Niekro was remembered by the Hall as "master of the knuckleball and a great mentor, leader and friend." Niekro didn't make it to the big leagues until 1964, when he pitched 10 games in relief for . He was known for his knuckleball, and had a career record of 318-274. However, Cicotte called the shine ball "a pure freak of the imagination", claiming that he did this to disconcert hitters and that the pitch was still a knuckleball. The origins of the knuckleball are unclear. Niekro, who pitched well into his 40s . Ralph Kiner compared Niekro's special pitch to "watching Mario Andretti park a car". Share Niekro threw a no-hitter against the Padres on Aug. 5, 1973, and won his 300th career game on the final day of the 1985 season by throwing just one knuckler on the last pitch of the game. Phil Niekro (19392020), legendary knuckleball pitcher. By 1969, Niekro was an All-Star. Do you have a sports website? Phil Niekro was 6-1 (185 cm) tall. There will be a period when they will beat the daylights out of you. $2.49 . [22], A sidearm pitcher, his pitching featured the knuckleball, which frustrated major league hitters. [1] Niekro retired at the end of the season. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Niekro, often referred to by his knuckleball . Niekro joined Lou Brock, Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, Al Kaline, Joe Morgan and Tom Seaver as Hall of Famers who died in 2020 -- the most ever to pass away in a calendar year, according to Hall of Fame spokesman Jon Shestakofsky. On August 5, 1973, Niekro threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres, the first for the Braves since moving to Atlanta. (Parker Fish/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum), Brothers Joe (left) and Phil Niekro squared off against one another on July 4, 1967 in a game won by Phil's Atlanta Braves against the Chicago Cubs, 8-3. [30] The "knuckleball catcher" is equipped with an oversized knuckleball catcher's mitt,[31] similar to a first baseman's glove; Doug Mirabelli, formerly of the Red Sox, used a softball catcher's mitt. Jean Faut (19252023), AAGPBL pitcher with two perfect Bob Richards (19262023), first athlete featured on Wheaties Greg Foster (19582023), world champion hurdler, Tom Sizemore (19612023), actor in Saving Private Ryan, Heat, Jerry Richardson (19362023), Carolina Panthers founder, Wayne Shorter (19332023), jazz saxophonist who co-founded Weather Report, Jean Faut (19252023), AAGPBL pitcher with two perfect games, Bob Richards (19262023), first athlete featured on Wheaties boxes, Greta Andersen (19272023), Olympic swimming champion. The knuckleball is also employed by cricket fast bowlers Zaheer Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Andrew Tye as their slower delivery. [2] It was his third and final 20-win season and his second and final 20-loss season. Niekro, born in Blaine, Ohio, on April 1, 1939, was the proud scion of a family dynasty of sorts. A reporter once noted that Phil is 48 but you'd never know it. In 1969, his first All-Star season, he had a 2313 season with a 2.56 ERA,[1] finishing second in the National League Cy Young award balloting to Tom Seaver. Aug. 30, 1987 12 AM PT. [1], From 1971 to 1973, he combined for a record of 4436. Knuckleball pitchers can throw more innings than other pitchers, and, requiring less time to recover after pitching, can pitch more frequently. [12] Niekro was given the nickname "Knucksie" during his career. This change adds a deflecting force to the baseball, making it difficult for batters to hit but also difficult for pitchers to control and catchers to catch; umpires are challenged as well, as the ball's irregular motion through the air makes it harder to call balls and strikes. I've been stunned before. Data Provided By ATLANTA Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who pitched well into his 40s with a knuckleball that baffled big league hitters for more than two decades, mostly with the Atlanta Braves, has died . Niekr If a seam is liable to catch a finger at any point as you release the ball, change your grip. But that was nothing new. Cicotte was widely reported to throw both the knuckleball and a variant on the spitball known as a "shine ball" (because he would "shine" one side of a dirty ball by rubbing it on his uniform). Niekro and his brother Joe, another knuckleballer, hold the record for the most victories by a brother combination with 539. Sometimes young players will throw the knuckleball with their knuckles flat against the ball, giving it less spin but also making it difficult to throw any significant distance. On October 1, with the Braves clinging to a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers, Niekro beat the San Diego