“...Jackson feasted on knuckleballs...”
In an article in the New York Times in 1984, Jackson said, “I had trouble with Phil Niekro’s knuckleball this year; some pitchers are tougher than others. He also said in the article, “There’s a certain way you time a knuckleball pitcher.”
I had an opportunity to be coached by former Pirates relief pitcher Dick Depker in high school and he threw one and taught us how to hit it. It’s a total different theory acting more like hitting a fast pitch softball than a baseball. Front of the box and shorten the swing some. You try to get at it before it loses enough speed and the seams take over. Knuckle curves and forkballs are in the same category but mostly break down and away instead of taking off any direction.
I can remember in an all star game Hoyt Wilhelm threw an o-2 knuckleball, the announcers called it the big one, with the wind in his face, and it crossed the plate about belt high but before it got to the catcher, it went over the heads of the catcher and the ump to the screen. Difficult to hit that type of pitch.
wy69
I was fortunate to meet Phil on several occasions over the past few years. He was a fixture in the Braves triple-A stadium.
I refuse to call them the Gwinnett Strippers. They will always be the Gwinnett Braves.
He was a good man and always friendly.