What makes the knuckle ball pitch knuckle?

Answer by  Westy (105)

The grip on a knuckle ball pitch is like it sounds, with one's knuckles. There is no spin on the ball due to limited wrist action so the air easily catches and moves the strings surrounding the ball, causing the ball to move in unpredictable direction.

Answer by  fishy (1085)

A perfectly throw knuckleball has no spin and therefore the seams are not spinning and biting into the wind. Air moves over the stationary seams and makes the ball dance.

Answer by  Squeaks289 (273)

That's a difficult questions to answer. The ball "knuckles" due to the fact that it has no spin on it. The wind and wind resistance as the ball moves forward hit the seams and the ball and make the ball move in an unpredictable manner as it approaches the plate.

Answer by  codykeller (153)

The idea behind this pitch is that it actually held with ones knuckles placed against the ball, and it is not thrown very hard.

Answer by  bitchstewie (489)

a knuckle ball "knuckle" is caused by the lack of spin on the ball. The pitch is released by the pitcher from his hand without putting spin on the ball, which allows the wind to move the ball where it can.