Born one hundred years after the dawn of his beloved country, Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown spent the early part of his life working on his father’s (Peter) and his uncle’s (Mordecai) Indiana farms, embodying timeless American ideals of hard work, courage, and love of his fellow man. Even as a boy, Brown came to love the game of baseball and dreamt of becoming a professional ball player. He learned how to pitch by throwing rocks at a knothole on a barn wall, developing great control. But when he was roughly seven years old, he did not heed the family’s warning while working his uncle’s feed chopper. He slipped as his hands plunged toward its blades, severing his right index finger and mangling others. After the doctor fixed as much as he could, his hand still healing, Brown slipped and fell again breaking several fingers. In particular, his middle finger did not set properly, healing with an awkward and permanent bend.
Mordecai Brown
Now a young man working in the coal mines of western Indiana, Mordecai was encouraged by a co-worker, former minor-leaguer Legs O’Connell, and learned how to grip and throw a baseball with his injured right hand. Through the pain, Brown started throwing again but became increasingly frustrated when his crippled hand naturally caused the ball to have signficant topspin and vere from its straight path. O’Connell continued to encourage him and suggested that the effect of Brown’s disadvantage might prove an ultimate advantage were he to work hard to master it. And master it he did.
Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, as he would later be dubbed by reporters, debuted in 1903 as a St. Louis Cardinal. He then joined the legendary Chicago Cubs teams of 1904 to 1912, dominating hitters with his now perfected curveball. His most lasting mark on baseball came in a game on October 8th, 1908. Replacing an ineffective starter, Brown battled legend Christy Matthewson to defeat the New York Giants and win the pennant. The 1908 Cubs and Brown’s curveball would then go on and win their second consecutive World Series, their last to date.
The curveball itself, however, had made its appearance earlier. In the 1870′s, Fred Goldsmith and William Arthur “Candy” Cummings were both said to have separately demonstrated the “skewball”. The fastball is thrown with backspin generated by the downward motion of the pitcher’s fingers on the back of the ball as it is released. This backspin and the speed with which the fastball is thrown take advantage of Magnus effect, which creates a high-pressure zone and an upward force under the ball, in part countering gravity as it travels to home plate. Goldsmith’s and Cummings’ curveball, on the other hand, is thrown by pulling the front or side of the ball downward giving it topspin or sidespin. This also takes advantage of Magnus effect, but creates a high pressure zone on top of the ball, combining with gravity to drive it downward. Goldsmith’s and Cummings’ new invention was long regarded as dishonest and was outlawed, although officials could do nothing to stop it from being thrown.
Bob “Rapid Robert” Feller
Other Curveball Pitchers
Past curveball greats include Bob “Rapid Robert” Feller, Virgil Trucks, and two pitchers we recently discussed, Sandy Koufax and Bert Blyleven. The latter two are said to have the greatest curveballs in the modern era. Blyleven grew up watching Koufax and attempted to emulate him and his pitches. In fact, after a long career of hard work, many regard Blyleven’s curveball as the best of all time, even topping his childhood hero. 2008 NL Cy Young, Tim Lincecum, is also rumored to have emulated Koufax – which Lincecum has denied – as his mechanics look very similar to those of Koufax and his father, Chris Lincecum, grew up a huge fan of the Dodger great. Other modern curveball artists include 2003 World Series MVP Josh Beckett, 2003 AL Cy Young Roy Halladay, newly signed Yankee A.J. Burnett, and newly retired Yankee Mike Mussina. Mussina, in fact, throws a version of the curveball called the knucklecurve. This is thrown by gripping the ball with the index finger bent at the middle knuckle and pulling downward with the middle finger, very similar to Mordecai Brown’s natural grip.
Where does the history of the curveball go next?
Since the original debut of the curveball, sliders, slurves (slider/curve derivation), split-finger fastballs, forkballs, sinkers, screwballs, cutters, knuckleballs, and Japan’s infamous “shuuto” have all graced the major leagues with their presence, impacting the game to their own extent. Pitchers continually work to find new grips, arm motions, and pitches to throw off the hitter’s timing. They face pain, frustration, and often failure before their determination eventually produces results. Some pitchers, like Brown, have met misfortune and disadvantage with hard work and dedication. Some, like Koufax, fought for the opportunity to show their natural gifts. Others, like Blyleven, have followed the love for their childhood heroes and the game of baseball to success. May we all be so driven.
Related posts
