A knuckleball or knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown to minimize the spin of the ball in flight, causing an erratic, unpredictable motion. The air flow over a seam of the ball causes the ball to change from laminar to turbulent flow. This change adds a deflecting force to the baseball, making it difficult for batters to hit but also difficult for pitchers to control and catchers to catch; umpires are challenged as well, as the ball's irregular motion through the air makes it harder to call balls and strikes. A pitcher who throws knuckleballs is known as a knuckleballer.
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitchers who throw an entire official game that is shortened by rain will still be credited with a complete game, while starting pitchers who are relieved in extra innings after throwing nine or more innings will not be credited with a complete game. A starting pitcher who is replaced by a pinch hitter in the final half inning of a game will still be credited with a complete game.
Philip Henry Niekro, nicknamed "Knucksie", was an American baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball, 20 of them with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves. Niekro's 318 career victories are the most by a knuckleballer and rank 16th on MLB's all-time wins list. He won the National League Gold Glove Award five times, was selected to five All-Star teams, and led the league in victories twice and earned run average once. He was a key contributor to the Braves winning their only two division titles before 1991. Niekro was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.
Harry David Brecheen, nicknamed "The Cat", was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the St. Louis Cardinals. In the late 1940s, he was among the team's stars, in 1946 becoming the first left-hander ever to win three games in a single World Series, and the only pitcher ever to win consecutive World Series games. He later led the National League in several categories in 1948.
Charles Oliver Hough is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) knuckleball pitcher and coach who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, and Florida Marlins from 1970 to 1994.
John Arnold Niggeling was an American professional baseball pitcher who appeared in 184 games in Major League Baseball over all or parts of nine seasons (1938–1946) with the Boston Bees / Braves, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Browns and Washington Senators. He was a right-handed knuckleball specialist who was listed as 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and 170 pounds (77 kg).
George Willis Hudlin was a Major League Baseball pitcher for, most notably, the Cleveland Indians from 1926 to 1940. Hudlin did not pitch more than 10 games with any other team, although he played with three others.
Robert Thomas Purkey was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball known for his use of the knuckleball. From 1954 through 1966, Purkey played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds / Redlegs, and St. Louis Cardinals. In 1974 he was elected to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
John Elmer Stivetts was a professional baseball pitcher who played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning from 1889 to 1899. He played in the American Association (AA) with the St. Louis Browns, and in the National League (NL) with the Boston Beaneaters and Cleveland Spiders. "Happy Jack" was born to German immigrants and raised in Ashland, Pennsylvania. He initially followed his father into the coal mining industry before playing professional baseball. After playing two and half seasons in minor league baseball, he was signed by the Browns. Over the next few seasons, he was regarded as one of the best pitchers in baseball.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1886 throughout the world.
Ivy Paul "Poison" Andrews was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns and the Cleveland Indians between 1931 and 1938. Andrews batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Dora, Alabama.
Nelson Thomas Potter was an American professional baseball player and right-handed pitcher who appeared in 349 games in Major League Baseball over a dozen seasons between 1936 and 1949, most notably as a member, in 1944, of the only St. Louis Browns team to win an American League pennant. He also played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Boston Braves. Potter's repertoire featured the screwball.
Alexander Bennett "Ben" Sanders was an American Major League Baseball player who pitched a total of five seasons for three teams.
Rex Ralston Cecil was an American professional baseball player. The right-handed pitcher, a native of Lindsay, Oklahoma, had a 14-year pro career, including 18 games pitched, 16 as a starter, in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox (1944–1945). Cecil batted left-handed, stood 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and weighed 195 pounds (88 kg).
Elton P. "Ice Box" Chamberlain was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1886 to 1896. In several seasons, Chamberlain finished in his league's top ten in a number of pitching categories, including wins, earned run average, strikeouts, and shutouts. During one of his best seasons, the 1888 St. Louis Browns won the American Association pennant with a 92–43 record. Although a righthanded pitcher, Chamberlain pitched the last two innings of an 1888 game with his left hand.
Edward "Cannonball" Morris was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Columbus Buckeyes, Pittsburgh Alleghenys, and Pittsburgh Burghers from 1884 to 1890 and had a career win–loss record of 171–122.
John J. Healy, nicknamed "Egyptian" and "Long John", was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. Healy played for the St. Louis Maroons, Indianapolis Hoosiers, Washington Nationals, Chicago White Stockings, Toledo Maumees, Baltimore Orioles, and Louisville Colonels from 1885 to 1892. He was 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and weighed 158 pounds (72 kg).
John Nelson Kerins, sometimes known as Jack Kerins, was an American Major League Baseball player who appeared mainly at first base but also at catcher and in the outfield. He played for the Indianapolis Hoosiers (1884), Louisville Colonels (1885-1889), Baltimore Orioles (1889) and St. Louis Browns (1890). He was a player-manager for Louisville in 1888 and for St. Louis in 1890, and he umpired American Association games through 1891.
Robert Louis Hartman was an American professional baseball player. He was a left-handed pitcher who appeared in 11 Major League games over two seasons, pitching in three games for the Milwaukee Braves in 1959 and eight games for the Cleveland Indians in 1962. The native of Kenosha, Wisconsin, stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg).
