Steven Wright is 28 years old, but he hasn’t sniffed the big leagues yet. In order to change that, the knuckleballer has been seeking help from others who have thrown the unique pitch.
Wright, who pitched two scoreless innings for the Red Sox on Monday, said that he sends out a group text message to fellow knuckleballers Tim Wakefield, R.A. Dickey, Tom Candiotti and Charlie Hough, according to WEEI.com. The idea is to get as much feedback as possible so that Wright can then use the advice when taking the mound.
“That’s what I do. I send out a group text because everybody has their own adjustments how it kicks in for them,” Wright reportedly said. “That’s why I do it. I send it to Charlie, Dickey, Candiotti and Wake. That’s just to see what they all say, because what R.A. says and what Wake says might be two different things, but might mean the same thing and the terminology is different.”
WEEI.com laid out an example of one of the group text messages, which Wright reportedly sent out earlier this spring.
Wright reportedly texted to Wakefield, Dickey, Candiotti and Hough: “I encountered something today during live BP that I cannot remember having this bad, but the wind was blowing hard at my back and the knuckle was a little different for me. I got some movement but it was not much. What is your mindset when you encounter those conditions?”
Wakefield, who retired after the 2011 season and recently hosted a knuckleball reality show, and Dickey, the reigning NL Cy Young award winner, were the first to respond.
Dickey reportedly said, “Change speeds more often and hang on.”
Wakefield reportedly said, “Start a little lower and a little firmer to create your own resistance.”
Wright said after Monday’s game that he made some adjustments that stemmed from advice he received from Wakefield. The results were good for at least one spring training game. We’ll see if Wright can eventually earn himself a big league call-up, but he’d be wise to keep sending out those text messages.
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