So A.J. Cole has a Knuckleball?
Nobody wants to play catch with A.J. Cole.
Cole can throw a knuckleball and nobody knows where it's going, Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ross Stripling told the Bat Flips & Maple Dips podcast.
“Nobody will play catch with him because he can throw it at any moment and you genuinely feel unsafe,” Stripling said.
According to pitch tracking records, the Toronto reliever has never busted out the pitch in a game setting, but Stripling has been pushing for it.
“We tell him all the the time, throw it” Stripling said. “Mix it in, it’s nasty.”
The Blue Jays have a long history of knuckleballers, with All Stars R.A. Dickey and Phil Niekro having thrown the pitch for Toronto. Recently, lefty knuckleballer Ryan Feierabend pitched for the Toronto, tossing the club's only complete game (although only four innings) of the 2019 season. Feieraband pitched 5.2 innings for Toronto, allowing seven runs, striking out two, and walking one.
Ryan Feierabend#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/rwvHG9NMxe
— R (@Realchan___) May 18, 2019
There are no active full-time knuckleballers in Major League baseball with Feierabend and Boston starter Steven Wright last pitching in 2019. Wright started 44 games across seven seasons with the Red Sox, posting a 3.86 ERA.
Wright started two games against the Blue Jays in his career, and allowed eight runs in 21 innings across six appearances. He is currently pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates AAA affiliate.
Further Reading:
Alek Manoah Dominates Triple-A Start with Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins in Attendance
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon