Knuckleball

The knuckleball is the pitch aimed to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. It causes unpredictable motion. That happens due to the turbulence in its flight. The throw adds force to speed. A ball becomes hard to catch for the batter. This pitch is hard to control for the thrower and catcher. The umpires have problems with qualifying these throws as strikes or balls.

This pitch got its name because the pitchers used knuckles to hold the ball. It was inconvenient, that’s why some pitchers replaced them in favor of fingertips balancing it via thumb. Most pitchers use this way now. The classic knuckleballs are popular among young players or those with smaller hands.

The knuckleball grip doesn’t affect its purpose to create the least possible rotation. Any airflow variations and differences between the smooth surface and seam stitches. This effect causes knuckleball drag, flutter or jiggle in various combinations during the flight between pitcher’s and batter’s boxes. It makes this pitch the most desirable compared with the pitches without spin.