“Phil Niekro was one of the most distinctive and memorable pitchers of his generation," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said. "In the last century, no pitcher threw more than Phil’s 5,404 innings. His knuckleball led him to five All-Star selections, three 20-win seasons for the Atlanta Braves, the 300-win club, and ultimately, to Cooperstown.

1. Hall of Fame knuckleballer Niekro dead at 81
By Mark Bowman @mlbbowman
December 27, 2020
ATLANTA -- Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro has died at the age of 81.
Niekro passed away in his sleep on Saturday night. The suburban Atlanta resident had a
longtime battle with cancer.
Niekro was inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1997. The iconic knuckleballer collected
318 wins over a 24-year career that included stints with the Braves (1964-83 and '87), Yankees
('84-85), Tribe ('86-87) and Blue Jays ('87). He was a five-time All-Star and five-time Gold
Glove Award winner who finished within the top six in National League Cy Young Award
3:34 5:44
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2. balloting five times from '69-82.
• Numbers show Niekro's unique HOF career
“Phil Niekro was one of the most distinctive and memorable pitchers of his generation," MLB
commissioner Rob Manfred said. "In the last century, no pitcher threw more than Phil’s 5,404
innings. His knuckleball led him to five All-Star selections, three 20-win seasons for the
Atlanta Braves, the 300-win club, and ultimately, to Cooperstown.
“But even more than his signature pitch and trademark durability, Phil will be remembered as
one of our game’s most genial people. He always represented his sport extraordinarily 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 earned throughout his life in our National
Pastime.”
• Niekro was one of HOF's great ambassadors
Dec 28, 2020 · 6:13
MLB Network remembers Phil Niekro
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3. Niekro remained in regular contact over the past few months with Braves manager Brian
Snitker, who most recently spoke to his longtime friend about three weeks ago. The former
pitcher also called Snitker in October to wish him luck as the Braves prepared to play in the
NL Championship Series.
“He was one of the nicest and most genuine guys you will ever know,” Snitker said. “I don’t
know if you’ll ever find someone who loved life as much as he did. He sucked the life out of
every day that he lived. He was really a special, special guy.”
Born on April 1, 1939, in Blaine, Ohio, Niekro learned the knuckleball with the help of his
father, who taught both of his sons, Phil and Joe, the pitch between his shifts at the local coal
mine. Joe, who was five years younger than Phil, enjoyed a 22-season career as a Major
League pitcher from '67-88.
The Niekros hold the record for the most victories by a brother combination with 539. They
were the NL’s only 20-game winners in 1979.
• Top 10 moments of Niekro's career
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4. Phil Niekro attended Bridgeport High School with childhood neighbor John Havlicek, who
was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984. Legend has it that the only loss Phil
took during his high school career came during his freshman season, when he lost a 1-0
game against Warren Consolidated High School’s Bill Mazeroski. The home run Mazeroski hit
in that game was not quite as dramatic as the one that ended the 1960 World Series and
helped him reserve his spot in Cooperstown.
Phil Niekro made his big league debut for the Braves on April 15, 1964. He enjoyed a
breakout season in '67, when he posted a Major League-low 1.87 ERA over 46 appearances
(20 starts). But he didn’t become a full-time starting pitcher until '68, when he was 29 years
old.
“Phil Niekro’s record on the field ranks him as one of the game’s finest pitchers,” said Jane
Forbes Clark, chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “As a mentor,
leader and friend, Phil brought out the best in all of us in Cooperstown. Over more than a
decade of serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Hall of Fame, his wisdom, his
compassion, and his love for the game proved to be invaluable in helping us shape our
decisions.
"On behalf of the Board of Directors and the staff of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, I
would like to send our heartfelt condolences to Nancy Niekro and the Niekro family.”
Following a 23-13 season in 1969 that firmly established him as one of baseball’s best, the
durable Niekro consistently piled up innings and perplexed batters. The fluttering knuckler
danced throughout the summers in the Atlanta heat, and by his late 30s Niekro became an
absolute workhorse -- averaging 336 innings a season from '77-79 and becoming the last
pitcher to post back-to-back seasons of at least 300 innings.
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