Phil Niekro
American baseball player (1939–2020) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Phil Niekro?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Philip Henry Niekro (/ˈniːkroʊ/ NEE-kroh; April 1, 1939 – December 26, 2020), nicknamed "Knucksie",[1] was an American baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. Niekro is generally regarded as the greatest knuckleball pitcher of all time.[2][3][4]
Phil Niekro | |
---|---|
Pitcher | |
Born: (1939-04-01)April 1, 1939 Blaine, Ohio, U.S. | |
Died: December 26, 2020(2020-12-26) (aged 81) Flowery Branch, Georgia, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
April 15, 1964, for the Milwaukee Braves | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 27, 1987, for the Atlanta Braves | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 318–274 |
Earned run average | 3.35 |
Strikeouts | 3,342 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Member of the National | |
Baseball Hall of Fame | |
Induction | 1997 |
Vote | 80.3% (fifth ballot) |
During his career, Niekro was selected to five All-Star teams, led the National League in victories twice (in 1974 and 1979), led the major leagues in earned run average once (in 1967), and won the National League Gold Glove Award five times. As of 2023, Niekro ranks 16th on MLB's all-time wins list with 318 career victories;[5] as of 2023, he is the only knuckleballer to win 300 or more major league games.[3] Niekro and his younger brother Joe amassed 539 wins between them; as of 2013, the Niekros had the most combined wins by brothers in baseball history.[6] As of 2023, Niekro also holds the major league record with 121 career victories after the age of 40.[7]
Niekro was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.