Padres almost single-handedly by throwing a complete game shutout and hitting a two-run home run. He pitched six innings of Game 2 and left with a 32 lead. He set a major league record by playing 24 seasons in the major leagues without a World Series appearance. Following a 23-13 season in 1969 that firmly established him as one of baseballs best, the durable Niekro consistently piled up innings and perplexed batters. He took the mound for nearly a quarter of a century using the arm-saving pitch. For example, Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas went with Dickey when the pitcher was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in late 2012, and the team later signed Henry Blanco, who also caught for Dickey. Philip Henry Niekro (/ n i k r o / NEE-kroh; April 1, 1939 - December 26, 2020), nicknamed "Knucksie", was an American baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball, 20 of them with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves.Niekro's 318 career victories are the most by a knuckleballer and rank 16th on MLB's all-time wins list.He won the National League Gold Glove Award five . He looks much older. The knuckleball is somewhat of a lost art, a pitch with slower speed that moves oddly and is hard for hitters to predict the trajectory. Phil Niekro weighed 180 lbs (81 kg) when playing. For many hitters, using a bat to try to get a hit off Phil Niekro was a farce. This grip can also include digging the fingernails into the surface of the ball. Toad Ramsey, a pitcher from 1885 to 1890, is credited in some later sources with being the first knuckleballer, apparently based primarily on accounts of how he gripped the ball; however, based on more contemporary descriptions of his pitch as an "immense drop ball", it may be that his pitch was a form of knuckle curve. Niekro, who pitched well into his 40s with a knuckleball that . As with many knuckleball pitchers, age proved no barrier to Niekro. [1], On August 9, 1987, Niekro was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Darryl Landrum and a player to be named later,[17] who was later revealed to be Don Gordon. It is for this reason that the knuckleball is widely regarded as unreliable, and knuckleball pitchers are prone to extended slumps, such as when Tim Wakefield was released from the Pirates in a mid-career slump during spring training in 1995. Phil Niekro, a pitcher who used his signature knuckleball to fool generations of hitters and craft a Hall of Fame career, died Saturday night in his sleep, the Braves announced Sunday. Or write about sports? Vic DeLucia/The New York Times. Hij doelde daarmee op top-knuckleballers in de Major League als Tim Wakefield en Phil Niekro . Then sentiment finally took over with two outs in the ninth. [1], In 1974, Niekro led the league in several pitching categories, including wins (20), complete games (18), and innings pitched (302.1). FILE - In this March 29, 2007, file photo, Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro holds a knuckleball at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland. Tom Candiotti, a notable knuckler in his time and a teammate of Niekro's with the 1986 Cleveland Indians, said that talking to Knucksie was "like talking to Thomas Edison about light bulbs.". He missed the 1963 season due to military service. It hit me in the shinguard, bounced out to Clete Boyer at third base and he threw out the runner at first. Phil and Joe Niekro learned the pitch from their father, a Polish coal miner, and won a combined total of 539 games the most by two brothers in big league history. [2] Other accounts attribute the pitch's creation to Charles H. Druery, a pitcher in the Blue Ridge League. "Trying to hit Phil Niekro is like trying to eat Jell-O with chopsticks," said former New York Yankees All-Star outfielder Bobby Murcer. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. On occasion, teams have traded knuckleball pitchers and their catchers in the same transaction. Phil Niekro's big league career was never about speed. