waldron was demoted following a disasterous start against the Twins.
As a kid, my favorite pitcher was Tom Candiotti. Watching his pitches dance, hearing all the praise that his catchers got, made me want to become a catcher myself!
OMG...At 6:47 in the video, that's the exact grip on the ball I used as a pitcher and led 3 different little league teams to championships in 1961, 1962, 1963. The ball did some nasty stuff. Never pitched again after those 3 years. Still have newspaper pictures of my teams winning the championships. My nickname those years was "Muscleman", cause I use to hit all the homers also.
Right…
either ur lying or you peeked at 12 years old both are pretty sad
I umpire little league and I just had a knuckler pitcher this last season. I didn’t pay attention during warmups and he threw one and I was like in awe amazement as the pitch is coming in and almost forgot to call it a strike. It’s so cool, it’s an awesome pitch if you can throw it because those batters are never balanced swinging. It’s crazy
Rest in peace to the great Tim Wakefield
I remember when R.A. Dickey made The Show with the Knuckleball. I played my friend in MLB 2k, and he chose the Nats for Strausburg's insane fastball, so I chose the Mets for the polar opposite in pitch speed. Then a few years later I was playing Fantasy and meme drafted him,,, and, he had his CY Young season!
There's nothing better than watching MLB Hitters look completely foolish trying to hit a 65MPH Knuckleball!! Especially when they fall down swinging. God, I love Baseball......
But it doesn't exist..
The bit about them also being really hard to catch for the catcher sounds like a great setup for a buddy comedy film. Just imagine the hijinx a pitcher and catcher could get up to, being unbeatable together but also stuck together as a duo on a team for them to both succeed.
No Mets RA Dickey clips in the opening of this video - hurts my feelings.
by far the best knuckler of all time
My first ever game was seeing Wake pitch a Complete Game against the Ken Griffey Jr. mariners in 97 at Fenway Park. RIP to a legend.
In Triple Play 98 (the *GOAT* of baseball video games) a knuckleball is a demon pitch. All over the place.
I made a player, named after my middle school language arts teacher, who could throw the nasty knuckler and had a 95+ fastball and nasty slider.
Dominated that game with _Larry Bowers._
MVP 2005 buddy.
World Series 95 for Sega had a shit ton of knuckleballers
MLB Slugfest 2003 only has a couple of knuckleballers, but using one with turbo is utterly insane, it literally zig-zags all over the place
Growing up a Red Sox fan in the late 90s/early 2000s, I can tell you, it was a love/hate relationship with the knuckleball. Sometimes it was amazing but sometimes things just seemed to go off the rails sometimes when Wake took the mound. Took a while to get truly comfortable with having him out there and living or dying by the knuck
Wake up babe BDE just uploaded another banger ‼️
Big Dick Energy?
It is so much fun to watch a knuckleballer when his stuff is working. I loved watching Tim Wakefield back in his days with the Pirates.
Matt Waldron just got demoted rip
My son is a knuckleballer he hasn`t given a hit in 2 years after having a 5.55 era now he has a 1.17😊 Lets goo
Another goated video by the goat
Frfr
A video from this baseball channel is better to watch than a good movie. So entertaining. Very informative. They really make me appreciate the game even more.
Loved the video, but I'm not a fan of the background track. Feels like the start screen music of a Need for Speed game from the early 2010s
I'm only one minute in and already extremely bothered by the statement "It takes NO arm strength!" which is not only categorically wrong, it pisses me off because it perpetuates this ridiculous myth that somehow knuckleballers, well, do not require stamina training or have to deal with fatigue or shoulder wear and tear - they ABSOLUTELY do, and it absolutely does require a great deal of arm strength to stand on a Major League mound and throw ~100 Major League pitches at ~70 mph. I guarantee that any human being who does that every fifth day for 6 straight months will not only require arm strength and training, but will deal with more than normal amounts of pain and discomfort in their shoulder and elbow. Just because they're not throwing 90mph fastballs doesn't mean it doesn't require strength.
And it also absolutely does require skill and pitching experience to be a knuckleballer - it's not as if Tim Wakefield EXCLUSIVELY threw the Knuckler in there - he would use it between 55% and 95% in various games, depending how "on" the knuckler was on a given day and whether he was able to consistently throw it for strikes. On days when it was getting hit around, he would throw his fastball and curveball well over a third of the time - it would be effective because he'd throw it out of the same arm-slot and delivery as his knuckler. I can not think of a single Tim Wakefield game in watching his starts for over 15 years where he exclusively threw the knuckleball.
