Definition of Knuckleball

One of the more famous pitches that can be thrown in baseball has to be the knuckleball. Such a pitch can cause a batter to swing wildly at where the ball should have been, only to find out that it left and went somewhere else.

Nobody really knows where the origin of the term came from. Some attribute it to Charles H. Druery, who was a pitcher in the Blue Ridge League. He taught it to Eddie Rommel of the successful pitch of the Philly Athletics.

The idea behind the pitch is that the pitcher throws it in order to minimize any sort of spin or curve of the ball during the flight. Because of the air flow over the seam of the ball, the ball will move in a wild and erratic motion that can throw batters off. Because of this movement and the inherent difficulty in hitting it, pitchers don't actually need to throw it nearly as hard as they do other pitches.

The knuckleball pitch can actually make it more difficult for the catcher to catch which could be a downside for the outfield team. According to former catcher Bob Uecker, he claimed that the best way to catch a knuckleball is "to wait until it stops rolling and pick it up", which speaks to how difficult it is to catch.

The term knuckleball can also be used in other sports, such as football in regards to free-kicks or volleyball in regards to serving. Such a technique has made such an impact that other sports have taken inspiration from it, which can only speak to how effective the knuckleball is in its home of baseball.