An 88 mph knuckleball and a 'Yoshi' pitch: Tigers sign viral sensation Serwa

January 17th, 2025

You probably didn’t know Kenny Serwa’s name before this week. Perhaps you still don’t. But you should, because his pitches have gone viral, and one Major League club has taken notice.

The 27-year-old Serwa turned into a bit of a celebrity in baseball circles this week when video of him throwing 88 mph knuckleballs landed on social media. Serwa’s bullpen session at Tread Athletics in North Carolina quickly caught the eyes of many, including the Tigers. On Friday, Tread Athletics announced that Serwa had signed a contract with Detroit.

The right-hander actually has two knuckleballs. His second one, which he calls the “Yoshi,” is about 5-10 mph slower than his marquee pitch. By the way, only three knuckleballs have reached 84 mph in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008), and they were all thrown by Padres right-hander Matt Waldron from 2023-24.

Serwa complements those offerings with a mid-90s four-seamer, a low-90s sinker and a mid-80s curveball.

In Serwa’s final two collegiate seasons -- 2021 with the University of Central Florida and '22 at Dayton -- he produced an ERA over 5.00 each year. He wasn’t throwing knuckleballs back then. He has spent two seasons in independent ball, and he recorded a 4.22 ERA and 103 strikeouts over 119 1/3 innings last year with the Chicago Dogs of the American Association.

Those kinds of numbers don’t usually attract big league clubs. But with some radical pitch mix changes, some public bullpen sessions and a video camera, Serwa has earned a shot to reach The Show.