Why is a Knuckleball so difficult to hit?

We finalized our problem of why is a Knuckleball so difficult to hit. We reserched the topic alot by reading articles, watching many videos on the subject, and asking people who know how to throw the Knuckleball. We created a training baseball to physically show and explain how the Knuckleball is thrown by using a paint marker to show the finger placements on the baseball. We also practiced throwing the Knuckleball. This was the method we used to come to our conclusions.

Famous Quote on Difficulty of Mastering a Knuckleball

"Throwing a knuckleball for a strike  is like throwing a butterfly with hiccups across the street into your neighbor's mailbox.”                                                                                                                                         - Willie Stargell 

 

Who Created this Weird Pitch?

Toad Ramsey is the creator of the knuckleball. The truth behind this pitch will shock you. Toad Ramsey was working as a bricklayer and sliced the tendon of his index finger. When he played baseball and was pitching, he was forced to hold the ball with his knuckles because of his injury, and that's how the knuckleball was born.

 

FUN FACTS

• Two brothers Joe Niekro and Phil Niekro both pitched the knuckleball in the major leagues.
• Although the average knuckleball was 60-70 mph R.A Dickey threw 70- 85 mph on average.
• The knuckleball is also used in other sports such as soccer, tennis and volleyball
• Only about 70 different pitchers have ever used the knuckleball in the history of the MLB.

 

How Does the Knuckleball Work? 

The knuckleball is thrown with minimal spin which is very different compared to other pitches. On top of that it doesn't have a straight flight path. It floats, flutters and zigzags. Scientists have done many studies on the knuckleball and have concluded that the unpredictable pitch comes from a simple aerodynamic phenomenon called unsteady lift forces and fluid dynamics.

 

Fluid Dynamics 

When the knuckleball is thrown, its movement is affected by fluid dynamics. Fluid dynamics refers to the movement of liquids and gases. Fluid dynamics are all around us. Examples are water flowing through a tap, smoke coming out of an exhaust and water flowing down a river. Fluid dynamics can be classified by two main types of flow. Laminar flow and turbulent flow. 

 

Turbulent Flow and Laminar Flow

In laminar flow there is no mixing of fluid and the particles travel in layers. Each layer moves smoothly past the adjacent layer. In turbulent flow the speed of the fluid is continuously changing due to irregular fluctuations causing it to mix.

 

Why Does This Pitch Fool Batters?

Due to the unpredictable flight path of the ball and it’s slow speed, it makes it very difficult for the batter to hit. Other pitches such as the fastball, curveball, and slider have much more predictable flight paths. When a knuckleball is hit, there is a low percentage of solid contact.

 

How Fast is a Knuckleball Thrown?

Compared to other pitches, the knuckleball is definitely one of the slowest pitches. It is thrown with virtually no spin making it super slow and hard to hit compared to the fastball that has about 2,500 rpm (rotations per minute) and is thrown at a rate of 90-100 mph (miles per hour). In comparison the knuckleball has 80-150 rpm and is normally thrown at a rate of 60-80 mph. 

Pitchers That Use The Knuckleball

• ​R. A. Dickey
• Hal Brown
• Tim Wakefield
• Matt Waldron
• Joe Niekro
• ​​​​​​Eddie Gamboa
• Ryan Feierabend
• Steven Wright
• Hoyt Wilhelm
• Phil Niekro
• Tom Candiotti

 

Why Has the Number of Knuckleball Pitchers Declined Recently in the MLB?

The decline has a lot to do with the results of pitchers losing control of the ball and the fact that it is a very difficult pitch to master. For example, it took R.A. Dickey 6 years to master this pitch. It is hard to control it because if you put too much spin it will become way easier to hit. The last pitcher to pitch the knuckleball in the MLB was Matt Waldron who pitched 13 times in 2023 for the Padres and will be a full-time pitcher in 2024.

 

Do Any Other Sports Have a Knuckleball?

The answer is YES. There are other sports that share a similar phenomenon. Sports like volleyball, soccer, cricket, football and tennis all have knuckleball variations such as the float serve (volleyball), tomahawk (soccer), wobbling punt (football) and a floater (tennis).

