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Post by chiyankee on Nov 22, 2024 15:20:23 GMT -5
Phil Niekro’s 3000th strikeout was a passed ball that allowed Larry Parrish to reach base. It came on July 4, 1984 as he shut down the Blue Jays 5-0 through 8 innings to improve his record to 11-4; 1.84 at the time… One year after Rags Righetti's no hitter against the Red Sox. |
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Post by inger on Nov 22, 2024 15:28:12 GMT -5
Bruce Bochy rather famously wears a 8 1/8 hat size. Remember Kevin Mench? 8 1/4. Barry Bonds? I don’t know, but probably about a 17. Must be a lot of empty space in there…
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Post by rizzuto on Nov 22, 2024 16:47:35 GMT -5
Phil Niekro’s 3000th strikeout was a passed ball that allowed Larry Parrish to reach base. It came on July 4, 1984 as he shut down the Blue Jays 5-0 through 8 innings to improve his record to 11-4; 1.84 at the time… I loved knuckleball pitchers and watching the novelty of the pitch path and the catchers working behind the plate. Without a knuckleballer, something seems to be missing from the overall game of baseball. |
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Post by inger on Nov 22, 2024 16:50:04 GMT -5
Phil Niekro’s 3000th strikeout was a passed ball that allowed Larry Parrish to reach base. It came on July 4, 1984 as he shut down the Blue Jays 5-0 through 8 innings to improve his record to 11-4; 1.84 at the time… I loved knuckleball pitchers and watching the novelty of the pitch path and the catchers working behind the plate. Without a knuckleballer, something seems to be missing from the overall game of baseball. I’d love to see a knuckleball pitcher emerge and make 40 starts per year…going about 8 innings per start… |
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Post by rizzuto on Nov 22, 2024 16:52:56 GMT -5
I loved knuckleball pitchers and watching the novelty of the pitch path and the catchers working behind the plate. Without a knuckleballer, something seems to be missing from the overall game of baseball. I’d love to see a knuckleball pitcher emerge and make 40 starts per year…going about 8 innings per start… What a treat to watch a three game series in which the Astros would roll out Nolan Ryan, Joe Niekro, and then J.R. Richard. Talk about destroying timing. |
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Post by inger on Nov 22, 2024 17:17:44 GMT -5
I’d love to see a knuckleball pitcher emerge and make 40 starts per year…going about 8 innings per start… What a treat to watch a three game series in which the Astros would roll out Nolan Ryan, Joe Niekro, and then J.R. Richard. Talk about destroying timing. That time was too short. JR Richard was such a tragedy… |
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Post by pippsheadache on Nov 22, 2024 19:50:25 GMT -5
Phil Niekro’s 3000th strikeout was a passed ball that allowed Larry Parrish to reach base. It came on July 4, 1984 as he shut down the Blue Jays 5-0 through 8 innings to improve his record to 11-4; 1.84 at the time… I loved knuckleball pitchers and watching the novelty of the pitch path and the catchers working behind the plate. Without a knuckleballer, something seems to be missing from the overall game of baseball. I definitely concur on knuckleballers, who seem to be hanging by a thread right now. Matt Waldron of the Padres is the only knuckler in MLB, and he has not been especially successful. The last fairly significant knuckleballer before him was Stephen Wright of the Red Sox (2013-2019) and before that came R.A. Dickey and Tim Wakefield. Dickey is the only knuckler to win a Cy Young Award. Eddie Cicotte of Black Sox infamy was the first prominent pitcher to rely mainly on a knuckleball. There are four knuckleballers in the Hall of Fame: Ted Lyons, Jesse Haines, Phil Niekro and Hoyt Wilhelm. Some other good ones I remember aside from some of the aforementioned are Bob Purkey, Hal "Skinny" Brown, Eddie Fisher, Wilbur Wood, Joe Niekro, Charlie Hough and Steve Sparks. I'm sure I'm leaving out a lot of them. The vast majority of knuckleballers are right-handed. Wilbur Wood is the only significant southpaw as far as I know. It's such a goofy pitch, but it has a nice pedigree and I like knowing that somewhere out there somebody is throwing it. Like submariners and eephus tossers, you need a few now and then to keep hitters on guard. |
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Post by pippsheadache on Nov 22, 2024 20:11:14 GMT -5
I’d love to see a knuckleball pitcher emerge and make 40 starts per year…going about 8 innings per start… What a treat to watch a three game series in which the Astros would roll out Nolan Ryan, Joe Niekro, and then J.R. Richard. Talk about destroying timing. Hard to believe that group was only together for about half a season in 1980 (plus they had Ken Forsch throwing his assortment.) It was Ryan's first season with Houston, and it would be Forsch's last. It was right around the All-Star break that year that J.R. Richard suffered the stroke at age 30 that ended his career. He was really picking up steam, coming off three consecutive 18-win seasons and well on his way to something similar (he had 10 wins when he had his stroke.) The 1983 Astros also had a timing-disruptive staff with Ryan, Niekro and Mike Scott throwing whatever you want to call that split-finger sandpaper- scuffed pitch. |
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