THE KNUCKLERS

It all started in 1907 when Lew ‘Hicks’ Moren, the inventor of the knuckle ball, and Eddie Cicotte were developing the knuckler into their out pitch. The pitch itself has saved many a career: all you have to do is reference R. A. Dickey on the New York Mets. Between 1907 and today, there have been some very successful knuckleballers. Many of these pitchers pitched beyond a expected typical career, prolonging it to their 40’s and even 50’s. Here are a few:

Jesse "Pop" Haines (1918-1937)

Haines pitched until age 43, winning 20 games three times. He won three World Series titles with the Cardinals and finished with a 210-158 record. In 1920, he showed how durable knuckleballers could by pitching 301.2 innings in 47 appearances, including 37 starts as a rookie, all career bests. He also threw a no-hitter on July 17, 1924, and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1970 by the Veteran’s Committee.

Ted Lyons (1923-1946)

On August 21, 1926, Lyons threw a no-hitter against the Red Sox in 67 minutes. Lyons finished his career with 260 wins and 1,073 strikeouts, Lyons' 3.67 ERA is the second highest among Hall of Famers, and is the only pitcher in the Hall to have walked (1,121) more batters than he struck out. Although the knuckler was his main itch, he was effective because he threw an assortment of pitches that would set up his knuckler.

Emil "Dutch" Leonard (1933-1953)

Leonard joined the Atlanta Crackers of the Class AA Southern Association with the hope he could rediscover his groove, after the Brooklyn Dodgers gave up on him while in his mid-20’s with a sore arm in 1936. Leonard discovered he could work a good knuckleball, which got him back on the train to the majors back to the majors. Pitching a total of 20 major leagues seasons, Dutch went 191-181 with 1,170 strikeouts and a 3.25 ERA. In 1945 Leonard became part of a Washington Senators four-man starting rotation that included only knuckleballers.

Johnny Niggeling (1938-1946)

Niggeling was 34 years old when he broke into the big leagues in 1938. In nine seasons, he finished in the top ten in ERA three times and strikeouts twice. In 1945, Niggeling joined up with Emil Dutch Leonard who was one of the four pitchers in the Senators' famous all-knuckleballer rotation.

Hoyt Wilhelm (1952-1972)

One of my personal favorites, having been around a long time, Hoyt Wilhelm pitched for numerous teams, and never wore out his arm. As a 29-year-old rookie with the New York Giants in 1952, Wilhelm led the National League with a 2.43 ERA in 71 relief appearances. For the next 20 years, Wilhelm followed up his rookie season as one of the most durable and talented relief pitchers consistently, of all time. An eight-time All-Star he retired at age 49 with a 2.52 ERA in 2,254.1 total innings, mostly as a relief pitcher. In 1985, Wilhelm became the first reliever ever inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Bob Purkey (1954-1966)

Another of my all-time favorites, Purkey won 129 games and was selected to five All-Star Games in 13 seasons. In 1962 his best season, Purkey went 23-5 with 141 strikeouts and a 2.81 ERA.

 

Wilbur Wood (1961-1978)

In 1967, Wilbur Wood and Hoyt Wilhelm were teammates on the Chicago White Sox. The veteran Wilhelm gave the one-game winner Wood some advice. telling Wood to throw his knuckleball exclusively. That advice made Wood a three-time All-Star and one of the most durable pitchers of all-time. From 1971-1975, Wood pitched a total of 376.2 innings in 1972, finishing his career with 164 wins, 163 of which came in his last 12 years with the White Sox.

 

Jim Bouton (1962-1978)

The author of ‘Ball Four’ a controversial tell all, Yankee, Jim Bouton won a World Series in 1962 and an All-Star berth in 1963. After an arm injury in 1965, he started to fade quickly, and became a reliever into the late 1960’s. Bouton used a knuckleball to keep his career alive as a reliever for the Yankees, Seattle Pilots and Astros.

Phil "Knucksie" Niekro (1964-1987)

Pete Rose once said: "I work for three weeks to get my swing down pat and Phil (Niekro) messes it up in one night." The most famous knuckleballer of all time, Phil Niekro won 318 victories, the most ever by a knuckler and currently 16th most of all-time as a pitcher. Niekro magic number was five; was selected to five All-Star games, and won five Gold Glove Awards! Niekro pitched a no-hitter on August 5, 1973 against the Padres and led the National League in wins twice and ERA once, winning 20 games in three different seasons, with 121 career victories after age 40 the most for any pitcher. Niekro was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.

Joe Niekro (1967-1988)

The younger brother of Phil Niekro had no success in the majors before joining his brother Phil in Atlanta in 1973. Phil tutored his little brother Joe and helped re-master the knuckleball their father had taught them, and Joe's career took off. From 1974-1985, Joe’s ERA was under 4.00! Joe was selected an All-Star in 1979 and earned a World Series ring with the Twins in 1987. He finished his long career with 221 wins and 1,747 strikeouts. The 539 wins between Phil and Joe Niekro are the most combined wins by brothers in Major League history.

Charlie Hough (1970-1994)

Mixing a knuckler with a fastball and slider, Charlie Hough went from a reliever to a starter halfway through his long career. 1984, he led the National League with 17 complete games. Hough finished his career with 2,362 strikeouts and a .500 winning percentage at 216-216. If there is one thing he wished he wasn’t remembered for it is that he is also one of the three Dodgers pitchers to give up a home to Reggie Jackson in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series.

And there you have the most successful knuckleball pitchers of the past, and so…

That’s all I wrote, folks!