Knuckler (My Life with Baseball's Most Confounding Pitch)

“A terrific book about one of baseball’s most underrated pitchers, not to mention baseball’s most misunderstood pitch.” – Stephen King

Tim Wakefield is an enigma. At forty-four years old, he is the longest-serving member of one of baseball’s most popular franchises. He has pitched more games than any other player in Red Sox history, and in 2011 he reached the milestone of 200 career victories. Yet few realize the full measure of his success. In fact, that his career can be characterized by such words as longevity and consistency defies all odds, because he has achieved all of this with the game’s most mercurial weapon—the knuckleball.

Knuckler is the story of how a struggling position player risked his future on a fickle pitch that would eventually define his career, making him one of the most respected players in the game. It is also a lively and entertaining meditation on the dancing pitch, its history, its mechanics, its mystique, and the inevitable ironies it brings to bear.

“This book is about resiliency, diligence, and the tunnel vision required to live by what appears to be the most fanciful pitch thrown by man.” – Peter Gammons, MLB analyst

“Knuckler gives readers a rare glimpse of the man behind the baseball and his remarkable work on and off the field.” – Carlton Fisk, Hall of Fame catcher