The knuckleball pitcher has vanished from the major leagues, an artifact like paper tickets and contact hitters. Of the 617 men to throw a pitch in the majors this season through Wednesday, according to Fangraphs, only four have thrown a knuckleball — and all four were position players.

Are there any knuckleballers in the MLB?

But on Wednesday, Jannis, a 33-year-old knuckleballer, made his MLB debut for the Orioles. Jannis was picked in the 44th round of the 2010 draft by the Rays and adopted the knuckleball when Tampa Bay cut him after his second pro season.

Do pitchers throw knuckleballs anymore?

Knuckleballers are a rarity. At any one time, only one or two are usually in the major leagues. And for the few who achieve fame — Niekro and Charlie Hough in the past, the Toronto Blue Jays’ R.A. Dickey in the present — there are hundreds of other pitchers on MLB rosters who don’t try to throw the pitch.