It's Knucklepalooza as Sox face Jays http://0rz.tw/xDdMy DUNEDIN, Fla. — This is not a normal spring training game. The Red Sox are pitching a knuckleballer, 28-year-old Steven Wright, against Toronto knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. 这可真不是一场普通的春训比赛─红袜队28岁新秀蝴蝶球投手Steven Wright对决蓝鸟队 的赛扬蝴蝶球投手R.A. Dickey。 Tim Wakefield, who won 200 games throwing the knuckleball, is on hand to see Wright pitch in person. Then Wakefield will report to Red Sox camp tomorrow to start working with Wright. 靠着蝴蝶球拿下200胜的Tim Wakefield亲自和Wright会面，在之後也会留在训练营和帮忙 Wright进行训练。 "I'm looking forward to it. Not only to see R.A. pitch, but also this is my first time seeing Steven pitch. Looking forward to working with him," Wakefield said. Wakefield：「我很期待这次的对决─不只是看到R.A. Dickey投球，这也是我第一次看 Wright投球。我很期待和他一起进行训练。」 Wakefield has never met Wright personally but the two have spoken on the phone. When Wright was in the Cleveland organization last season, former Red Sox coach Rob Leary connected the two. Wakefield之前并没有和Wright见过面，只有打过两次电话。去年Wright还在印弟安人小 联盟时，红袜的教练Rob Leary就已经开始为他们牵线。 "It's somebody to talk to who knows about the pitch that he's throwing," Wakefield said. "When I was first coming up, I had pitching coaches who told me, 'I don't know what to tell you.' It's refreshing to be able to contribute to the legacy of the pitch by helping him out." Wakefield：「他可以和了解自己球路的人讨论。我首度站上大联盟时，我的投手教练 告诉我『我不知道我能教你甚麽』。藉着帮助Wright来保住这项绝活，真是令人开心。」 There is a fraternity among knuckleballers. Tom Candiotti helped Wakefield out, as did Phil and Joe Niekro. Now Wakefield wants to do his part. That Wright is with the Red Sox makes it all the better. 蝴蝶球投手们之间都有着特殊的友情。Tom Candiotti帮助Wakefield，Phil & Joe Niekro 两兄弟也是。现在Wakefield也想传承他们精神，为这个神秘的球路尽一份心。更棒的是 ，Wright也成为了红袜的一员。 The knuckleball is in vogue. Dickey won the National League Cy Young Award last season when he was with the Mets. Dickey and Wakefield also were featured in the documentary "Knuckleball!" 现在蝴蝶球正夯。去年还在大都会的投手R.A. Dickey拿下国联赛扬奖─而Dickey跟 Wakefield一样，都是蝴蝶球投手。 "It's not so much a freak pitch any more," Wakefield said. "In R.A.'s words, he brought the legitimacy of the pitch back by winning the Cy Young. It made all of us proud." 「蝴蝶球再也不是一个怪球种了。R.A.藉着赢下赛扬奖来宣告这是个真‧球种。他让我们 都备感骄傲。」 Wright has yet to pitch in the majors but was 10-6 with a 2.44 ERA in Double A last season. He struck out 103 in 121.2 innings and allowed only 91 hits. The Red Sox traded first baseman Lars Anderson to the Indians for Wright last July. Wright还没有尝过大联盟的滋味，去年在2A缴出10胜6败、2.44 ERA的成绩。他在121.2局 之中三振了103位打者，只被敲出91支安打。红袜在去年七月时用一垒手Lars Anderson换 到Wright。 It was a significant trade as far as the Sox were concerned. Their scouts, particularly pro scouting director Jared Porter, identified Wright as having potential. Because of the success Wakefield had, the Sox are open to the idea of having another knuckleballer. 这对红袜来说是个很重大的交易。红袜的球探─尤其是职业球探总监Jared Porter指出 Wright拥有潜力。因为有了Wakefield这个成功的例子，红袜有了找寻另一位蝴蝶球投手 的想法。 Assistant general manager Mike Hazen, who is at the game to see Wright pitch, said a good knuckleballer can eat up innings, pitch in different roles and give the opposition a different look. Patience is required but a good pitcher is worth waiting for. 助理GM Mike Hazen也在现场看Wright投球，他表示好的蝴蝶球投手可以吃局数、可以承 担各种角色并且给对手完全不一样的滋味。大家都要耐心等候─因为好的投手值得等待。 Unlike former teammates Pedro Martinez and Jason Varitek, who are special assistants to GM Ben Cherington, Wakefield has no official capacity with the Red Sox. He will do some work for NESN again this season and assist in charitable endeavors. He still lives in Massachusetts during the summer and is open to the idea of a formal relationship with the Sox. 跟Wakefield的前队友Pedro Martinez和Jason Varitek不同的是，Wakefield并没有担任 Ben Cherington的特助─Wakefield并没有正式的职位。他在这一季会再度成为NESN的一 员，并致力於慈善事业。他在夏天时还是住在Massachusetts，而他也对於正式成为红袜 成员的点子保持开放态度。 "My main goal is to help Steven and be a mentor to him," Wakefield said. 「我的首要工作就是帮助Steven并成为他的导师。」Wakefield这麽说。 Wakefield said every knuckleballer is different. They throw the ball with different grips and at different speeds. The idea, he said, is to make the pitch your own. Wakefield can offer some mechanical advice about how to take the spin off the pitch. There are checkpoints, he said, that can be helpful. Wakefield表示每个蝴蝶球投手都很不一样。大家的握法、球速都不同。重点是你要找到 属於自己的球路。Wakefield可以对Wright提出一些投球姿势以及如何旋转球的建议。 Wakefield表示有几个要点很有帮助。 Wakefield could remember only one time in his career when he faced a fellow knuckleballer. It was as a rookie with Pittsburgh in 1992. 在Wakefield的印象中，生涯中只有一次面对蝴蝶球投手─在1992年的菜鸟球季(海盗)。 Wakefield beat Candiotti of the Dodgers on Aug. 26 that season. Pitching for Jim Leyland, Wakefield threw a six-hitter in a 2-0 victory. Candiotti went six innings and allowed two runs. 那季的8月26日，Wakefield击败道奇队的Candiotti。Wakefield被打六支安打，以2-0击败 道奇─Candiotti六局失两分吞败。(Wakefield当时的总教练是Jim Leyland。) "I had to hit against [Candiotti]. That wasn't fun," Wakefield said. Wakefield表示：「我得上场打击，面对Candiotti的蝴蝶球。这一点也不好玩。」 Wakefield hopes to see a time when a knuckleball pitcher comes out of the high school or college ranks and climbs to the majors. Most knuckleballers started out as conventional pitchers who turned to the pitch when their careers began to fade. Wakefield希望未来能看到能在高中或大学的排行榜中看到蝴蝶球投手的身影，并且顺利 升上大联盟。大多蝴蝶球投手都是传统投手的生涯有危机时才转成蝴蝶球投手的。 "I think it's great. I think it's going to be a popular pitch among young kids out there," Wakefield said. "I think it brings hope to a younger generation of baseball players that may not have the velocity to compete at a higher level. If they can learn this pitch it gives them hope that they could one day wear a big league uniform." Wakefield：「我觉得那很不错，我觉得蝴蝶球未来会成为年轻人之间的热门球种。这也 给年轻投手们一线希望，有些人没办法拿出足以制霸高阶联盟的球速。如果他们能练好这 个球路的话，说不定有机会打进大联盟。」 -- "HARD WORK BEATS TALENT WHEN TALENT FAILS TO WORK HARD." --

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