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July 26 would have been Hoyt Wilhelm's 84th birthday. Who is the greatest knuckleball pitcher in MLB history?

Tom Candiotti 5 (4.13%)
Eddie Cicotte 8 (6.61%)
Jesse Haines 2 (1.65%)
Charlie Hough 6 (4.96%)
Joe Niekro 4 (3.31%)
Phil Niekro 57 (47.11%)
Tim Wakefield 14 (11.57%)
Hoyt Wilhelm 19 (15.70%)
Wilbur Wood 1 (0.83%)
Other (specify) 5 (4.13%)
July 26 would have been Hoyt Wilhelm's 84th birthday. Who is the greatest knuckleball pitcher in MLB history? | 7 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Mick Doherty - Wednesday, July 26 2006 @ 12:30 PM EDT (#151536) #
Apologies to Early Wynn, Jim Bouton and a number of others who threw the knuckleball with varying degrees of success. Here's the baseballreference.com list.
Craig B - Wednesday, July 26 2006 @ 12:38 PM EDT (#151537) #

So hard to choose between Wilhelm and Niekro.  I went with Wilhelm.

July 26th is also Mrs. B's birthday.

Mick Doherty - Wednesday, July 26 2006 @ 12:56 PM EDT (#151538) #

But does she throw a knuckleball?

I assume you mean Phil Niekro above since you don't specify, and he's the Hall of Famer, but I think at their peaks, Joe may have actually been a bit better. Certainly Phil had the better and longer career, though.

I went with Haines. Interesting that the first 12 votes were split among seven different pitchers.

 

Four Seamer - Wednesday, July 26 2006 @ 01:02 PM EDT (#151539) #

No love for the hometown hero R. A. Dickey, Mick?

Mike Green - Wednesday, July 26 2006 @ 01:25 PM EDT (#151541) #
I voted for Wilhelm. Choosing between him and Phil Niekro is something like picking between Dennis Eckersley the closer and Dennis Eckersley the starter. 
Mick Doherty - Wednesday, July 26 2006 @ 01:43 PM EDT (#151545) #

No love for the hometown hero R. A. Dickey, Mick?

4S, Dickey is a guy who's easy to root for, but in the one start he had in Texas this year, I sweart *I* could have hit his knuckleball. He threw six gopher balls -- SIX! -- in three and a third. Yeccch.

Magpie - Wednesday, July 26 2006 @ 02:49 PM EDT (#151556) #
I went with Wilhelm, too. I would normally take the outstanding starter - except Wilhelm was a very good starter the one time they gave him a chance.
July 26 would have been Hoyt Wilhelm's 84th birthday. Who is the greatest knuckleball pitcher in MLB history? | 7 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.