Knuckleball

Tim Wakefield #49 Boston Redsox

Hopefully this doesn’t offend anyone, but my favorite baseball team has always been the Boston Red Sox. My aunt, a die-hard Sox fan, passed her passion on to me at a young age. I remember vividly playing Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball on the Nintendo 64 back in 1998. While scanning through pitchers, I landed on number 49—my favorite number. His name? Tim Wakefield.

He only had two pitches in the game: a fastball and something called a "knuckleball." At first, I didn’t understand it. But when I threw it in the game, I was amazed. It was slow—really slow—especially compared to the 95+ MPH heat most pitchers threw. But even the best hitters couldn’t seem to hit it. I was hooked.

I began learning how to throw one myself, fascinated by how a pitch with almost no spin could become so unpredictable. Unlike other pitches, the knuckleball doesn’t dominate with speed or strength. It floats, dances, dips, and confuses—even the best of batters. Catchers dread it. Coaches are baffled by it. It doesn’t make sense... and that’s what makes it beautiful.

The knuckleball reminds me of the Holy Spirit.

In John 3:8, Jesus tells Nicodemus,

"The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

St. Paul echoes this mystery. The Spirit doesn’t move in the way the world expects. It doesn’t overpower with brute force. It surprises us. It confounds the wise. It humbles the strong. Like the knuckleball, the Holy Spirit can’t be controlled or predicted—it can only be received.

There’s something profound in that. God doesn’t always move in straight lines or obvious ways. Sometimes He works slowly, gently, unpredictably. Sometimes He moves like a knuckleball—confusing at first, but powerful when it finally hits.

Tim Wakefield passed away on October 1, 2023. He wasn’t just a pitcher; he was an example of humility and grace, on and off the field. He didn’t try to be like everyone else—he embraced his uniqueness. And in doing so, he became beloved.

May we, too, have the courage to live differently. To allow the Holy Spirit to move in our lives like a knuckleball—humbling us, surprising us, and ultimately transforming us.

Rest in peace, Tim Wakefield.#49 forever—both on the mound and in my heart.

God Bless,

Patrick Leigh, COO

The Modern Apostle LLC