Baseball lost another Hall of Fame player on December 26, as Phil Niekro has passed at the age of 81. Earlier this year, Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Joe Morgan, Whitey Ford, Lou Brock, and Al Kaline all lost their lives.
Niekro, who specialized in throwing the knuckleball, pitched for 24 years in the major leagues, 21 of which with the Braves (both Milwaukee and Atlanta). He is honored with a statue at Sun Trust Park. Niekro also pitched for the Yankees, Indians, and Blue Jays before retiring in 1987.
Niekro had a career record of 318-274, to go with 3342 strikeouts in 5404 innings pitched. In 1979, he had a very unique season, in which he won 21 games (which led the National League) while losing 20 (which also led the National League). He also won 20 games in 1974, and also lost 20 games in 1977.
Niekro’s brother, Joe Niekro, pitched 22 seasons in the major leagues, posting a career record of 221-204. Joe Niekro passed away in 2006.
Phil Niekro was a five-time all star, achieving the honor in 1969, 1975, 1978, 1982, and 1984. He led National League pitchers in bWAR in 1978 (10.0) and 1979 (7.4).
As a knuckleballer, Niekro inspired quite a bit of reaction among opposing hitters. Pete Rose once said, “I work on fixing my swing for three weeks, and Phil messes it up in one night”. Bob Uecker, who caught Niekro with the Braves, added, “Niekro struck out a hitter once and I never touched the ball. It hit me in the shinguard, bounced out to Clete Boyer at third base and he threw out the runner at first. Talk about a weird assist: 2-5-3 on a strikeout.”
Knuckleball pitchers tend to be able to throw a significant number of innings, because of the relatively low stress the pitch has on the arm. Niekro was no exception to this, leading the National League in complete games in 1974, 1977, 1978, and 1979.
With “Knucksie’s” passing, baseball has lost another successful and colorful player. It was a treat to watch Niekro pitch, as the knuckleball would seemingly float to the plate, and make the game’s best hitters look befuddled.
As Mets fans, we had the opportunity to watch R.A. Dickey pitch in the early 2010s, and win a Cy Young award as a knuckleballer. Dickey threw the pitch significantly harder than did Niekro, which made Niekro all the more interesting to watch, to see how a pitch coming in at 70 mph could stymie the most potent bats of the National League.
Rest In Peace, Phil Niekro.
