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Knuckleball pitchers are those professional baseball players who have relied on the knuckleball as their primary pitch or who made it to professional baseball based on their ability to throw a knuckleball. The invention of the knuckleball has never been definitively identified, though there are a number of pitchers from the early 20th century who have been credited with its creation. Baseball statistician / historian Rob Neyer lists four different individuals in an article he wrote in the 2004 book ''The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers'' as potentially deserving credit, any of whom may have originated the pitch in either the or seasons. Nap Rucker of the Brooklyn Dodgers came up to the majors in 1907, initially throwing hard stuff but later switching to the knuckleball. A 1908 article credited Lew Moren as the inventor of the pitch. Ed Cicotte earned a full-time spot with the Detroit Tigers in 1908, earning the nickname "Knuckles" for his signature pitch. A picture of Ed Summers showed him gripping what he called a "dry spitter" using a variation of the knuckleball grip using the knuckles of his index and middle fingers.〔 Unlike almost every other pitch in baseball, the knuckleball's erratic trajectory has often required teams to use dedicated catchers, often using specialized mitts, to field the deliveries. Catcher Clint Courtney used a specially constructed catcher's mitt, 50% larger than the conventional mitts used at the time, to catch knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm during a game in May 1960. Umpire Al Smith credited the use of the glove with preventing three or four passed balls in that one game.〔Effrat, Louis. ("WILHELM SCORES OVER DITMAR, 3–2; Breeding and Woodling Bat In Oriole Runs in 5th to Conquer Yankees" ), ''The New York Times'', May 28, 1960. Accessed May 4, 2009.〕 The lower velocity of the knuckleball is credited with giving those who use it the ability to pitch more often and to have pitching careers far longer than those who rely on their fastball to get outs. Tim Wakefield has pitched on consecutive days, when most starting pitchers in the 21st century throw after four days of rest. Hoyt Wilhelm pitched until he was almost 50 and Phil Niekro used the pitch until he was 48. Wakefield retired at 45. The prevalence of the knuckleballer has varied over time. The 1945 Washington Senators finished 1½ games out of first place with a starting pitching staff that almost exclusively used the pitch, with four knuckleballers in the rotation. That season, the team's three catchers — regular catcher Rick Ferrell and backups Al Evans and Mike Guerra — combined for 40 passed balls, more than double that of any other team in the league.〔Bolster, John. ("The dying art of the knuckleball" ), ''Sports Illustrated'', June 27, 2008. Accessed April 14, 2009.〕 Wilbur Wood, Joe Niekro, and R.A. Dickey have won the ''The Sporting News'' Pitcher of the Year Award. In 2012, Dickey became the first and still is the only knuckleballer to have won the Cy Young Award. Phil Niekro is the only knuckleball pitcher to win 300 games.〔 ==Notable knuckleballers== The following lists knuckleball pitchers who are primarily known for throwing the knuckleball or those who established professional careers based on their throwing the knuckleball. Excluded are individuals who threw the pitch occasionally or those who did not play professional baseball primarily as a pitcher. Major League Baseball career statistics are from Baseball-Reference. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「List of knuckleball pitchers」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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