Phil Niekro

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Philip Henry Niekro (pronounced NEE-kro) (born April 1, 1939), nicknamed "Knucksie"), is an American former baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), 20 of whom were with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves.

Niekro's 318 career victories are the most by a knuckleball pitcher, and they currently rank 16th on MLB's all-time winners list.

He was named for five All-Star squads and led the league in victories twice and earned run average once.

He was a major contributor to the Braves winning their first two division titles before 1991.

In 1997, Niekro was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Phil and his younger brother Joe Niekro won 539 games between them, the most combined victories by brothers in baseball history.

Phil has won 121 games in total since the age of 40, a major league record.

His knuckleball, which is a difficult pitch to control, but it is also a frustrating hitter and often baffles hitters due to its inconsistent course. Niekro was the last MLB pitcher to win and lose 20 or more games in the same season.

Niekro had 21 victories and 20 losses in the 1979 Braves.

This was his third and final 20-win season as well as his second and final 20-loss seasons.

Phil and Joe Niekro were NL co-leaders in victories that season.

Early life

Niekro was born in Blaine, Ohio, and grew up in Lansing, Ohio, the son of Henrietta (Klinkoski) and Philip Niekro. He was of Polish descent. He attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio, and was a boyhood friend of Basketball Hall-of-Famer John Havlicek. After Phil and his brother, fellow Major League pitcher Joe Niekro, played at Bridgeport High School's Perkins Field athletic complex, "The Niekro Diamond" was renamed "The Niekro Diamond" in 2008. The brothers were the sons of a coal miner who had pitched semi-pro baseball and learned to toss a knuckleball from another coal miner. He taught the boys how to pitch in the backyard. In addition, Phil played American Legion Baseball.

In 1959, Niekro signed with the Milwaukee Braves for $250 ($2,324 in current dollar terms). For the next two years, he played for several minor league teams at various levels, mainly as a relief pitcher. Although he was briefly drafted to the Class AAA Louisville Colonels in 1960, the Jacksonville Braves spent the remainder of the season pitching for the remainder of the season. He was with the Austin Senators in Class AA next season. He returned to Louisville in 1962 and set a new record of 9–6. Due to military service, he missed the 1963 season.

Later life and death

Niekro coached the all-women Colorado Silver Bullets baseball team after retiring from professional baseball. Lance Niekro's inexperience as a power-hitting first base prospect with the San Francisco Giants taught him Lance Niekro how to throw a knuckleball.

Niekro was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997, his fifth year of membership. He was the only player elected that year; Tony Pérez and Don Sutton were among the notable eligible candidates not elected that year. "Giving a description of today's phone call is imposible," Niekro said after being notified. I've never been amazed before. I just didn't have time to prepare this year. I wasn't going to get myself so high." Niekro had received the most Hall of Fame votes out of all the candidates in the ballot this year, but not enough to elect the required 75%.

Niekro was a member of the board of directors of Kiz Toys, a toy firm headquartered in Cumming, Georgia, and Niekro consulted the organization on the KizSport baseball line, determining product styles and production.

Coolray Field, the Gwinnett Braves' home, has a restaurant named after him, Niekro's. It features the Knucksie Sandwich, which is made with barbecue pork and cole slaw atop a corn muffin and is said to be his favorite. The students of Bridgeport High School were aided by Niekro and his family with the proceeds from the annual golf tournament "The Niekro Classic."

Niekro died in his sleep on December 26, 2020, at the age of 81. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

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Major league career

Niekro debuted with the Milwaukee Braves in 1964, working 15 major league innings and spending time with the team's class AAA minor league affiliate. He stayed with the major league team all year in 1965, pitching 74+2⁄3 innings in 41 games and recording six saves. In 1966, Niekro split time again between the Braves and their minor league system, going 4–3 with a 4.11 earned run average (ERA).

Niekro led the league with a 1.87 ERA in 1967, earning an 11–9 record with 10 complete games and 9 saves. He began the year as a relief pitcher but had earned a job in the starting rotation during the season.

