San Diego Padres pitcher Matt Waldron is part of a dying breed. When he made his big league debut last season, he was the MLB first pitcher since 2019 to have a knuckleball as part of his arsenal.
Because Waldron’s knuckleball is such a rarity, hitters often find themselves totally flummoxed by it. He had a chance on Sunday to torture some new victims when the Padres faced the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization in an exhibition game. In the fourth inning, Waldron struck out Austin Dean with a knuckleball that left the batter in knots.
Matt Waldron, Knuckleball. pic.twitter.com/dYFaYQMQXJ
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 18, 2024
It’s tough enough to face an unfamiliar pitcher in an exhibition game between teams from different countries. It’s even harder when you have to face an unfamiliar pitcher who throws such an unfamiliar pitch.
Dean is no scrub, either. He played 126 games in the majors across five seasons before making the jump to Korea. He batted .314 with 23 homers last season. But he never stood a chance against Waldron’s fluttering knuckleball.
