Farrell: Steven Wright 'In Complete Control' Of Knuckleball Right Now
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Can you talk about "command" when it comes to throwing a knuckleball? It certainly looks like Red Sox starter Steven Wright has found command with a pitch that is perhaps the hardest to control in the game.
Manager John Farrell was asked about how Wright looks in the early going and how he has found such tremendous success with such an unpredictable pitch.
"He's been in complete control," Farrell told reporters at Fenway Park Friday. "He's pitching very comfortably, very confidently, and [it's] the reason why he's our most consistent starter."
Wright sports just a 3-3 record on the season but has compiled a 1.52 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 41 innings. He has thrown at least six innings and allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his six starts. Opponents are batting just .172 against Wright on the season.
Most importantly for Wright, he's throwing a ton of strikes. He's throwing first-pitch strikes and generating swings-and-misses at a rate above his career average. This is all while throwing the knuckleball about 85 percent of the time with an average velocity of 74.5 mph, which is on the fast side for a knuckler.
So, inevitably, the comparisons to the Blue Jays' R.A. Dickey are bound to materialize as long as Wright continues his dominance with the knuckleball. Former major league pitcher Steve Sparks, who also primarily threw a knuckleball, told Bleacher Report that Wright's complete game against the Yankees "reminded me of Dickey in his Cy Young season."
Dickey put together a magical season in 2012, winning the NL Cy Young award by compiling a 20-6 record with a 2.73 ERA and 230 strikeouts in 233.2 innings for the New York Mets. He mainly dominated with his turbo-knuckleball, which according to Fangraphs had an average velocity of 77.8 mph that season.
Dickey has since regressed, but if Wright can put even close to that kind of season together, if only for just one year, surely everyone in Red Sox Nation would take it.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