Before the 1968 season, sportswriter Fred Down described the Braves' pitching staff as "chaotic" and reported that team leadership was planning to use Niekro as both a starter and a reliever in the coming season. He appeared in 37 games, finishing with a 14–12 record and 15 complete games. He appeared in relief three times, earning two saves.

In 1969, his first All-Star season, he had a 23–13 season with a 2.56 ERA, finishing second in the National League Cy Young award balloting to Tom Seaver. The Braves went to the playoffs, where Niekro was 0–1 with four earned runs allowed in an eight-inning appearance against the New York Mets. Niekro's playoff loss came against Seaver. The team was eliminated from the playoffs after losing the next two games.

In 1970, he went 12–18 with a 4.27 ERA in what turned out to be a down year. He surrendered a league-leading 40 home runs that year, a feat he would not repeat until 1979.

From 1971 to 1973, he combined for a record of 44–36. The Braves finished 3rd, 4th, and 5th in their division. On August 5, 1973, Niekro threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres, the first for the Braves since moving to Atlanta.

In 1974, Niekro led the league in several pitching categories, including wins (20), complete games (18), and innings pitched (302.1). He finished third in the voting for the Cy Young Award that year.

From 1975 to 1976, he went 15–15 and 17–11 and made a second All-Star appearance in 1975.

Between 1977 and 1979, Niekro was the league leader in complete games, innings pitched and batters faced. In 1979, the 40-year-old Niekro led the league in both wins (21) and losses (20). He finished sixth in Cy Young Award voting in both 1978 and 1979, and made his third All-Star appearance in 1978, as well as winning three consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1978 to 1980.

In 1980 and 1981, he went 15–18 and 7–7 while leading the league in games started (38) and losses (18) in 1980.

In 1982, at the age of 43, Niekro led the Braves with a 17–4 season while winning his fourth Gold Glove Award and appearing in his fourth All-Star game. On October 1, with the Braves clinging to a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers, Niekro beat the San Diego Padres almost single-handedly by throwing a complete game shutout and hitting a two-run home run. Niekro started Game One of the subsequent 1982 National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals and pitched well, but the game was called on account of rain just before it became official. He pitched six innings of Game 2 and left with a 3–2 lead. However, the Cardinals scored two late runs after Niekro left the game and would eventually sweep the series.

In 1983, he went 11–10 and won his fifth Gold Glove Award. After the season, the Braves released him.

In 1984, Niekro signed a two-year contract with the New York Yankees. He won 16 games in 1984 and made his fifth and final All-Star appearance.

On October 6, 1985, Niekro gained entry into the 300 win club with a shutout win over the Toronto Blue Jays. At 46 years, 188 days, Niekro became the oldest pitcher to pitch a shutout in the major leagues. This record stood for nearly 25 years before Jamie Moyer (47 years, 170 days) bested the feat in May 2010. He did not throw his trademark knuckleball throughout the game until the final hitter; to former AL MVP Jeff Burroughs. Niekro struck Burroughs out to end the game. He finished the 1985 season with a 16–12 record, the final time he won 15 or more games in a single season. He was released by the Yankees before the 1986 season started.

After two seasons in New York, Niekro pitched for the Cleveland Indians in 1986. He went 11–11 with a 4.32 ERA. He started the 1987 season with the Indians, going 7–11 in 26 starts.

On August 9, 1987, Niekro was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Darryl Landrum and a player to be named later, who was later revealed to be Don Gordon. After going 0–2 in three starts, the Blue Jays released Niekro.

On September 23, 1987, Niekro signed again with his old team, the Atlanta Braves. On September 27, he made his final start of his career, pitching three innings and surrendering five runs in the no-decision. The Braves lost the game against the San Francisco Giants 15–6. Niekro retired at the end of the season.

At the age of 48, Niekro was the oldest player in major league history to play regularly until Julio Franco played at age 49 in 2007. He set a major league record by playing 24 seasons in the major leagues without a World Series appearance. His total of 5,404+1⁄3 innings pitched is the most by any pitcher in the post-1920 live-ball era.

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