Niekro pitched for 24 seasons, with the first 20 of them as a Brave before moving on to the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Cleveland Indians. He won 318 games, 16th-most all-time, and pitched until he was 48 years old. He was inducted into baseball’sHe won his 300th game while pitching for the New York Yankees on Oct. 6, 1985, throwing a shutout against the Toronto Blue Jays.
“We are heartbroken on the passing of our treasured friend, Phil Niekro,” the Braves said in a statement. “Knucksie was woven into the Braves fabric, first in Milwaukee and then in Atlanta. Phil baffled batters on the field and later was always the first to join in our community activities. It was during those community and fan activities where he would communicate with fans as if they were long lost friends.
A five-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, Niekro learned the knuckleball from his father growing up in Ohio. He threw a no-hitter on Aug. 5, 1973 against the Padres, one of the crowning achievements in his long career. Joe Niekro, Phil’s younger brother and also a knuckleballer who pitched for 22 seasons, died in 2006 of a brain aneurysm.
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