The second and third greatest knuckleball pitchers of all time?

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

Behind "Knucksie" and Wilhelm, I might go with Eddie “Knuckles” Cicotte, who is considered the first to master the pitch.

Cicotte had some of the best years of any pitcher of his era in 1913, 1917, and 1919 when he was a combined 75 wins vs. 30 losses during those years and an ERA well below 2.00 each of those seasons.

Cocotte went 21-10 in 1920 before he was banned from baseball as part of his being a major part of the Black Sox scandal. Had he continued playing a few more years (and avoided scandal), he may very well have become HOF worthy.

Wilbur Wood was a knuckleballer that also put up some big numbers in the early 1970s.

Ah, Wilbur Wood. He had some monster seasons as both a Reliever and a Starter. His run from '68 to '74 is pretty fascinating.

[TUM301]

As mentioned, Eddy Cicotte and Wilbur Wood.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Ah, Wilbur Wood. He had some monster seasons as both a Reliever and a Starter. His run from '68 to '74 is pretty fascinating.

Fascinating indeed!

Originally Posted by Wikipeda

Wilbur Wood, who had previously relied on a fastball and curveball, refined the knuckleball (My Note: playing for the Columbus Jets of the International League in 1966) with the help of veteran knuckleball specialist Hoyt Wilhelm. He spent the next four seasons as a relief pitcher for Chicago. In 1968, he set a record (broken the next year) with 88 games pitched and was named the Sporting News American League Fireman of the Year.

The White Sox tried to trade Wood before the 1971 season, but an injury to starting pitcher Joe Horlen caused them to put him in the starting rotation. That season, pitching coach Johnny Sain suggested that Wood pitch with only two days' rest between starts, since knuckleball specialists do not put as much stress on their arms as other pitchers. Wood proceeded to lead the AL in games started from 1972 through 1975, starting a career-high 49 games in 1972 (My note: with an ERA of 2.51). That season, he also recorded a career-high 376 2⁄3 innings pitched (My note: more than 7 2/3 innings per start!). He won 20 or more games for four consecutive seasons, leading the AL in 1972 and 1973 with 24 wins. In 1973, Wood also matched the 1916 record of Walter Johnson of a pitcher to win and lose 20 or more games in a season. Wood was an All-Star in 1971, 1972, and 1974.

Perhaps Wilbur Wood's best season though was 1971 when he pitched 334 innings in 44 appearances including 42 starts and 22 complete games in those starts. And he posted a stellar ERA of only 1.91 while pitching all those innings!

I mean "Wow!"

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

Perhaps Wilbur Wood's best season though was 1971 when he pitched 334 innings in 44 appearances including 42 starts and 22 complete games in those starts. And he posted a stellar ERA of only 1.91 while pitching all those innings!

Originally Posted by Balticfox

In 1959 with Paul Richards managing the Orioles, Hoyt Wilhelm pitched 226 innings in 32 appearances including 27 starts and 13 complete games in those starts. He posted an ERA of only 2.19 while pitching an average of over seven innings per appearance!

Originally Posted by Balticfox

In 1978 at the age of 39 his record was 19-18 on an Atlanta Braves team that was 69-93. Niekro pitched 334 1/3 innings in 44 appearances which included 42 starts with 22 complete games in those starts. He posted an ERA of only 2.88 while pitching an average of almost 7 2/3 innings per appearance!

In 1979 at the age of 40 his record was 21-20 on an Atlanta Braves team that was 66-94. Niekro pitched 342 innings in 44 starts with 23 complete games in those starts. He posted an ERA of 3.39 while pitching an average of over 7 2/3 innings per appearance!

Compare the above innings pitched totals to the pathetic ones posted by the "leaders" in 2024 when Logan Gilbert topped the list with 208 2/3 innings:

2024 Innings Pitched Leaders

[packs]

Only mentioning for posterity, but the last person to pitch 300 innings in a season was Steve Carlton in 1980.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by Carlton Does it All - Ball Nine

(In 1972 Steve Carlton) made 41 starts, threw 30 complete games, and logged 346 innings, more than anyone since. He also struck out 310 batters, becoming only the second lefthander in National League history to record 300 strikeouts (Sandy Koufax was first) and posted an ERA of 1.97.

Most remarkable, though, he won 27 games for a team that won only 59. (Only one pitcher since has won 27, the A’s Bob Welch whose team won the World Series that year.) In other words, Carlton – who finished 27-10 – accounted for 45.7 percent of his team’s wins in 1972, a record unlikely to be broken.

Wow! Steve Carlton won the Cy Young Award for those numbers in 1972 and then again in 1977, 1980 and 1982. He lacked only a knuckleball.

[Balticfox]

Hmmmm. I was able to embed a video from Youtube a couple of days ago but I've failed completely tonight. Here anyway is the link:

MLB's Dark Art: The Knuckleball - Youtube