Former Tigers’ relief pitcher Phil Coke will attempt a major league comeback in the upcoming season, and he will do so as a knuckleballer. Coke has not pitched in the majors since 2016, where he only appeared in 10 games (six for the New York Yankees and four with the Pittsburgh Pirates). The 35-year-old last pitched for the Orix Buffaloes in the Japan Pacific League. He pitched 23 2/3 innings, striking out 16, issuing 10 walks, and giving up 13 runs on 30 hits.
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Phil Coke’s major league career began with the New York Yankees back in 2008. He won the World Series in 2009 with the Yanks before being traded to the Tigers before the 2010 season. A trade that sent then fan-favorite Curtis Granderson to the Yankees (the Tigers also netted Austin Jackson and Max Scherzer from Arizona in the deal).
He spent five seasons with the Tigers (2010-2014), striking out 225 batters in 323.2 innings with a 4.15 ERA. He started 15 games for the team and also appeared as the closer during the 2012 postseason, when then-Tigers’ closer Jose Valverde imploded during the ALCS against the Yankees.
Coke won’t be the first pitcher to try and reinvent himself as a knuckleball pitcher. R.A. Dickey won the Cy Young award in 2012 with the Mets after going down to the minors to work on the knuckleball. It has yet to be determined whether or not he will attempt his comeback as a starter or reliever. However, it is worth noting that a lot of pitchers have extended their careers well into their 40’s using the knuckleball. Pitchers such as the aforementioned R.A. Dickey, Tim Wakefield, Phil Niekro, and Hoyt Wilhelm who pitched until he was 50.
