This Date in Phillies (and MLB) History

Phillies Events on January 5

• January 5, 1931 – Charlie Ruch becomes president of the Philadelphia Phillies, taking the reins of the franchise in an era when finances trumped pennants and guiding the club through early-1930s challenges.
• January 5, 2001 – Kevin Jordan is re-signed by the Phillies, bringing back a veteran first baseman to Philadelphia. Jordan played seven seasons in the majors, all of them with the Phillies. Jordan did play in the minors with Cincinnati, San Francisco, and Detroit.
• January 5, 2015 – Aaron Harang signs a one-year deal with the Phillies and started 29 games with a 4.86 ERA in what would be the final season of a 14-year MLB career.

MLB Events on January 5

• January 5, 1984 – After 21 seasons with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, pitcher Phil Niekro signs a one-year deal with the New York Yankees. A year and three days later he would re-sign with the Yankees on a second one-year deal. Niekro would play 24 seasons with 318 wins and a 3.35 ERA in a Hall of Fame career.
• January 5, 1988 – Don Sutton signs a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, returning to the team where he started his career in 1966 and played 15 seasons. Sutton would make 16 starts with a 3.92 ERA in what would be his final MLB season. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1998.
• January 5, 2010 – Randy Johnson announces his retirement, ending a Hall of Fame career with 303 wins and 4,875 strikeouts.
• January 5, 1999 – Nolan Ryan, George Brett and Robin Yount are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, marking a historic triple first-ballot class.

Phillies Birthdays on January 5

• Bob Oldis (born 1928) – Catcher who played parts of seven seasons in the majors, including for the Phillies in 1962 and 1963. He later became an MLB coach and scout.
• Bill Laxton (born 1948) – left-handed pitcher who debuted with the Phillies in September, 1970 and made two starts. He pitched parts of five seasons in the majors with San Diego, Detroit, Seattle, and Cleveland.
• Bob Dernier (born 1957) – A center fielder who started and ended his career in Philadelphia, playing with them from 1980-1983 and 1988-1989. Played for the Cubs from 1984-1987. Was known for his speed and solid defense.
• Milt Thompson (born 1959) – Drafted by the Braves in the second round of the 1979 January Draft. After two seasons with the Braves, he played two different stints with the Phillies; 1986-1988, 1993-1994. Was a steady presence and a key contributor to the 1993 National League pennant team.
• John Russell (born 1962) – The 13th overall pick by the Phillies in the 1982 Draft and was a backup catcher for the Phillies from 1984-1988 and later served as a coach and minor league manager in the Phillies organization. Russell managed the Pirates from 2008-2010.
• Danny Jackson (born 1963) – A left-handed pitcher who spent the 1993 and 1994 seasons with the Phillies, being named to the NL All-Star Team in ’94 and finishing sixth in Cy Young voting.

MLB Birthdays for January 5

• Ban Johnson (born 1864) – Influential executive and founder of the American League who reshaped the game’s structure.
• Bill Dahlen (born 1870) – Star infielder with over 2,400 hits whose fiery play made him a legend of the early game. Dahlen went on to manage the Brooklyn Superbas in 1910 and the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1911-1913.
• Charlie Hough (born 1948) – Knuckleballer with a 25-year MLB career known for his longevity and quirky style.
• Earl Battey (born 1931) – Three-time All-Star catcher who was a defensive stalwart and key leader for the Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, and Minnesota Twins.

A DEEPER DIVE… The History of the Knuckleball and the Men Who Threw it

The knuckleball is baseball’s ultimate oddball. It floats, it darts, it stalls, and sometimes it looks like it simply gives up on gravity. Hitters hate it because it refuses to behave like a normal pitch. Pitchers fear it because it refuses to obey them, too.

At its core, the knuckleball is thrown with little to no spin. Most pitches rely on spin to create predictable movement through the Magnus effect (see video). Fastballs ride, curveballs dive, sliders sweep. The knuckleball does none of that. Instead, the seams of the baseball catch tiny pockets of air as the ball travels to the plate. Those air currents push the ball in unpredictable directions, sometimes changing course multiple times on a single pitch. To a hitter, it looks like the ball has a mind of its own.

That lack of spin is what makes timing the pitch nearly impossible. Hitters are trained to recognize spin almost immediately out of the pitcher’s hand. With a knuckleball, there is nothing to read. The ball may look like it is floating straight, only to veer sharply at the last moment. Even when a hitter guesses right, solid contact is far from guaranteed. The ball often arrives slower than expected and slightly off its anticipated path, leading to weak grounders, awkward swings, or complete whiffs.

Catching the knuckleball is just as miserable. That is why knuckleballers almost always need a personal catcher. The ball can drop suddenly, bounce unexpectedly, or slide sideways into the dirt. Many catchers have admitted that blocking a knuckleball feels more like guesswork than skill.

Why the Knuckleball Is So Hard to Throw

If hitting a knuckleball feels like chaos, throwing one feels like trying to control chaos with your fingertips. The margin for error is microscopic. Apply too much pressure and the ball spins. Apply too little and it floats high and never comes back down. Weather matters, too. Humidity, wind, and even the quality of the baseballs can change how the pitch behaves from inning to inning.

Knuckleball pitchers often talk about “having it” or “losing it.” That is not cliché. On some days, the pitch dances beautifully and seems unhittable. On others, it spins just enough to become a slow batting-practice fastball. There is very little middle ground. This volatility is why so few pitchers ever attempt to rely on it at the major league level.

It also explains the unusual career arcs of knuckleballers. Many arrive late, stick around forever, or bounce between dominance and disaster. When it works, it works against anyone. When it doesn’t, it can end an outing in a hurry.

The Pioneers and Masters of the Knuckleball

The knuckleball’s origins trace back to the early 20th century. The pitcher most often credited with popularizing it is Eddie Cicotte, who used the pitch effectively during his career, including his time with the Chicago White Sox. While versions of the pitch may have existed earlier, Cicotte helped bring it into the mainstream of professional baseball and proved that if thrown correctly, a pitcher would have success with it at the highest level.

From there, the knuckleball evolved through a small fraternity of specialists. The most iconic was Phil Niekro. Over a 24-year career, Niekro won 318 games, almost all while leaning heavily on the knuckleball. His pitch was firm by knuckleball standards and brutally effective. He threw it with such confidence that hitters often looked helpless even when they knew it was coming. Niekro’s durability and consistency helped legitimize the knuckleball as more than a novelty.

Another master was Charlie Hough, whose career lasted an incredible 25 seasons. Hough did not even adopt the knuckleball full-time until his career was at risk. Once he did, it saved him. He became a reliable starter well into his 40s, showing how the pitch’s low stress on the arm was capable of extending careers in ways no other pitch would.

More recently, pitchers like Tim Wakefield and R.A. Dickey carried the torch. Wakefield became a franchise fixture in Boston, while Dickey’s harder knuckleball led to a Cy Young Award in 2012. Their success reinforced the idea that the pitch, while rare, could still thrive in the modern game.

Why the Knuckleball Is Disappearing

Despite its effectiveness, the knuckleball is becoming increasingly rare. Modern pitching development emphasizes velocity, spin rate, and analytics. The knuckleball fits none of those models. It takes years to master, offers no guarantees, and does not play well with standardized coaching systems. Teams are often reluctant to invest in a pitch that defies measurement.

Still, the knuckleball endures in baseball’s collective imagination. It represents creativity, stubbornness, and the idea that there is still room in the game for something strange and beautiful. As long as hitters fear unpredictability, the knuckleball will remain the pitch they least want to see floating toward the plate.

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