Knuckleball Pitchers

A couple of months ago, I asked an innocent question on the Knuckleball HQ Community message board. I had seen the list of pitchers who threw the knuckleball, but wanted to know if anyone had compiled a list of pitchers who made their living with the knuckler, rather than the posted list of guys (like Gibson) who threw it only once or twice in a career.

It seemed like a simple question, and in fact there was a simple answer - Rob Neyer has compiled such a list in the Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers. However, when I got his book, I discovered that beyond the 70 knuckleball pitchers he lists, there are more guys who threw the knuckler than I ever imagined (at least 250). Neyer states that shortly after the knuckleball was introduced, there were a "great number of pitchers" who threw it, but simply referred to it as a "slow ball." Furthermore, in the 30s and 40s, Neyer says: "I suspect that something like half the pitchers in the majors occasionally threw a knuckleball." How times have changed.

This got me thinking. Was it even possible to compile a full list of everyone who threw the knuckler? Maybe not... but it turns out I'm just crazy enough to try. So, after spending a couple weeks reading through the Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers, and probably far too much time researching individual pitchers on the internet, I've compiled what I believe is the most complete list so far of pitchers who threw the knuckleball.

I've broken the list down into four categories, based on how often the pitcher tossed up a knuckler - from real knuckleball pitchers down to guys who threw only one in their career. However, It turns out that even these categories fail to fully capture the diversity of players who have thrown a pitch they called their knuckle ball, fingernail-ball, floater, flutterball, dry-spitter, or Cuban butterfly. So before going to the list, it may help to present a bit of history.

The pitch we now know as the knuckleball was first thrown in the major leagues during the first decade of the twentieth century. Four pitchers: Eddie Cicotte, Ed Summers, Nap Rucker, and Lew "Hicks" Moren were among the first to throw it, and all may have played some part in its invention. It is likely that the pitch was first invented by Eddie Cicotte in the summer of 1905, while he was a teammate of Nap Rucker in the minor leagues.

Cicotte threw the pitch off of his knuckles, hence the name. In the summer of 1906, however, Cicotte and Summers pitched together in the minors, and Summers developed a variation of the pitch he called the "finger-nail ball." This pitch was essentially the same one thrown today by Tim Wakefield, and by the time Cicotte and Summers reached the majors in 1908, both were throwing this "finger-nail ball." Why the term "knuckleball" stuck while "finger-nail ball" and other terms did not remains a mystery.

Some nineteenth century pitchers, such as Toad Ramsey and Old Hoss Radbourn were known to throw a pitch called a "drop-curve" or "dry spitball" which in retrospect, some have said was a knuckleball. However, as Rob Neyer points out, "Ramsey was moderately famous at the turn of the century, and if he'd thrown the dancing variety of the knuckleball, people would have said that when Summers and Cicotte arrived in the majors." A more likely explanation for the pitch thrown in the nineteenth century is that it is some variety of what we now call a knuckle-curve.

This confusion between the knuckleball and the knuckle-curve extended well into the twentieth century, and makes any list of knuckleball pitchers from before WWII somewhat suspect. Some of the most famous knuckleball pitchers from this period, such as Freddie Fitzsimmons and Jessie Haines, may actually not have thrown what we now consider a knuckleball. Based on descriptions of how they threw the pitch, and how the ball behaved on the way to the plate, it seems likely that what they threw would be called a knuckle-curve today. For this reason, I have also included a list of pitchers who threw the knuckle-curve.

Finally, before getting to the list, I want to acknowledge my sources. In compiling this list of knuckleball pitchers, I relied heavily on The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers by Rob Neyer and Bill James, as well as information from baseball-reference.com, baseball-library.com, baseball-almanac.com, thebaseballpage.com, and the Knuckleball Headquarters web site. Any quotes below come from these sources.

Knuckleball Pitchers

These are the guys who were known for throwing the knuckleball. Using Rob Neyer's definition, this includes any pitcher "who would not have been in the majors without his knuckleball, or whose knuckleball was considered his best pitch, at least for a time."