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball, Did not play in major or minor leagues (Military Service), Salaries may not be complete (especially pre-1985) and may not include some earned bonuses, Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. [3][4] He was of Polish descent. [1] Niekro's playoff loss came against Seaver. He finally went to the knuckler for the game's final batter, striking out former teammate Jeff Burroughs on three pitches to cap the 8-0 victory and become the 18 th 300-game winner in history. Reserve your tickets, map your route, and work out all the details for your arrival in Cooperstown. A password reset link will be e-mailed to you. His longevity was greatly aided by his reliance on the knuckleball, which puts far less stress on a pitcher's throwing arm than a standard repertoire of pitches. Trying to hit that thing is a miserable way to make a living. This use of a "specialist" catcher continued into the 2008 season following the signing of Kevin Cash, and 2009 saw George Kottaras fulfill this role. [10], Coaches have also been seen as a barrier to succeeding with the knuckleball. "In the last century, no pitcher threw more than Phil's 5,404 innings. Of the thousands of pitchers who have reached the majors, fewer than a hundred mastered the knuckleball that maddeningly erratic, spin-free butterfly well enough to rely upon it as their primary pitch. 1978 Topps Nolan Ryan Phil Niekro Strikeout Leaders #206 NM HOF Nice Card! When was Phil Niekro born? By Jim Murray. Heck, he didn't even know where it was going most of the time. Heck, the pitch comes and goes when it feels like it and, get this, you never really master it. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum), Phil Niekro was elected to the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors in 2009. Coaches are quick to banish the pitch after one bad outing. The nice thing about Phil Niekro is, he doesn't look his age. However, since a typical major league starting rotation exceeds the length of a series against any one opponent, one way a manager can mitigate this disadvantage is to adjust his team's pitching rotation so as to eliminate (or at least minimize) games in which a knuckleballer would pitch against teams with a preponderance of fast baserunners. They hold the record for most combined wins by siblings in a career with 539. Amazingly, he won 121 games over the age of 40 thanks to his knuckleball. Yet the knuckler was all Niekro had, all he believed in. Niekro p "Phil Niekro was one of the most distinctive and memorable pitchers of his generation," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. The fingertip grip is more commonly used today by knuckleball pitchers, like retired Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, who had a knuckleball with a lot of movement. The Braves lost the game against the San Francisco Giants 156. This was common due to the amount of practice one must put into the pitch. Sponsored. "Knucksie was woven into the Braves fabric, first in Milwaukee and then in Atlanta. For the 2012 documentary film, see, position players making pitching appearances, Game 5 of the 2004 American League Championship Series, "The Physics of Baseball: Knuckleball Research", "I am 2-time NL MVP Dale Murphy, former MLB player for the Braves, Phillies and Rockies. Many thanks to him. Not many pitchers start out with it, and you can't expect to pick it up overnight. Atlanta Braves pitcher Phil Niekro is seen in a 1968 photo. Youve made you development 50% more difficult. Phil Niekro Phil is probably the best known knuckleball pitcher. The ball completes between one-quarter and one-half a rotation on its way from the pitcher to the batter; the position of the stitches changes as the ball travels, affecting the drag that gives the ball its motion, thus making its flight erratic. . He attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio, and was a boyhood friend of Basketball Hall-of-Famer John Havlicek. When I think of Phil Niekro, two things come to mind. Niekro, who pitched well into his 40s with a knuckleball that baffled big league hitters for more than two decades, mostly with the Atlanta Braves, has died after a long fight with cancer, the team announced Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020. Phil Niekro owns one of, if not, the best knuckleball in MLB history. Ferrell knew knuckleballs: he had the task of being the Washington Senators catcher in 194445, when the Senators had four knuckleball pitchers in their starting rotation. Toad Ramsey of the Louisville Colonels in the old American Associationhis pitch likely resembled the knuckle curveand Eddie Cicotte of the Chicago White Sox, who in 1908 was nicknamed "Knuckles", are two possible creators of the pitch. Phil Niekro dug his fingernails into the baseballs seams and carved out a legend eventually earning a plaque in Cooperstown. pic.twitter.com/bGjFBMJZrL, Full Obituary: Atlanta Journal Constitution. With the Braves Niekro earned 268 of his career 318 . "There aren't many hitters who like facing knuckleball pitchers," Niekro said. Niekro joined Al Kaline, Tom Seaver, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson . And traditionally, if you look at Tim Wakefield, Joe and Phil Niekro, Tom Candiotti, Wilbur Wood, Hoyt Wilhelm and all the guys that threw it, through their success they had guys who really believed in what