[15], After two seasons in New York, Niekro pitched for the Cleveland Indians in 1986. Well, of the active pitchers, Dennis Martinez ranks highest in victories, with 240. Phil Niekro poses for a portrait circa 1966 while playing with the Atlanta Braves. Talk about a weird assist: 2–5–3 on a strikeout. At 46 years, 188 days, Niekro became the oldest pitcher to pitch a shutout in the major leagues. Niekro is survived by his wife, Nancy, sons Philip, John and Michael, and two grandchildren, Chase and Emma. Positions: First Baseman and Pinch Hitter Bats: Right • Throws: Right 6-3, 210lb (190cm, 95kg) Born: January 29, 1979 in Winter Haven, FL us. [1], In 1974, Niekro led the league in several pitching categories, including wins (20), complete games (18), and innings pitched (302.1). Roger Clemens and Dennis Eckersley are next with 192 each. We invite you to share condolences for Phil Niekro in our Guest book. ''Every game I won kept floating back to me, to my dad in the backyard. In addition, Phil played American Legion Baseball. When the answer became a lesson, Niekro's knuckleball was instilled, in childhood, rather than late in a flagging career, as was usually true for knuckleball pitchers. He won the National League Gold Glove Award five times, was selected to five All-Star teams, and led the league in victories twice and earned run average once. A lot of folks are talking about Phil Niekro these days. [1], In 1983, he went 11–10 and won his fifth gold glove. Niekro is survived by his wife, Nancy, sons Philip, John and Michael, and two grandchildren, Chase and Emma. [27], Niekro was a member of the board of directors for Kiz Toys, a toy company based out of Cumming, Georgia, and Niekro advised the company on the KizSport baseball line, reviewing product designs and development. Sutton fell 9 votes short of being elected this year. Phil Niekro was preceded in death by Joe Niekro, who suffered a fatal brain aneurysm in 2006. In 1979, the 40-year-old Niekro led the league in both wins (21) and losses (20). He pitched in the major leagues from 1964 to 1987. [1] He was released by the Yankees before the 1986 season started. ''Last night, as I was driving to the airport, I asked myself 'What does this all mean,' and all I kept seeing was me and my dad in my backyard doing this,'' Niekro said, as he demonstrated the classic fingernail grip and straight-arm push delivery of a knuckleball pitcher. 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. Niekro is survived by his wife, Nancy, sons Philip, John and Michael, and two grandchildren, Chase and Emma. Four years later, Phil’s younger brother (Joe Niekro) was born. Niekro and his younger brother Joe amassed 539 wins between them, the most combined wins by brothers in baseball history. He played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1964–1983, 1987), New York Yankees (1984–1985), Cleveland Indians (1986–1987), and Toronto Blue Jays (1987). The brothers were the sons of a coal miner[5] who had pitched semi-pro baseball and learned to throw a knuckleball from another coal miner. He went 11–11 with a 4.32 ERA. Advertisement. He pitched six innings of Game Two and left with a 3–2 lead. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Joseph Franklin Niekro (/ ˈniːkroʊ / NEE-kroh; November 7, 1944 – October 27, 2006) was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. The strong connection between Joe and Lance Niekro begins with another father-and-son bond. I asked 'What was that, dad?' They had three sons, Phil, John and Michael. 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 the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of Major League pitcher and first baseman Lance Niekro. Phil Niekro was a legendary Hall of Fame pitcher known for his knuckleball pitch, who played for the Braves most of his career. Longevity was the hallmark of Niekro's career, which was spent largely in obscurity pitching for Braves teams that rarely managed a winning season. He returned to Louisville in 1962 and had a 9–6 record. In 1969, his first All-Star season, he had a 23–13 season with a 2.56 ERA,[1] finishing second in the National League Cy Young award balloting to Tom Seaver. With the 1979 Braves,[2] he was 21-20. Niekro was born in Blaine, Ohio, and grew up in Lansing, Ohio, the son of Henrietta (Klinkoski) and Philip Niekro. Niekro is survived by his wife, Nancy, sons Philip, John and Michael, and two grandchildren, Chase and Emma. Phil's 121 career victories after the age of 40 is a major league record. Joe Niekro, a native of Martins Ferry, Ohio, and his brother Phil were tutored in pitching by their father, Phil Sr., a former coal miner. The baseball field where he played at Bridgeport High School's Perkins Field athletic complex was renamed "The Niekro Diamond" in 2008 after Phil and his brother, fellow major league pitcher Joe Niekro. After the season, the Braves released him.[11]. In fact, he emerged from a coma in an intensive care unit on Oct. 6, 1985, the date Phil pitched a shutout for the Yankees over the Toronto Blue Jays to reach the milestone. He taught the boys the pitch in the backyard. Longevity was the hallmark of Niekro’s career, which was spent largely in obscurity pitching for Braves teams that rarely managed a winning season. [21], 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. Your Account; Logout; Login; Create Account; Phil Niekro. Trying to hit that thing is a miserable way to make a living. '', On Phil's last visit before the milestone victory, Niekro's father, unable to speak, wrote a note to his son. Niekro started Game One of the subsequent 1982 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals and pitched well, but the game was called on account of rain just before it became official. Ralph Kiner compared Niekro's special pitch to "watching Mario Andretti park a car". [26], Niekro was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997, his fifth year of eligibility. Philip Henry Niekro (/ˈniːkroʊ/ NEE-kroh; April 1, 1939 – December 26, 2020), nicknamed "Knucksie",[1] was an American baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball, 20 of them with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves. [3][4] He was of Polish descent. [20] On September 27, he made his final start of his career, pitching three innings and surrendering five runs in the no-decision. He showed me how to hold it. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/08/sports/coal-miner-s-gift-is-treasured-by-son.html. '', See the article in its original context from. Niekro was running on empty by the time, but he was still logging a lot of innings for the first Indians teams I followed. My life was the knuckleball.'' 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. Niekro, sensing the end of a very special era, said: ''I think the 300-game winners are just about done, with the disabled list, the contracts and everything. To my dad in the voting for the Cleveland Indians in 1986 his fingernails on the seams in York. Cleveland Indians, going 7–11 in 26 starts left the game until the final hitter, only Sutton! Niekro: before Atlanta Philip Henry Niekro ) was born season started muffin, said be... 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