Nick Pettit
Mrs. Sexton
English 10
8 April 2017
Where was the Spin?
The knuckleball has arrived with a bang to the game of baseball, but most people do not know the knuckleball has been thrown for a long time in Major League Baseball. The evolution of the game of baseball has recently brought more pitchers who can consistently throw a knuckleball for a strike.
I. Introduction
A. What is a knuckleball?
B. Why does it work?
II. Science of a knuckleball
A. The spin
B. The laces
III. Knuckleballers
A. R.A. Dickey
B. Phil Nierko
C. Tim Wakefield
IV. Effects of knuckleballers
A. Hitter’s mindset
B. Catcher’ mindset
V. Conclusion
A. Summary of knuckleball
B. Summary of impact Where Was the Spin?
The knuckleball has taken over the game of baseball …show more content…
The hitter is most affected by the sporadic pitch. Most hitters have the mindset of hitting the fastball and adjusting to a breaking ball. The zig-zag movement of the knuckleball totally throws off a hitter. Adding a third type of pitch to the situation makes hitters feel more unsure about their approach to the plate. The MLB’s all-time hits leader Pete Rose said “I work for three weeks to get my swing down pat and Phil messes it up in one night. Trying to hit that thing is a miserable way to make a living”, about hitting a knuckleball (Nowlin). A knuckleball has the ability to make even the best hitters look silly at the plate. The knuckleball also changes the mindset of the catcher behind the plate. Bob Uecher, former catcher for Phil and Joe Niekro, said “Wait’ll it stops rolling, then go pick it up”, about trying to catch a good knuckleball (Nowlin). The shake of a knuckleball completely disrupts the hand-eye coordination used to catch a ball. The last second movement could cause the catcher completely miss the ball (Memmot). Normally, teams have a dedicated knuckleball catcher if their team has a knuckleball pitcher. That catcher is the only one who catches those
Mrs. Sexton
English 10
8 April 2017
Where was the Spin?
The knuckleball has arrived with a bang to the game of baseball, but most people do not know the knuckleball has been thrown for a long time in Major League Baseball. The evolution of the game of baseball has recently brought more pitchers who can consistently throw a knuckleball for a strike.
I. Introduction
A. What is a knuckleball?
B. Why does it work?
II. Science of a knuckleball
A. The spin
B. The laces
III. Knuckleballers
A. R.A. Dickey
B. Phil Nierko
C. Tim Wakefield
IV. Effects of knuckleballers
A. Hitter’s mindset
B. Catcher’ mindset
V. Conclusion
A. Summary of knuckleball
B. Summary of impact Where Was the Spin?
The knuckleball has taken over the game of baseball …show more content…
The hitter is most affected by the sporadic pitch. Most hitters have the mindset of hitting the fastball and adjusting to a breaking ball. The zig-zag movement of the knuckleball totally throws off a hitter. Adding a third type of pitch to the situation makes hitters feel more unsure about their approach to the plate. The MLB’s all-time hits leader Pete Rose said “I work for three weeks to get my swing down pat and Phil messes it up in one night. Trying to hit that thing is a miserable way to make a living”, about hitting a knuckleball (Nowlin). A knuckleball has the ability to make even the best hitters look silly at the plate. The knuckleball also changes the mindset of the catcher behind the plate. Bob Uecher, former catcher for Phil and Joe Niekro, said “Wait’ll it stops rolling, then go pick it up”, about trying to catch a good knuckleball (Nowlin). The shake of a knuckleball completely disrupts the hand-eye coordination used to catch a ball. The last second movement could cause the catcher completely miss the ball (Memmot). Normally, teams have a dedicated knuckleball catcher if their team has a knuckleball pitcher. That catcher is the only one who catches those