Name	T	Career	Notes
John Anderson	R	1958-62	Threw the knuckleball sidearm.
Gene Bearden	L	1947-53	Threw 80% knucklers.
Clarence Beers	R	1948	Pitched 2/3 inning for the Cardinals.
Wade Boggs	R	1997-99	Pitched twice in his career (2.1 INN). Threw 16 knucklers in a 17 pitch inning in 97.
Dan Boone	L	1981-90	Threw 80% knucklers in his 1990 comeback.
Jim Bouton	R	1962-78	Switched to a knuckleball pitcher in 69 after arm injury.
Joe Bowman	R	1932-45	Became a knuckleball pitcher after returning from WWII.
Hal Brown	R	1951-64	Walked only 8 batters in 141 innings in 1963. Pitched 36 consecutive shutout innings in 1964 to set the Oriole record.
Wally Burnette	R	1956-58	Posted a 2.89 ERA in his rookie season, but couldn't duplicate the performance.
Tom Candiotti	R	1983-99	Added the knuckleball in 1985.
Lew Carpenter	R	1943	Pitched 4 games for the Senators, didn't give up a run.
George Caster	R	1934-46	Threw his knuckler two speeds: a fast knuckler and a dancer.
Eddie Cicotte	R	1905-20	Probably invented the knuckleball. Originally threw it off his knuckles but quickly switched to the fingertip grip. Threw 75% knucklers.
Glenn Cox	R	1955-58	Mostly a AAA pitcher.
Bruce Dal Canton	R	1967-77	Was a high school teacher/coach in 1965 when signed by the Pirates at age 24. Jumped to the majors in 67 and was an effective spot starter/long reliever.
Jim Davis	L	1954-57	Threw both a screwball and a knuckler.
R.A. Dickey	R	2001 -	Became a knuckleball pitcher in 2005. Also throws knuckle curve.
Art Evans	L	1932	Pitched in 7 games for the White Sox.
Vern Fear	R	1952	Pitched 8 innings for the Cubs.
Jared Fernandez	R	2001-04	One of the few who actually grips the knuckleball with his knuckles.
Eddie Fisher	R	1959-73	Learned the knuckleball from Hoyt Wilhelm, and the two teamed up to save a record 53 games in 1965. Fisher made 82 relief appearances that year, with 15 wins and 24 saves.
Freddie Fitzsimmons	R	1925-43	Although famous for his "knuckleball," the pitch was probably a knuckle-curve. Fitzsimmons: "Nowadays these fellows call theirs the wobbly type, It doesn't turn like a curve.... When I threw the knuckler... I pushed my two fingers forward and usually knew where the ball was going." Dave Stenhouse threw a similar pitch.
Ben Flowers	R	1951-56	Once relieved in 8 straight games, followed by a complete game shutout.
Wes Flowers	L	1940-44	Pitched parts of 2 seasons for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Larry French	L	1929-42	Became a knuckleball pitcher in 1942. He learned the pitch from Fitzsimmons though, so it may actually have been a knuckle-curve.
Marion Fricano	R	1952-55	Didn't crack the majors until age 30.
Aubrey Gatewood	R	1963-70	Threw 75% knucklers after 1965.
Sam Gibson	R	1926-32	Threw sidearm. Had only moderate success in the big leagues, but was a legend in the Pacific Coast League - winning 307 games. Pitched until age 47.
Mickey Haefner	L	1943-50	A member of the 1944 Senators all knuckleball rotation, along with Leonard, Niggeling, and Wolff.
Jesse Haines	R	1918-37	His "knuckler" was probably a knuckle-curve. Haines: "My favorite ball is the knuckler. I hold the ball tight against the knuckles of my pitching hand and throw it with every ounce of speed I can put behind it." Burt Hooton threw a similar pitch. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970.
Granny Hamner	R	1956-62	Made a brief comeback as a knuckleball pitcher for KC in 1962.
Lum Harris	R	1941-47	Threw both a knuckleball and a knuckle-curve.
Earl Harrist	R	1945-53	Struck out Lary Doby in his first AL at bat. 12-28 career record.
Kirby Higbe	R	1937-50	Switched to a knuckleball pitcher late in his career.
Charlie Hough	R	1970-94	Pitched until age 46.
Charlie Hudson	L	1972-75	Developed the knuckleball in 1973, and it became his key pitch.
Bob Humphreys	R	1962-70	Became a knuckleball pitcher after 1968 arm injury.
Ryan Jensen	R	2001-	Regularly threw the knuckleball with the Giants, and threw 80% knuckleballs in the minors in 2004, but switched back to conventional stuff in 2005.
Ken T. Johnson	R	1958-70	Threw 1/3 knuckleballs. Threw overhand, sidearm, and underhand.
Andy Karl	R	1943-47	Threw both a knuckleball and a knuckle-curve.
