‘Poor Wilbur, he just doesn’t have enough natural ability to pitch in the big leagues. What they call natural ability is standing six-four and being able to throw a ball 100 miles per hour. Well, it turns out that he has as much God-given ability as any man I’ve ever met. He can throw the knuckleball [and] it requires [a] natural feel," said Sain. "I tell you the sensation I get," Gene Tenace of the Athletics said in describing an at bat against Wood. "I see the ball floating up and then I swing. I get a feeling that the bat has made a ripple in the air and has caused the ball to wriggle like a roundworm." Mike Epstein of the Angels said, "...feeling fully prepared, we go out there and face the thing Wood throws. It looks like a batting practice pitch—soft, tempting. Like the one he struck me out with today, it breaks three or four directions. I didn't know where it was headed. The catcher, I'm sure, didn't know where it was headed. And I'm pretty certain not even Wood knew where it was headed." Paul Blair of the Orioles said, "Obviously, the knuckleball makes Wilbur effective, but what makes him even more effective is the fact that he throws it over for strikes. It never goes the same way, but it is always in the strike zone." Catchers often struggle with the unpredictable knuckleball. However, since Wilhelm was pitching for the Sox when Wood joined them, Duane Josephson and Jerry McNertney were already used to the pitch. By the time Wood became a starter, Herrmann was Chicago's starting catcher. Herrmann would wear a 38-inch mitt, the largest permitted. Though he led the league in passed balls four times, Herrmann never had a lower fielding percentage than .983 while with the White Sox. Highlights 3-time All-Star (1971, '72, '74) AL The Sporting News Fireman of the Year Award winner in 1968 AL The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award winner in 1972 Led the AL in wins twice (1972, '73) Led the AL in games started four times (1972, '73, '74, '75), with his career high coming in 1972 (49) 2nd in the AL in shutouts twice (1971, '72), tied with Mel Stottlemyre in 1971 2nd in AL Cy Young Award voting (1972) Set a single-season record for games pitched in 1968 (88, including 2