100 percent try to learn the knuckleball I started throwing it about a year ago and it is so frusterating, but when you get it working there is no better feeling. If you have pitchback just stay about 10 feet away from it and throw it as much as you can. For me there is a certain feeling and without even seeing i know its a good one. Do that everyday and it will become such a good pitch
Save 18 minutes:
The video is about the Knuckleball.
It's a difficult pitch to teach, takes years of training, is too inconsistent for the catcher, and there aren't enough people left to teach it.
That's the whole video. You are welcome.
No one throws it because as impossible as it is to square up when it’s perfect, if you get any spin on it by accident, it’s a duck that batters tee off on, since they’ve already adjusted for the timing of a 60ish MPH delivery.
It’s almost impossible to be perfect in anything. RIP to Wake, he got shelled at times, but he’s been as far as longevity wise has been the anomaly in the modern era.
Great video, worth the watch. You hit every pro, and con. And admittedly, I started typing during video.
Just found the channel. Really great stuff!! Sub for sure, man
No idea how I much I love this Chanel. Keeps me in tune with baseball ⚾️
One thing I just realized while watching this - Wilbur was labelled by BDE as an "Old Man" playing baseball at 47. Gordie Howe played in the NHL at age 52 and was named an all star! There's others in many sports who have played into their 40s and been called "old men" by that time, including guys like Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, Chris Chelios, Janamir Jagr, to name a few. Howe was effective enough to be an all star in the NHL at 52. He also got to play on a line with his sons, a feat I've only heard of with Ken Griffey Jr and Sr playing a season together with the Mariners.
You know you're the best baseball youtuber, right? Side note, i sucked when i played baseball. Too old to try to learn the knuckleball at this point. Perhaps i could invent a pitch machine that pitches knuckleballs. Or do they already have that?
4:52 most pitchers actually need 4 days of rest. I don't think I've ever heard of a 6-man rotation that gives 5 days of rest.
I was a pitcher in high school and I threw the knuckle, sinker, and circle changeup mostly. To help, the day I pitched I'd have my friend sharpen my fingernails into little points (kept my nails long on that hand) and then she'd use the clear nail polish hardener on them.
RA got me into baseball. Didn't care much for it beforehand but when I saw some of his highlights, that got me started watching him and eventually just started enjoying baseball in general.
What a great time for this to upload this! Waldron has been sent down 😂
6:40 Frank Viola's son had a long minor-league career as a knuckleballer, and I've seen Frank Viola himself coaching his son on throwing the knuckleball, but I'm quite sure Viola Sr. never tried to come back as a knuckleballer.
It's unbelievable that this guy creates such excellent videos on a nonexistent sport.
bro ur the best baseball you tuber of all time and its not even close please upload more
30-40% knuckle is always how I played baseball video games thought it was normal lol
I wish baseball existed it sounds so fun
you do so much for baseball in making it interesting for me, love this channel
Best baseball video I've ever watched dude, Well Done.
Wasn't a pitcher, but mastered this pitch. Used to throw so many knuckleballs that my cuticles bled. Its so fun to throw because they're all different.
RIP Tim Wakefield. So many incredible memories and what a great human he was. He would have been the MVP of the ALCS in 2003 had we didn't lose on that Aaron Boone game winner, but we won the next year so it turned out ok at the end. Really sad to see him die so young...a true legend.
The knuckle curve is the latest rage pitchers are learning and using as their strike out pitch 🤙
Wow you just keep getting better and better!! Took only 2 hours after posting this video for Matt Waldron to get sent down 😂. But really start using your powers for good(the Orioles)!! So next vid is on the Yankees and Judge's season 😆
This video was super interesting! I always thought the knuckleball was a joke, but it's wild how much skill it really takes! ⚾️ Also, can we talk about how Tim Wakefield had such an amazing impact? Just goes to show, baseball's full of surprises! 😄
1:10 the umpire didn’t know what to call there 💀
That kid's shrug of helplessness at 0:33 sums it all up.
Another aspect of using a knuckleball as primarily and out pitch is if you throw one that tumbles it can act as a change of speed pitch like a changup or forkball both pitches use minimal but not zero spin and can be effective.
This channel is sooo good. How does it not have more subscribers?
RIP to Wakefield but I’m so glad to see a couple knuckleballers coming into the big leagues we need more of them in the game it makes for an interesting watch
Good video, but may want to edit it for misinformation. Don’t know where you got the source, but Chris Nowlin never was picked up or played for the reds. He just played independent ball.
I did record the best spin rates in pro baseball, thought. But yeah, never with the REDs nor do I charge $4K for lessons or provide housing. Don't know where they are getting any of this... plus, the kid says "HOW" instead of Hough and Charlie's on the Mount Rushmore of knuckleballs.