Phil Niekro, a pitcher who used his knuckleball to fool generations of hitters and create a career in the Hall of Fame, died Saturday night in his sleep after a long battle with cancer, the Atlanta Braves announced on Sunday. He was 81 years old.
Niekro, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997, was one of the most prolific and enduring baseball players, using his “butterfly” pitch to win 318 games in a career that lasted 24 seasons, 20 from those years with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves.
“We are heartbroken at the passing of our beloved friend, Phil Niekro,” Bravii said in a prepared statement. “Knucksie was woven in Braves fabric, first in Milwaukee and then in Atlanta. Phil was puzzled by the beatings on the field and later was always the first to join the activities of our community. as if they were long-lost friends.
“He has been a constant presence over the years, in our club, in our graduate activities and throughout the Braves country and we will always be grateful that he will be 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 knuckleball players, age has not proven to be a barrier for Niekro. He accumulated 121 victories after turning 40 – a record in the major league – and won up to 48 years. Until the end of 1987, his last season, Niekro ranked 10th in the major leagues in the number of seasons played. Only Cy Young, “Pud” Galvin and Walter Johnson launched more innings than 5,404 of Niekro. No pitcher from the dead ball era has spent more time on a major league mound.
“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, no pitcher has thrown more than 5,404 innings for Phil. His knuckleball has led him to five All-Star selections, three 20-win seasons for the Atlanta Braves, the 300-win club, and in finally at Cooperstown.
“But even more than his signed pitch and the durability of his trademark, Phil will be remembered as one of the most brilliant people in our game. He has always represented his extraordinary sport well and will be deeply missed. the name Major League Baseball, I extend my condolences to the family, friends of Phil and the many fans he has won throughout his life in our national entertainment. “
The symbol of both the success and the longevity of Niekro’s career was knuckleball, that whimsical float that handles not only hitters and catchers, but also pitchers who never really know how to dance height without rotation.
Niekro was the king of the knuckleballers, ranking first in victories and strokes (3,342). Tom Candiotti, a notable clan in his day and a former Niekro teammate with the Cleveland Indians since 1986, said talking to “Knucksie” was “like talking to Thomas Edison about light bulbs.”
If staying in the majority could be due to the knife, the same could be said about Niekro’s initial difficulty in reaching the big leagues. The puzzled winners and managers take care of the past balls and the wild pitches were the reasons often invoked for Niekro’s extended stay in the Braves minor league system. Signed in 1958, it failed to make it through almost a decade. However, Niekro had everything he had, everything he believed in.
“I never knew how to throw a fast ball, I never learned to throw a curved ball, a slider, with a split finger, whatever he throws nowadays,” he said. “I was a single pitcher.”
First called by Milwaukee in 1964, Niekro cut between majors and minors, a pitcher struggling to find a niche and willing captors. He found them both in 1967, when he was joined by Bob Uecker, a reserve veteran, with many tricks and wise advice.
“Ueck told me if I will ever be a winner to throw knuckleball all the time and he will try to catch him,” Niekro said. “I led the league in the ERA [1.87] and led the league in past balls. “
Uecker admitted that he followed a lot.
“Catching Niekro’s joint was great,” said Uecker, now a Hall of Fame announcer. “I have to meet a lot of important people. They’re all behind the plate.”
In 1969, Niekro was an All-star. The 23 victories obtained that season brought him the second place in the vote of the National League Cy Young Award. He will continue to live in the head of the strikers for another two decades. “There aren’t a lot of hitters who like to deal with pitchers,” he said. “They may not be intimidated by them, but they are sure to think about them 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.
“It just destroys your timing with that knuckleball,” said Hall of Famer Ernie Banks. “He comes flying there, sinking and hopping like crazy and you just can’t hit him.
“It actually makes you giggle as it goes by,” said former outfielder Rick Monday.
Niekro, born in Blaine, Ohio, April 1, 1939; he was the proud scion of a variety of family dynasties. Phil Niekro Sr., a part-time semi-professional worker and pitcher, had mastered the knife after an arm injury threatened to end his playing days. He taught his sons, Phil Jr. and Joe, the land when they were young. Phil and Joe, known as “Knucksie” and “Little Knucksie”, respectively, learned well, launching a total of 46 major league seasons, winning six All-Star Game berths and probably in the their proudest achievement, combined for 539 victories.
Their total victories is yet another record in the major league for the brothers, as they overcame another combination of brothers with a Hall of Famer: Gaylord and Jim Perry (529 victories combined).
Although Phil and Joe Niekro teamed up twice, with the Braves in 1973-74 and the Yankees in 1985, self-proclaimed best friends were more often friendly rivals. In 1979, Phil, playing for the Braves, and Joe for the Astros, tied for most wins in the National League, with 21 each. They clashed with each other as opponents of the mound, with Joe defeating his older brother, 5-4, in their career. This edge was made possible by a winning home game, Phil gave up Joe, the only homer Joe had hit in his 22-year career.
When Phil Niekro won the 300th game, Joe was with him and it was probably the only victory of his older brother’s career. It was October 6, 1985, the last day of the season. The Yankees failed since the postseason the day before, with a loss to Toronto. In the final, manager Billy Martin handed the tasks of the pitching coach to Joe Niekro and the ball to Phil Niekro. Phil, trying for the fifth time to win the number 300, entered the bottom of the ninth after locking Jay in curved balls, landslides, fast balls and balls – all but a knuckleball .
He would later say that he wants to prove that he is a pitcher, not just a player. Then the feeling finally took over with two outs in the nine. In front of Jeff Burroughs, an old friend and former Braves teammate, Phil Niekro threw four pitches – the last three knucklers. Burroughs broke out, giving the Yankees an 8-0 victory, and Niekro was his stage.
“I thought that if there was any way I would win the 300th game by hitting the guy, I would do it with the field that won the first game for me,” Niekro said.
Phil Niekro’s playing days ended in 1987, but he wore the uniform once again as manager of the Colorado Silver Bullets (1994-1997). His pitching coach? Joe Niekro.
Phil Niekro was preceded in death by Joe Niekro, who suffered a fatal brain aneurysm in 2006.