it could do long-term and committed to giving them the ball every fifth day to do it. (Brad Mangin/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum), Using his trademark knuckleball to baffle hitters, Phil Niekro was named to five All-Star Games. As of 2021, four primary knuckleball pitchers are in the Baseball Hall of Fame today. While he was briefly promoted to the Class AAA Louisville Colonels in 1960, he spent the rest of that season pitching for the Jacksonville Braves. Communication. [20], As of 2019[update], Steven Wright of the Boston Red Sox was considered to be the last active knuckleballer in the MLB; he has since been released from the team. April 1, 1939 Philip Henry Niekro (/nikro/ 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. They hold the record for most combined wins by siblings in a career with 539. The Boston Red Sox, in their 2004 world championship season, had Mirabelli regularly catching in place of Jason Varitek when Tim Wakefield was pitching. "I led the league in ERA [1.87], and he led the league in passed balls.". Phil Niekro was a legendary Hall of Fame pitcher known for his knuckleball pitch, who played for the Braves most of his career. Two later pitchers, Jesse Haines and Freddie Fitzsimmons, were sometimes characterized as knuckleball pitchers even by their contemporaries, but in their cases it again refers to a harder-thrown, curving pitch that would probably not be called a knuckleball today. "We are . (Doug McWilliams/National baseball Hall of Fame and Museum). Collectibles; Stamps; Books & Magazines; Pottery & Glass; All four of these pitchers had a baseball WHIP below 1.35, which shows how effective they were at reducing hits and limiting walks per inning. The physics of the operation are largely the same. But because the pitch is so difficult to throw, even on a good day, you want to reduce as many variables as possible. April 1st, 2022. There are other prominent knuckleball pitchers like Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who had a very effective knuckler and knuckle curve, and Cy Young Award winning pitcher R. A. Dickey. [10] This effect is increasing over time as the modern game continues to emphasize power in pitching and average pitch speed increases.[11]. Niekro, who pitched well into his 40s with a knuckleball that baffled big league hitters for more than two decades, mostly with the Braves, has died after a long fight with cancer, the team . Who throws the best knuckleball? I don't think of his Hall of Fame plaque. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Heck, he didn't even know where it was going most of the time. A paper presented at the 2012 Conference of the International Sports Engineering Association argues, based on PITCHf/x data, that knuckleballs do not make large and abrupt changes in their trajectories on the way to home plateor at least, no more abrupt than a normal pitch. You do not push a knuckleball with the fingers. R. A. Dickey estimates that it takes at least a year to grasp its fundamentals. The Hall said in an announcement Sunday that Niekro died overnight. [1] That season, Phil and Joe Niekro were NL co-leaders in wins. "But even more than his signature pitch and trademark durability, Phil will be remembered as one of our game's most genial people. It's also available for football, basketball and hockey. Phil, trying for a fifth time to win No. In this March 29, 2007, file photo, Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro holds a knuckleball which he used to pitch well into his 40s. In 1979, the 40-year-old Niekro led the league in both wins (21) and losses (20). FILE - In this 1970 file photo, Atlanta Braves' Phil Niekro poses for a photo. Created by the act of throwing a ball, the ball's trajectory is significantly affected by variations in airflow caused by differences between the smooth surface of the ball and the stitching of its seams. Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who pitched well into his 40s with a knuckleball that baffled big league hitters for more than two decades, mostly with the Atlanta . This is the magical village of the U.S.A., Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. No pitcher since the dead-ball era spent more time on a major league mound. He would say later that he wanted to prove he was a pitcher, not just a knuckleballer. Richard Drew / AP file. Niekro was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 and served on the Museums Board of Directors since 2009. [18], When originally developed, the knuckleball was used by a number of pitchers as simply one pitch in their repertoire, usually as part of changing speeds from their fastball.
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