Dice K's Gyroball: It's No Knuckleball

A few years ago there was a lot of speculation about the gyroball pitch, which was supposed to be a new pitch that Dice-K was bringing to the majors from Japan. The idea that there was a new, mysterious and hard to master pitch made me think of the knuckler, of course. As many may know by now, the gyroball is not really that mysterious. In fact, it is essentially just another breaking ball, according to smart people like Will Carroll, who hangs out with smart people like Rob Neyer. In fact, the video below is a pretty good explanation, though with English subtitles, about the gyroball in Japan and Dice-K's use of it. The video makes me think that Dice-K just happens to throw a pitch that has the effects of the gyroball. It does not appear he ever intentionally tried to create and master the gyroball.

And really, the gyroball just seems to be a pitch with a lot of movement, though not nearly as slow as a knuckler. So, I continue to feel that the knuckler is still the most mysterious and the most consistently difficult pitch to master and hit.