Phil Niekro, a pitcher who used his signature knuckle to fool generations of batters and build a Hall of Fame career, died in his sleep Saturday night after a long battle with cancer, the Atlanta Braves made Sunday known. He was 81.
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997, Niekro was one of baseball’s most prolific and enduring pitchers, using his “butterfly” field to win 318 games in a 24-season career, 20 of them with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves.
“We are heartbroken over the death of our dear friend, Phil Niekro,” the Braves said in a prepared statement. “Knucksie was woven into the Braves fabric, first in Milwaukee and then in Atlanta. Phil amazed batters on the field and was always the first to participate in our community activities later on. It was during those community and fan activities where he would interact with fans. as if they were long lost friends.
“He has been a constant presence in our clubhouse, our alumni activities and across Braves Country over the years and we will be forever grateful to him for being such an important part of our organization.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Nancy, sons Philip, John and Michael, and his two grandchildren Chase and Emma.”
As with many knuckle pitchers, age was not a barrier for Niekro. He had 121 wins after turning 40 – a Major League record – and pitched until he was 48. By the end of 1987, his last season, Niekro was ranked 10th of the top division in the number of seasons played. Only Cy Young, “Pud” Galvin and Walter Johnson threw more innings than Niekro’s 5,404. No pitcher since the dead-ball era has spent more time on a mound in the Major League.
Phil Niekro was one of the most distinctive and memorable pitchers of his generation, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a prepared statement. In the last century, not a pitcher threw more than Phil’s 5,404 innings. His knuckleball led him to five All-Star selections, three seasons with 20 wins for the Atlanta Braves, the 300-win club, and finally to Cooperstown.
But even more than his signature pitch and durability, Phil will be remembered as one of the most geniuses of our game. He has always represented his sport extremely well, and he will be deeply missed. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my condolences. to Phil’s family, friends and the many fans he has earned all his life in our national pastime. ”
The symbol of both the success and longevity of Niekro’s career was the knuckleball, that erratic floater that baffles not only hitters and catchers, but also the pitchers who never really know how the rotational pitch will dance to the record.
Niekro was the king of the knuckleball players, holding the top spot in wins and strikeouts (3,342). Tom Candiotti, a remarkable fighter in his day and former Niekro’s teammate with the Cleveland Indians from 1986, said that talking to “Knucksie” was “like talking to Thomas Edison about light bulbs.”
If the stay in the majors could be down to the knuckle, the same could be said of Niekro’s initial difficulty reaching the big leagues. Surprised catchers and managers wary of passed balls and wild pitches were often the reasons given for Niekro’s extended stay in the Braves minor league-system. Signed in 1958, his breakthrough was almost a decade. But the knuckle was all Niekro had, everything he believed.
“I never knew how to throw a fastball, never learned how to throw a curveball, a slider, a split finger, whatever they throw these days,” he said. “I was a pitcher.”
First called up by Milwaukee in 1964, Niekro was staggered among the majors and minors, a pitcher struggling to find a niche and willing catchers. He found both in 1967, when he was reunited with Bob Uecker, an experienced backup backstop with lots of jokes and wise advice.
“Ueck told me that if I ever became a winner, he would always throw the knuckle ball and try to catch it,” said Niekro. “I led the competition in ERA [1.87] and he led the league in passed balls. “
Uecker acknowledged that he was chasing a lot.
“Catching Niekro’s knuckleball was great,” said Uecker, now a Hall of Fame announcer. ‘I have met many important people. They’re all behind home plate. ‘
In 1969 Niekro was an All-star. His 23 wins that season earned him second place in the National League Cy Young Award voting. He would live in the minds of hitters for two more decades. “Not many batters like to compete against knuckleball pitchers,” he said. “They may not be intimidated by it, but they sure think about it before they enter the box.”
“Trying to hit Phil Niekro is like trying to eat Jell-O with chopsticks,” said former Yankees All-Star outfielder Bobby Murcer.
“He’s just destroying your timing with that knuckle,” said Hall of Famer Ernie Banks. “He comes dipping and jumping like crazy, and you just can’t stand it.”
“It actually giggles at you when it passes,” said former outfielder Rick Monday.
Niekro, born in Blaine, Ohio, April 1, 1939; was the proud scion of a kind of family dynasty. Phil Niekro Sr., a laborer and part-time semi-pro pitcher, had mastered the knuckle after an arm injury threatened to end his playing days. He would be his sons, Phil Jr. and Joe, learning the field when they were young. Phil and Joe, known as ‘Knucksie’ and ‘Little Knucksie’ respectively, learned well, pitching a total of 46 Major League seasons, earning six All-Star Game berths and, in perhaps their proudest performance, combine for 539 wins .
Their overall win still stands as a major-league record for siblings, as they surpassed another sibling pairing with a Hall of Famer: Gaylord and Jim Perry (529 wins combined).
Although Phil and Joe Niekro worked together twice, with the Braves from 1973-74 and the Yankees from 1985, the two self-proclaimed best friends were more often friendly rivals. In 1979, Phil, who pitched for the Braves, and Joe for the Astros, were tied for the most wins in the National League, at 21 each. They clawed together like hill opponents, with Joe putting his big brother, 5-4, in their career. That advantage was made possible by a game-winning home run that Phil gave up to Joe, the lone homer Joe hit in his 22-year career.
When Phil Niekro won his 300th game, Joe was by his side, and it was arguably the most unique win of the older brother’s career. It was October 6, 1985, the last day of the season. The Yankees had lagged the postseason the day before with loss in Toronto. In the final, manager Billy Martin handed the duties of the pitching coach to Joe Niekro and the ball to Phil Niekro. Phil, who attempted to win No. 300 for the fifth time, came out of ninth in the bottom half after excluding the Jays from curveballs, slip pitches, fastballs and screwballs – anything but a knuckleball.
He would later say he wanted to prove he was a pitcher, not just a punching bag. Then sentiment finally took over with two outs in the ninth. Facing Jeff Burroughs, an old friend and former Braves teammate, Phil Niekro threw four pitches – the last three brawlers. Burroughs struckout to give the Yankees an 8-0 victory and Niekro his milestone.
“I thought if there was a way to win my 300th game by eliminating the man, I was going to make do with the pitch that won the first game for me,” said Niekro.
Phil Niekro’s playing days ended in 1987, but he would don a uniform one more time, managing the women who stormed the Colorado Silver Bullets (1994-1997). His pitching coach? Joe Niekro.
Phil Niekro was preceded to death by Joe Niekro, who developed a fatal brain aneurysm in 2006.