what's a knuckleball worth?

June 20, 2012 9:24 PM

Being a brief intro (on slashdot) to knuckleball physics I'm new to being a baseball fan. And I'm a cubs fan so that probably makes things worse. I get what a slider, fastball, curveball etc. is, but this was something new to me. I'd heard the term though, and now I understand why there's only one pitcher in MLB throwing this, and also why he just threw 2 great games in a row.
posted by Metheglen (8 comments total)

She Throws Like A Girl (previously [slyt])
posted by snaparapans at 9:32 PM on June 20, 2012

The feature of the knuckleball is that it's difficult to predict (because the ball isn't spinning). That makes it harder to hit, which is good, but it also makes it harder to catch. Statistically speaking, you get more passed balls with the knuckleball than with other kinds of pitches, and passed balls are a very bad thing.

It isn't really about finding a pitcher able to throw the knuckleball. It's about whether your catcher is good enough to catch them.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:09 PM on June 20, 2012 [1 favorite]

How R.A. Dickey Fixed His Own Glitches And Found One In Baseball
posted by jjoye at 10:20 PM on June 20, 2012

Jim Bouton. Jim and Elliot Gould and a cat.
posted by vrakatar at 10:36 PM on June 20, 2012

The public radio show and podcast Bullseye from mefi's own YoungAmerican had a great interview with RA Dickey recently.
posted by mollymayhem at 10:42 PM on June 20, 2012

I wear a Dickey in his honor.

(And nothing else)
posted by dirigibleman at 10:53 PM on June 20, 2012

I just got tix for Captain Cheeseburger Sabathia vs. Random Airflow Dickey over at Shitifield sunday night. I'm on the Pepsi Porch, it seems. I'll wear some kind of marker.
posted by vrakatar at 10:53 PM on June 20, 2012

A Dickey is like a Dickie, but you don't know what part of the body it will be covering.
posted by dirigibleman at 10:55 PM on June 20, 2012