Rays players face 17-year-old female knuckleballer in BP (VIDEO)

The Tampa Bay Rays took batting practice against a female high school knuckleballer Monday night — and came away impressed.

Evan Longoria, Jose Molina and David Price all took cuts against 17-year-old Chelsea Baker from Durant High School in nearby Plant City. They did it before Monday night's game against Pittsburgh.

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon met Baker recently at an awards ceremony and invited her to Tropicana Field. The high school junior, who plays on her school's baseball team, became the youngest girl to ever throw an MLB batting practice.

Baker faked out the boys by mixing in a couple of fastballs, but it was the teenager's knuckleball that wowed everyone.

"Moves nicely," said Maddon.

Baker admitted that she was a little nervous at first, but had a "great time" while pitching from about 10 feet in front of the mound and behind a protective screen. She displayed good control, but did plunk Longoria in the back with a pitch.

Molina swung and missed a couple of times, and Price hit a hard line drive up the middle.

Baker says the late major league knuckleballer Joe Niekro taught her to throw the spasmodic pitch in Little League.

He taught her well.

R.A. Dickey's life story will be made into a movie: Report

R.A. Dickey has seen more valleys and peaks during his 39 years than most people see in a lifetime — both literally and figuratively — and now it looks like the well-travelled knuckleballer's autobiography will be made into a movie.

And all the low points from Dickey's 2012 memoir Wherever I Wind Up will be there — including  Dickey's revelation that he suffered sexual abuse as a child — among several other hardships — to his frustrating 14 year stint in the minors and struggles with suicidal thoughts as an adult. 

On the upside, Dickey climbed Mount Kilimanjaro before going out and winning the 2012 NL Cy Young award — becoming the first knuckleballer ever to accomplish the feat. He even put his 2012 salary on the line in order to climb the mountain while raising awareness for human trafficking in India.

Though the last two events aren't in the book — it had already been written — it seems like two things that would make a rousing end to Dickey's long odyssey in the movie.

Actors Ben McKenzie and Logan Marshall-Green (both from "The O.C.") have joined forces to launch the production company A Thing Or Two Productions and get the ball floating. Tom Rothman's TriStar Pictures has made a deal on the baseball memoir which the duo will produce with Michael De Luca.  Buzz Bissinger — of "Friday Night Lights" fame —has been set to write the script.

Dickey was a subject in the 2012 documentary "Knuckleball." Now it's time to see who'll play him in the Hollywood version of his life. 

R.A. Dickey teaches Letterman how to throw a knuckleball

R.A. Dickey's wild ride this season just keeps getting better.  The New York Mets surprise star this season appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman" and showed the host how to throw his now famous knuckleball last night.

Letterman— a huge baseball fan— said he was "dumbfounded" about the rotation of the knuckleball pitch when it is leaves Dickey's hand.

"Are you squirting the ball out with the momentum?" asked Dave to audience laughter.

"It doesn't feel like a squirt, but a popping," replied Dickey.



The 37 year-old developed his knuckleball— which many argue might be the best one ever— to prolong his career and it is paying off.

After appearing in the All-Star Game Tuesday, the 12-game winner was back in New York pitching the ball to Letterman on his "The Late Night" set Wednesday.

After tossing the ball back-and-forth a few times with the amused host, Dickey joked, "I feel like I'm at the circus."

The audience loved it almost as much as Dave.