Submarine pitchers, a unique class of hurlers

Submarine pitchers, a unique class of hurlers

It’s a difficult delivery to master, but if 
you can do it, the motion is highly effective. Pitcher Carl Mays, seen here, dominated hitters 
in the 1920s with a rising fastball that dropped sharply, Dan Quisenberry did the same 
as an elite closer during the 1980s, and Tyler Rogers reminds us of the delivery today. I’m talking about submariners, guys who release 
the ball at or below knee level – often just above the ground – with the torso bent and the 
arm swinging upward like Byung Hyun Kim or Kazuhisa Makita, seen here during 
the 2014 world baseball classic. Let’s talk about submarine pitchers, a unique 
class of hurlers in professional baseball. *** Jack Warhop was the first full-time submarine 
pitcher in major league history. As you might imagine, his unorthodox delivery baffled some 
batters and the hurler had several good seasons, but he did lead the American League 
twice in the number of hit batsmen. I’m guessing some batters just didn’t know when 
to get out of the way of the unusual pitch. Now, Carl Mays was an excellent pitcher. He won twenty games five times and amassed hall 
of fame caliber statistics, but unfortunately, Mays is usually remembered for throwing a pitch 
that unintentionally killed Ray Chapman in 1920. One pattern to mention at 
this point is that a great number of submarine pitchers turned 
to the motion after arm injuries. Elden Auker’s shoulder injuries from playing 
football is the reason why he switched from sidearm to underhand. And from 1933 to 1942, 
Auker was the last big league starting pitcher with a true submarine delivery. Since then, 
MLB underhanded hurlers have been used in relief roles, often to get guys out from 
right or left side, and to close out games. Not unlike Elden Auker, Ted Abernathy injured 
his arm in high school,and that pushed him to change his motion from an overhead 
delivery to a sidearm pitching style. As a sidearm pitcher, Abernathy reached 
the major leagues, but he did not enjoy success after surgery in 1959, and his 
reemergence as a highly effective submarine reliever – twice he led the NL in saves and 
three times appearing in 70 games or more. I can’t help but see these underhanded artisans as 
having a relationship to knuckleball pitchers who often turn to the pitch after arm injuries 
or as a path to reach the big leagues. Now, let’s turn to East Asia. Japan’s first submarine pitcher in 
professional baseball was Michio Shigematsu, who began using the delivery in 1936 after 
being converted from a regular pitching style by one of his coaches. Shigematsu 
had a career ERA of 3.06 during the early years of Professional Baseball in Japan. 
And that excellence made him stand out. Indeed, the submarine style achieved 
greater acceptance in Japan for its effectiveness against same-side 
batters and its reputation for being less stressful on the shoulder and 
elbow in comparison to overhand deliveries. Shunsuke Watanabe, whose career started in 
2001, is the most famous Japanese submarine pitcher. His low release point—so 
low that Watanabe’s pivot knee nearly scrapes the ground – is one reason why 
he received the nickname Mr. Submarine. And others have followed his example. Kazuhisa Makita, another prominent submariner, has a similarly low release point and has enjoyed 
success in both Japan and in international play. In South Korea, a number of submarine 
pitchers have enjoyed success. Park Jong-hun is one active submariner in 
the Korean Baseball Organization and I’ve already mentioned Byung Hyun 
Kim who deployed a nasty slider, sinker, and changeup as a member of the 
championship Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001. In general, the East Asian baseball 
cultures show a greater willingness to develop pitchers with unconventional 
mechanics, but that does not mean the submarine pitch is going to disappear 
from North America anytime soon. Kent Tekulve, whose career began in 1974, did 
not just have great style and cool sunglasses, he was a durable workhorse who appeared in over 1,000 games and finished his career 
with a remarkable 2.85 ERA at age 42. Tekulve’s long career is a reminder that the 
submarine and knuckleball motions protect arms from injury and allow these players to stay in 
the big leagues for a long time; knuckleballers Charlie Hough and Phil Niekro famously stayed 
in the show until age 46 and 48, respectively. Dan Quisenberry saved 244 games from 1979 
to 1989, and like Tekulve he was one more reminder to Major league baseball of the 
underhand delivery’s value, but some people in baseball – scouts and general managers — simply 
could not take the pitching motion seriously. Michael Lewis’ book, Moneyball, 
and its film adaptation in 2011, highlighted Oakland reliever Chad Bradford 
as an example of a talented pitcher the marketplace did not properly value. Here is 
a memorable snippet from the film itself. The Athletics were right. They 
saw clearly Bradford’s worth, and especially how good he was 
against right-handed hitters. Wrapping up, submarine pitchers are 
rare, not so rare as knuckleball variety, but they clearly stand out due to their 
unconventional delivery and ability to throw rising pitches to the plate that break 
dramatically. In an age of high injury rates for high velocity pitchers who can throw over 100 
miles per hour, one has to wonder if the pendulum might just swing just a bit towards pitchers with 
less injury prone motions and who don’t need 100 miles per hour heat to get guys out, and let’s 
not forget something else, they are fun to watch. I want to thank Madoka Swoverland for helping 
me with the Japanese language source material. Let me know what you think of this video 
in the comments. And thanks for watching.

Submarine pitchers are one of baseball’s most unique and fascinating types of hurlers. From Carl Mays dominating hitters in the 1920s to Dan Quisenberry excelling as an elite closer in the 1980s, and today’s Tyler Rogers, these pitchers release the ball at or below knee level with a distinctive underhand delivery. In East Asia, submariners have also made their mark: Shunsuke Watanabe (渡辺俊介), Byung Hyun Kim (김병현), and Kazuhisa Makita (牧田和久) have brought their own flavor to professional baseball with the rare submarine style. This video examines their mechanics, history, and why submarine pitchers remain a rare but highly effective weapon in the game.

#SubmarinePitchers #CarlMays #DanQuisenberry #TylerRogers
#ShunsukeWatanabe #渡辺俊介 #ByungHyunKim #김병현
#KazuhisaMakita #牧田和久 #BaseballHistory #UniquePitchingStyles