Phil Niekro

Information about Phil Niekro

Phil Niekro
Starting Pitcher
Batted: RightThrew: Right
MLB Debut
April 15, 1964 for the Milwaukee Braves
Final game
September 27, 1987 for the Atlanta Braves
Career Statistics
Win-Loss    318-274
ERA    3.35
Strikeouts    3342
Teams
Career Highlights and Awards
  • All-star in 1969, 1975, 1978, 1982, 1984
  • Gold Gloves in 1978-1980, 1982, 1983
  • Won the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award in 1979
  • Won the Roberto Clemente Award in 1980
  • Led NL in wins in 1974 with 20 and 1979 with 21
  • Led NL in ERA in 1967 with 1.87
  • Led NL in strikeouts in 1977 with 262
  • Led NL in innings pitched in 1974 and 1977-1979
  • Most innings pitched by any pitcher in the live-ball era
  • Led NL in complete games in 1974 and 1977-1979
Philip Henry Niekro (born April 1, 1939 in Blaine, Ohio) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

A native of Blaine, Ohio, Niekro attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio, and was a boyhood friend of future Basketball Hall-of-Famer John Havlicek.

With 318 career victories, Niekro is the most successful knuckleball pitcher of all time. He was also an excellent fielder, winning the National League Gold Glove award five times. Together with his brother and sometime teammate Joe, the Niekro brothers are the winningest brother combination in baseball history, with 539 wins between them. Phil Niekro's 121 career victories after the age of 40 is a major league record, and his longevity is attributed to the knuckleball, which, while a difficult pitch for pitchers to master, is easy on the arm and difficult for batters to hit. He is also the uncle of current MLB player Lance Niekro. The baseball field in Phil's hometown of Bridgeport, Ohio has been named Niekro Diamond in honor of Phil and the late Joe Niekro.

Niekro pitched for 20 seasons for the Atlanta Braves (two of those seasons when the team was still in Milwaukee) and was popular in the city of Atlanta for remaining loyal to a team that often had a losing record, as well as for his contributions to Atlanta charities. On August 5, 1973, he threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. The no-hitter was the first for the Braves since they moved to Atlanta.

The Braves released the 45-year-old Niekro in 1984, who then signed with the New York Yankees and went on to win 16 games and make the last of his five All-Star appearances. It was while pitching for the Yankees that Niekro gained entry into the exclusive 300 win club with a shutout win over the Toronto Blue Jays on October 6, 1985. At 46, Niekro became the oldest pitcher to pitch a shutout in the major leagues, and became the only pitcher to throw a complete game shutout for his 300th win. Ironically, he did not throw his trademark knuckleball until the final hitter.

After two seasons in New York, Niekro pitched for the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays in 1986 and 1987. The Blue Jays released him after he pitched ineffectively, and as a publicity stunt and a last hurrah of sorts, the Braves brought him back for one last start to wrap up his career late in the 1987 season. At the age of 48, Niekro was the oldest player in major league history to play regularly, and his 24 seasons in the major leagues without a World Series appearance is a major league record. His total of 5,404⅓ innings pitched is the most by any pitcher in the post-1920 live-ball era. He only appeared in the post season twice, making a playoff start in 1969 and again in 1982, both for Braves teams that would go on to lose the series.

After the end of his professional baseball career, Niekro managed the all-women Colorado Silver Bullets baseball team. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997. Niekro tutored his nephew, Lance Niekro to throw a knuckleball after his unsuccessful stints with the San Francisco Giants.[1]

Career statistics

WLPCTERAGGSCGSHOSVIPHERRHRBBSOWPHBP |318 |274 |.537 |3.35 |864 |716 |245 |45 |29 |5404.3 |5044 |2012 |2337 |482 |1809 |3342 |226 |123

See also

References

External links

 •  • [ e]
300 win club
 •  • [ e]
3000 strikeout club
Blyleven | Carlton | Clemens* | Gibson | Jenkins | R. Johnson* | W. Johnson | Maddux* | Martnez* | Niekro | Perry | Ryan | Schilling* | Seaver | Sutton
asterisk denotes "active pitcher"
 •  • [ e]
Atlanta Braves
Atlanta, Georgia (Formerly the Boston Braves and the Milwaukee Braves)
The Franchise – Records • Seasons • Managers • Broadcasters
Ballparks – South End Grounds • Congress Street Grounds • South End Grounds • Fenway Park • Braves Field • Milwaukee County Stadium • Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium • Turner Field
Culture – Chief Noc-A-Homa • Homer • Rally • Tomahawk Buzzcut • Tomahawk Chop
Rivalries – Braves-Mets rivalry
Important Figures – Henry Aaron • Bobby Cox • Eddie Mathews • Dale Murphy • Phil Niekro • Johnny Sain • Warren Spahn • Ted Turner
Retired Numbers – 3 • 21 • 35 • 41 • 42 • 44
Key Personnel – Owner: John Malone(Liberty Media) • General Manager: John Schuerholz • Manager: Bobby Cox
World Series Championships (3)
1914 • 1957 • 1995
National League Championships (17)
1877 • 1878 • 1883 • 1891 • 1892 • 1893 • 1897 • 1898 • 1914 • 1948 • 1957 • 1958 • 1991 • 1992 • 1995 • 1996 • 1999
National Association Championships (4)
1872 • 1873 • 1874 • 1875
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Minor League Affiliates
Richmond Braves(AAA) • Mississippi Braves(AA) • Myrtle Beach Pelicans(A) • Rome Braves(A) • Gulf Coast Braves(Rookies) • Danville Braves(Rookie)
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Joseph Franklin Niekro (November 7 1944 – October 27 2006) was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball, the younger brother of Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of first baseman Lance Niekro.
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Lance Niekro

San Francisco Giants — No. 28
First Baseman

Bats: Right Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
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