Kenny Serwa is a name that might’ve slipped past you before this week. But let’s be real—it’s hard to look away after the internet got a hold of his wild, 88 mph knuckleballs. This guy is finally making his way to play in the MLB.
In a baseball world obsessed with spin rates and blistering fastballs, Serwa has brought something almost mythical back to the forefront: the knuckleball.
And he’s not just tossing it around for fun. No, this guy just landed himself a contract with the Detroit Tigers, all thanks to a viral bullpen session at Tread Athletics in North Carolina.
The Knuckleball That Broke the Internet
Let’s talk about that knuckleball for a second. Actually, make it two knuckleballs. The man’s got options. His primary knuckler hits 88 mph, which is already jaw-dropping when you consider that most knuckleballs float in like a butterfly compared to that.
But then there’s his secondary offering, the “Yoshi,” which slows things down to a maddening 78-83 mph range.
It’s almost like he’s pitching in a video game, and honestly, hitters will probably feel stuck in hard mode trying to figure this guy out.
Two Knuckleballs, One Unique Arsenal
To put Serwa’s velocity into perspective, only three knuckleballs have ever reached 84 mph in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008), all courtesy of Padres pitcher Matt Waldron over the last two years. Serwa’s already outpacing that. But wait—there’s more.
It’s not like he’s just a knuckleball guy. The 27-year-old righty also brings a mid-90s four-seam fastball, a low-90s sinker, and a curveball that hovers in the mid-80s. That’s not a repertoire—it’s a problem for opposing hitters.
But Serwa’s road to the big leagues wasn’t exactly a Hollywood script. Back in college, his time at the University of Central Florida and Dayton was marked by ERAs north of 5.00 in both 2021 and 2022. Knuckleballs weren’t even in his arsenal then.
Post-college, he ground it out in independent ball, where he pitched for the Chicago Dogs of the American Association. His 2024 numbers—4.22 ERA and 103 strikeouts over 119 1/3 innings—weren’t exactly lighting up scouts’ radar guns.
From Independent Leagues to the Big Leagues
So, how does a guy with those stats get signed by a Major League team? Reinvention. Serwa didn’t just tweak his game; he flipped the script entirely.
By embracing a pitch most had written off as a relic, putting his work on display in public bullpen sessions, and letting the internet do its thing, he created his own shot at The Show.
The Tigers took notice. Now, we get to see if the man with the viral knuckleball can write the next chapter of his unlikely baseball story.
It’s a reminder that in baseball, the path isn’t always straight like life. Sometimes, it dances and floats—just like a knuckleball.
