Phil Niekro Hall of Fame Braves Pitcher Dies at 81 [Video]

Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro died Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, after a long battle with cancer at 81. Niekro was an invaluable member of the Board of Directors of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Born on April 1, 1939, in Blaine, Ohio, he was taught by his father the knuckler. Known for his famous knuckleball, Niekro became one of MLB’s greats.

What Is A Knuckleball?

For those who may not know what a knuckleball is, it is a baseball pitch thrown to slow down the ball’s spin in flight, causing the pitch to have an unpredictable motion. This type of pitch made it very difficult for the batter to hit, pitchers to control, and catchers to catch. Hense giving Niekro the nickname Knucksie.

Niekro Stats

Niekro played 24 seasons in MLB with Milwaukee, Atlanta, Yankees, Cleveland, and the Blue Jays. By 1967, Niekro was one of the best pitchers playing the game, leading the National League that year with an earn run average of  1.87. 1977-1979, he, on average, pitched 335 innings a season and was the last pitcher to post back-to-back seasons, pitching at least 300 innings.

Across a 23 year span, Niekro’s record was 318 wins to 274 losses with a 3.35 ERA and 3,342 strikeouts. In 1973, he pitched a no-hitter and was one of ten men in history that accumulated 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts.

Niekro was listed fourth among pitching greats Cy Young, Pud Galvin, Walter Johnson, and Nolan Ryan, pitching 5,404 innings. Along with Niekro, seven other Hall of Famers made their transition this year. Remembering Lou Brock, Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, Al Kaline, Joe Morgan, and Tom Seaver.

Coopertown spokesman Shestakofsky said:

These names, and these men, will be remembered forever in Cooperstown.

Written by Omari Jahi
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

Yahoo! Sports: Baseball Hall of Famer, knuckleballer Phil Niekro dies at 81, PAUL NEWBERRY
BaseballReference: Phil Niekro
CBS Sports: Phil Niekro, Hall of Fame knuckleballer and former Braves pitcher, dies at 81, Mike Axisa

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Wally Gobetz’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image by Chris Evans Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License