Hall of Famer Niekro, knuckleballer, 300-game winner, dies
ATLANTA — Phil Niekro threw a pitch that baffled hitters and catchers.
Heck, he didn’t even know where it was going most of the time.
But the knuckleball carried Niekro to 318 career victories, earned him a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame and gave him a nickname that stuck for the rest of his life.
Knucksie.
The longtime stalwart of the Atlanta Braves rotation died after a lengthy fight with cancer, the team said Sunday. He was 81.
The Braves said Niekro died Saturday night in his sleep. He lived in the Atlanta suburb of Flowery Branch, where a main thoroughfare bears his name.
He was the seventh Hall of Famer to die this year, the most sitting members to pass away in a calendar year, according to spokesman Jon Shestakofsky. The others were Lou Brock, Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, Al Kaline, Joe Morgan and Tom Seaver
“These names, and these men,
will be remembered forever in Cooperstown,” Shestakofsky said.
Niekro’s 24-year career ended in 1987 at age 48 after he made one final start for the Braves. The righthander was a five-time All-star who had three 20-win seasons with Atlanta.
Dale Murphy, who won two straight NL MVP awards as a teammate of Niekro’s, was among those who mourned his death.
“Knucksie was one of a kind,” Murphy wrote on Twitter. “Friend, teammate, father and husband.
Our hearts go out to Nancy Niekro, the kids and grandkids. So thankful for our memories and time together. We’ll miss you, Knucksie.”
Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, this year’s NL MVP, described himself as “heartbroken.”
“An amazing pitcher but an even better man!” Freeman said on Twitter.
Niekro also pitched for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays late in his career.
Incredibly, he had 121 wins after his 40th birthday.
“We are heartbroken on the passing of our treasured friend,” the Braves said in a statement.
A statue of Niekro delivering his trademark pitch is located outside of Truist Park, the Braves’ stadium.
Niekro didn’t make it to the big leagues until 1964, when he pitched 10 games in relief for the then-milwaukee Braves. He made only one start over his first three years in the big leagues but finally blossomed as a starter in 1967 — the Braves’ second year in Atlanta — when he went 11-9 and led the National League with a 1.87 ERA.
With a fluttering knuckleball that required catchers to wear an oversized mitt, Niekro went 23-13 as the Braves won the first NL West title in 1969. He was runner-up to Seaver for the Cy Young Award, the closest he ever came to capturing pitching’s premier prize.
He finished with a career record of 318-274 and a 3.35 ERA. Niekro was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.
Niekro pitched a no-hitter in 1973, but his most memorable game with the Braves came in
1982, when the team started the season with 13 consecutive wins and improbably won the NL West title to send Niekro to the playoffs for only the second time in his career.
On the final weekend of the season, Niekro, then 43, pitched a three-hit shutout and hit a two-run homer that led Atlanta to a crucial 4-0 victory over San Diego.
Niekro is survived by his wife, Nancy, three sons and two grandchildren.