Pitchers come in all shapes and sizes, their skill sets in many forms. But few can do what Orioles righty Dusten Knight can do.
He does backflips.
That's right: One of the Orioles' newest arms brings the flair of a gymnast to the mound. And you thought bat flips were a thing.
Someone get Ozzie Smith (or Tony Kemp) on the phone.
Who is this backflipping sensation?
A former 28th-round pick of the Giants in 2013, Knight, 30, is a career Minor Leaguer who bounced between the Giants, Twins, Mexican League and independent Atlantic League. He signed a Minor League deal with the O's this offseason after not pitching competitively in 2020, profiling as organizational depth and earning an invitation as a "camp reserve" to MLB Spring Training. While he started in independent ball, Knight was primarily a reliever in the Minors and the Mexican League, posting a 3.06 ERA with 408 strikeouts over 358 2/3 frames in 198 games.
Knight earned five saves for the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos in 2019, and as the tweet shows, he even celebrated a save with a backflip.