How does tim wakefield hold his knuckleball

Wakefield is a quiet, studious-seeming man, who does everything—from walking to playing the guitar to singing harmony—with visible deliberation.

I get high fives when I get to the dugout. Wakefield was picked up for cheap by the Red Sox shortly after the Pirates cut him loose, and the accidental pitcher is now, improbably, starting his tenth season in Boston, which makes him the longest-serving member of the club.

In the history of the Red Sox franchise, only three pitchers have appeared in more games or struck out more batters. Wakefield is thirty-seven, an age that spells retirement planning for ordinary players, and he is just entering his prime.

Knuckleball pitchers are not just a rare but also a close-knit breed—the Fraternal Order of Knuckleheads, bound by their shared experiences of alienation and finger cramps.

Sparks, who is thirty-eight, has enjoyed less success than Wakefield, shuttling from team to team. He began this season as the fifth starter, and spot reliever, for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The uniform number 49, worn by Wakefield, and previously by Hough and Candiotti, serves as an unofficial pledge pin, honoring Hoyt Wilhelm, the most famous mid-century knuckleballer, whose career reflects many of the perks and humiliations of the tribe. Wilhelm was a few months shy of his thirtieth birthday when he was finally called upon to throw his first big-league pitch, for the New York Giants, in Over the course of twenty years, serving reliably as both a starter and a reliever, he was released four times, sold twice, traded four times, and offered up once to the expansion draft.

Now that Wilhelm is gone he died in , the undisputed Grand Poobah is Phil Niekro, or Knucksie, as he is known among his brethren though not to his brother Joe, another knuckler; together they amassed five hundred and thirty-nine wins, the most of any sibling pair in baseball.

Knucksie won two hundred and eight games—of his career three hundred and eighteen—after turning thirty-five. He is now sixty-five, and the resident prankster of the crew, an amateur magician always eager to impress with his sleight of hand.

Over the years, despite their scar-city, the knuckleball bunch have produced more than their fair share of bizarre and noteworthy feats. The last pitcher to start both games of a doubleheader, Wilbur Wood, was a knuckleballer.

That was for the White Sox, against the Yankees, in He lost both games. On July 10, , having already pitched on each of the previous two days, the thirty-four-year-old Rommel threw batting practice, took a breather for the first inning, and then came out of the bullpen, in the bottom of the second, to pitch for what turned out to be seventeen straight innings over four hours, along the way yielding twenty-nine hits and fourteen runs.

He won, 18— It was the last win of his career. Baseball manicures are a popular topic of conversation when any two or three from the gang get together. Knucksie once recommended that Sparks scuff his nails on concrete before pitching, to achieve the ideal gripping texture—a strategy that backfired when Sparks shattered one of his nails in the process. Others have tried laminating their nails with horse-hoof solution as a sort of reinforcement.

The weather—artificial or real—comes up frequently, too. Most knucklers agree that wind in the face is good anything to add resistance and turbulence , while wind blowing from behind spells doom. And in the Astrodome in the seventies, conspiracy theorists will swear, the temperature was always suspiciously cool—the A. He thought he might like to join the P. Buenos Aires. Hong Kong. Las Vegas. Los Angeles. Mexico City. New York. New Zealand.

Rio de Janeiro. San Juan. South Africa. Sri Lanka. St Andrews. United Arab Emirates. Clear Selection. Language: English. Sign up for the Fatherly newsletter to get original articles and expert advice about parenting, fitness, gear, and more in your inbox every day.

Please try again. Give us a little more information and we'll give you a lot more relevant content. Your child's birthday or due date. Girl Boy Other Not Sure. Add A Child. Something went wrong. Please contact support fatherly. Like fatherly on Facebook. Should I Use the Fence Drill? Which Knuckles to Use? Position the Ball 2 seam direction Turn the ball where the seams run the direction of your fingers and the horseshoes the "U" are close together in your palm.

Position your fingers Dig your finger tips into the leather. Do not use or touch the seams at all. Position your thumb Place your thumb directly under the ball on the smooth part of the baseball no seam. Exert Pressure Squeeze the ball with your thumb while pushing against your fingertips.

Delivery and Release Try to keep your wrist as stiff a possible. Try to push it to the catcher.