In conclusion, the Knuckleball is the most difficult pitch to hit as it is so unpredictable with the action of the ball and speed due to unsteady lift forces and fluid dynamics. The contrast between the smooth surface and the raised stitched seams causing air pockets around the baseball. It is also the most difficult pitch for a pitcher to master; that is why there are not many of them in the MLB today. If the ball ends up with too much rotation or spin due to pitchers not equally appying forces to the ball or flicking the wrist, the pitch then can be much easier to hit and cause the ball to be hit successfully by the batter. It is also the most difficult pitch for a catcher to catch because it can float, flutter, and zigzag in the air. There are other sports that share a similar phenomenon due to similar scientific effects.

Bibliography

Bell, Graham. “The Most Strikeouts in a Game and Season in MLB History.” TheAnalyst, 24 Jul. 2023, www.theanalyst.com/na/2023/07/most-strikeouts-in-a-game-and-season-in-mlb-history.

Clair, Michael. “He invented a cocktail ... and the knuckleball.” MLB, 7 Aug. 2022, www.mlb.com/news/toad-ramsey-invented-the-knuckleball#:~:text=Toad%20Ramsey%20invented%20the%20knuckleball.

Cross, Rod. “KNUCKLEBALLS.” Physics.Usyd.Edu, May 2013, www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~cross/KNUCKLEBALLS.htm.

Pentype Studio. “Sporting Outline.” Fontspace, 30 Aug. 2023, www.fontspace.com/sporting-outline-font-f102492.

WikiHow Staff. “How to Throw a Knuckleball.” WikiHow, 25 Dec. 2023, www.wikihow.com/Throw-a-Knuckleball.

Nash, Ollie. “How does a Knuckleball Work? The Science of the Knuckleball.” Youtube, 10 Feb. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nin2ryaSqxU.

Insider Tech. “Physics of baseball’s strangest pitch.” Youtube, 30 Sep. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxfYWt3o0Pk.

Wikipedia. “List of knuckleball pitchers.” Wikipedia, 15 Oct. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_knuckleball_pitchers.

Humm Baby Baseball. “Why The Knuckleball Is Basically Extinct... The Unpredictable Pitch With NO SPIN...” Youtube, 14 Jul. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=slwfd29oZG8.

Vintage Card Prices. “Lew Moren Baseball Cards.” Vintage Card Prices, vintagecardprices.com/name-search/Lew-Moren/baseball-cards.

ESPN. “RYAN FEIERABEND.” ESPN, www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/28611/ryan-feierabend.

Kreuger, Justin. “Charlie Hough.” SABR, 14 Jun. 2022, sabr.org/bioproj/person/charlie-hough/.

Shah, Kunjal. “Is a baseball like knuckleball possible in cricket?” Cambridge, 15 Jun. 2023, www.cambridge.org/core/journals/flow/article/is-a-baseball-like-knuckleball-possible-in-cricket/93C2AAB2CE722F60CF3D5E7D7F5DB3F6.

Nelson, Nicholas. “Dynamical Chaos in a Simple Model of a Knuckleball.” ResearchGate, Sep. 2020, www.researchgate.net/publication/344234280_Dynamical_Chaos_in_a_Simple_Model_of_a_Knuckleball.

Lubinger, Bill. “Knuckleball allows Akron Aeros' Steven Wright to hold onto his baseball dream with his fingertips.” Cleveland, 17 Jun. 2012, www.cleveland.com/tribe/2012/06/knuckleball_allows_akron_aeros.

Shu, Kevin. “Volleyball Design and How Volleyball Designs Affect the Game.” Illumin, 24 Oct. 2022, illumin.usc.edu/volleyball-design-and-how-volleyball-designs-affect-the-game/.

 

Thanks to our Parents for helping and supporting us though the whole journey by buying the supplies we needed, organizing our meetings to work on our project together, and answering our questions. Thanks to Mrs. Stark and Mr. B for Answering Questions and supporting us. And to our friends who really liked the project and also support us.