Paul LaPalme	L	1951-57	Threw a shutout in his first start.
Dutch (Emil) Leonard	R	1933-53	A member of the 1944 Senators all knuckleball rotation, along with Haefner, Niggeling, and Wolff. Not to be confused with spitballer Dutch (Hub) Leonard 1913-25.
Johnny Lindell	R	1942-53	Made a comeback as a knuckleball pitcher in 1953, throwing 80% knucklers.
Ted Lyons	R	1923-46	Began throwing the knuckler after 1929 arm injury. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1955.
Phil McCullough	R	1942	Pitched one game for the Washington Senators.
Cody McKay	R	2004	Pitched one game for the Cardinals.
Bob Moorhead	R	1962-65	Was the first Met to throw a knuckler (in 1962). After missing two seasons with an injury, made a comeback as a knuckleball pitcher in 1965, appearing in 9 games.
Lew Moren	R	1903-10	Among the first to throw the knuckleball - and may have played a role in its invention.
Dick Mulligan	L	1941-47	Missed four seasons due to WWII.
Dick Newsome	R	1941-43	Went 19-10 for the Red Sox in 1941.
Joe Niekro	R	1967-88	Became a knuckleball pitcher after 1971.
Phil Niekro	R	1964-85	Won 318 games. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.
Johnny Niggeling	R	1938-46	A member of the 1944 Senators all knuckleball rotation, along with Haefner, Leonard, and Wolff. Pitched until age 43. Threw the knuckler off of one fingertip.
Kirt Ojala	L	1997-99	Gave up Barry Bonds' 400th homerun in 1998.
Al Papai	R	1948-55	Won 20 games four times - in the minors.
Joe Pate	L	1926-27	Went 9-0 as a 34 year old rookie, then faltered.
Tot (Forest) Pressnell	R	1938-42	Two decent seasons as a starter before being moved to the pen.
Bob Purkey	R	1954-66	Developed the knuckleball in 1958, and won 23 games in 1962. Once threw 96 knucklers in a game.
Ewald Pyle	L	1939-45	Was once fined a month's pay for an off-the-field scuffle.
Willie Ramsdell	R	1947-52	Called "Willie the Knuck." Once struck out a batter on a pitch that fluttered over the catcher's head and to the backstop.
Eddie Rommel	R	1920-32	Threw the knuckler one out of three pitches.
Nap Rucker	L	1907-16	Used the knuckler as a change off his fastball early on. Became a knuckleball pitcher when his speed declined. May have had a hand in inventing the knuckleball while playing with Cicotte.
Rich Sauveur	L	1986-00	Pitched in 34 major league games over a 14 year career. Sauveur: "One of the outings was 14 pitches, 14 knuckleballs. I threw groundball, pop-up, strikeout.
Owen Scheetz	R	1943	Pitched 6 games for the Senators.
Paul Schreiber	R	1945	Was the Yankees batting practice pitcher - then pitched in 2 games at age 43.
Barney Schultz	R	1955-65	Saved 15 games in 1964, with a 1.64 ERA.
Tom Seaton	R	1912-17	Likely was the first knuckleball pitcher in the National League.
Bobby Shantz	L	1949-64	Added the knuckleball in 1951. Shantz: "the knuckler is a good waste pitch and if it comes close to the plate, the batter usually goes for it, and even if he hits it, he has a hard time getting a very good piece of it."
Lou Sleater	L	1950-58	In 1952, stopped Walt Dropo's record streak of hitting safely in 12 consecutive at-bats.
Steve Sparks	R	1995-04	Led the league with 8 complete games in 2001.
Dennis Springer	R	1995-02	After 9 years in the minors, the Phillies brought in Phil Niekro to work with him in September 1995. He made his first Major league start three days later.
Ray Starr	R	1932-45	Threw from a variety of arm angles.
Fred Stiely	L	1929-31	"Stielys specialty is a knuckle ball that hops every way."
Marlin Stuart	R	1949-54	"The knuckleball of Marlin Stuart... is so tricky that his bullpen catchers wear masks to protect themselves."
Tom Sturdivant	R	1955-64	Became a knuckleball pitcher after an arm injury.
Joe Sullivan	L	1935-41	Once pitched 12 straight innings of scoreless relief. Quit baseball for WWII.
Ed Summers	R	1908-12	Called his pitch the "fingernail ball." Invented the fingertip grip while playing with Cicotte.
Bob Tiefenauer	R	1952-68	Threw 75% knucklers.
Jim Tobin	R	1937-45	Pitched a no hitter in 1944 throwing 80% knucklers.
Gil Torres

The (Mostly) Complete List of Knuckleball Pitchers

Knuckleball Pitchers