Pursuing the Knuckleball Dream: An Unlikely Journey

In the summer of 2012, when knuckleball pitcher R. A. Dickey unexpectedly won the Cy Young award, I found my sons practicing the pitch in our backyard. The knuckleball is a unique throw that doesn’t spin and has a history of giving hope to unlikely candidates, helping some reach Major League Baseball and even the Hall of Fame. I wanted to see how far my children could take their interest.

Over a decade-long journey, I discovered that my sons were not the only ones with aspirations tied to the knuckleball. Two affluent business figures shared similar dreams. Their stories are part of the tales I recount in my book, “School of Hard Knucks: My Three Sons and Baseball’s Wildest Pitch.”

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Howard Rich, a real estate investor in Brooklyn, regularly watched Dickey from his season tickets at the Mets games. His wife Andrea questioned why only one major league pitcher employed the pitch if it was so difficult to hit. Seeing this as a missed opportunity, Howard decided to create the International Knuckleball Academy (IKA), appointing two minor league knuckleballers, Chris Nowlin and Zach Staniewicz, to lead the initiative.

Meanwhile, in South Korea, 36-year-old Min Hur, successful in the video game industry, held onto his childhood ambition to play professional baseball. Believing the knuckleball was his ticket, Hur transformed his Seoul office’s rooftop into a training facility, complete with advanced pitch tracking technology. He reached out to Phil Niekro, a legendary knuckleballer, who invited Hur to Atlanta for mentorship.

After training with another knuckleball legend, Charlie Hough, Hur pursued tryouts with several MLB teams, but was not selected. Eventually, the Rockland Boulders, a minor league team in New York, gave him a chance. Hur dedicated himself to his new career, stepping away from his business ventures.

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The Boulders promoted Hur’s debut heavily, marketing it as “Min-Sanity,” reminiscent of “Lin-Sanity” from the NBA’s Jeremy Lin. Hur’s family flew in to watch him pitch, although the outing was tough. He allowed multiple runs and hits during his innings on the mound.

Howard Rich, keeping an eye on Hur’s progress, saw potential collaboration with the IKA. A meeting between Rich, Hur, Nowlin, and Staniewicz unfolded in Koreatown, yet much was lost due to language barriers. Hur recalled discussing the knuckleball but not the academy’s prospects.

Rich persisted in establishing the IKA and rented Dodgertown, the erstwhile spring training base for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Zach Staniewicz remained skeptical about finding trainees willing to learn the nuanced pitch, considering the costs involved.

Rich introduced a novel contract allowing players to train for free, in exchange for a share of future earnings if they reached the MLB. Despite this, the academy never officially opened due to lack of interest.

Min Hur continues to chase his dream. We recently met at a batting cage in Manhattan, where he had met with a knuckleball coach. Even at 50, a typical knuckleballer’s skills can improve, and Hur is optimistic about his abilities.

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