Red Sox Had ‘Game Plan’ For Knuckleballer: ‘That Thing Is Nasty’

BOSTON — The Padres had a surprise in store for the Red Sox during Sunday afternoon’s series finale at Fenway Park: Matt Waldron’s knuckleball.

Very few pitchers in MLB history have mastered the tricky, slow, and elusive knuckleball pitch, but Waldron has it in his arsenal. That presented an inherent challenge before the Red Sox had even stepped foot on the field, although the lineup — while unfamiliar — wasn’t completely unprepared.