Phil Niekro dead at 81

jose melendez

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I tried to find his appearance on the baseball bunch, but I can't find it. I always loved the knuckleball. The Niekros were my non-Sox heroes growing up.
 

Ramon AC

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Apr 19, 2002
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What?
The first big league baseball game I ever saw was at Yankee Stadium in 1985, Phil Niekro against the Red Sox. The Yankees won, my hero Jim Rice made an error in left, and watching Niekro was like slow motion.

RIP to the older of the two knuckleballing Niekros, the winningest brothers in MLB history.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Jan 23, 2009
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Niekro was the opposing starter the first time I ever attended a game at Fenway. The knuckleball is a dying art, and I'm glad to be able to say I saw in person two of the greatest to ever throw it (he and Wake). RIP
 

curly2

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Jul 8, 2003
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Catchers in heaven are already cursing him. RIP.
Bob Uecker led the NL in passed balls in 1967 despite playing only 76 games, only 59 of which were starts. He described himself as Niekro's "personal chaser."

Niekro had a 10 WAR season at 39 and a 4.6 at age 45. That's amazing. Rest in peace.
 

Omar's Wacky Neighbor

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Leaving in a bit to the studio :)

The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa

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Bob Uecker led the NL in passed balls in 1967 despite playing only 76 games, only 59 of which were starts. He described himself as Niekro's "personal chaser."

Niekro had a 10 WAR season at 39 and a 4.6 at age 45. That's amazing. Rest in peace.
I am convinced every time the Sox sent a slumping Wakefield to go see Niekro for pitching advice, all Niekro really did was teach him new ways to piss off the catcher.
 

jaytftwofive

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Jan 20, 2013
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Next to Hoyt Wilhelm he had the best Knuckler, but obviously a better pitcher. Last pitcher to win 20 plus games and lose 20 games in a season. That will never happen again. RIP Phil.
 

jaytftwofive

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Jan 20, 2013
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Niekro in a Yankee uniform. I know he played a short time with them but pleeeaaaaase!? Put a picture of him in a Braves uniform. That's what he's known for. Couldn't anyone have found a Braves card or picture??? Ok my mistake I see 2 small pics up top in a Braves uniform.
 

Sad Sam Jones

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May 5, 2017
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Niekro was running on empty by the time, but he was still logging a lot of innings for the first Indians teams I followed. In 1986, Cleveland got 450+ innings out of knuckleballers Niekro and Tom Candiotti, but I was too young to really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I remember the '87 team much better, when 48-year-old Niekro posted a 5.89 ERA before he was traded to Toronto and then retired with the Braves. That Cleveland pitching staff was so bad, Niekro's 7 wins still tied for the team lead with Candiotti and Scott Bailes. In fact, they posted a losing record against every single team they faced that year except Kansas City, who they managed to go 6-6 against. Niekro also would have been my dad's answer to "Who was the last MLB player older than you?".
 

DanoooME

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Next to Hoyt Wilhelm he had the best Knuckler, but obviously a better pitcher. Last pitcher to win 20 plus games and lose 20 games in a season. That will never happen again. RIP Phil.
He went 21-20 in 1979. That was the last time anyone had as many as 35 decisions in a season. There were 4 seasons of 34 decisions in the early 80s. 1990 was the last time anyone had 33 decisions in a season (Stewart, Welch, Morris). The most since the turn of the century is 32 by Dontrelle Willis and Roy Oswalt, both in 2005. In 2010, Halladay and Wainwright had 31 decisions. No one has cracked 30 since then.