Niekro, born in Blaine, Ohio, on April 1, 1939, was the proud scion of a family dynasty of sorts. [7] He pitched for several minor league teams at several levels for the next few years, appearing mostly as a relief pitcher. [10] Another reason for the difficulty of the knuckleball is due to the network effect. By adding a third finger, you make the process a lot more difficult. Phil Niekro (19392020), legendary knuckleball pitcher. Phil Niekro's playing days ended in 1987, but he would don a uniform one more time, as manager of the women's barnstorming Colorado Silver Bullets (1994-97). He pitched in the major leagues from 1964 to 1987. A knuckleball or knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown to minimize the spin of the ball in flight, causing an erratic, unpredictable motion. [16] He started the 1987 season with the Indians, going 711 in 26 starts. Their win total still stands as a major league record for siblings, as they surpassed another brother combination featuring a Hall of Famer: Gaylord and Jim Perry (529 wins combined). 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.". By Jim Murray. It speculates that the appearance of abrupt shifting may be due to the unpredictability of the changes in direction.[9]. us, Died: ATLANTA (AP) Phil Niekro threw a pitch that baffled hitters and catchers. Data Provided By Photo is at @Dana_Pump @David_Pump Foundation dinner with @STLWizard #RickeyHenderson pic.twitter.com/RccUiq0rJO, PHIL NIEKRO YOU WERE ALWAYS GOOD MAN WHENEVER WE SEE YOU AT THE MATCHES IN THE 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. In-person Lessons at the Knuckleball Academy, Knuckleball Grip, Part 3: Depth of the Baseball. I got to meet a lot of important people. "[28] The year before, Niekro had received the most Hall of Fame votes out of all the players in the ballot, but had not received the required 75% of the vote for election. https://www.youtube.com/MLBClassicsFollow us elsewhere too:Twitter: https://twitter.com/MLBInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlb/ \u0026 https://www.instagram.com/mlbvault/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mlbTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/share/user/656Visit our site for all baseball news, stats and scores! [50], This article is about the baseball pitch. In 24 seasons with the Braves, Yankees, Indians and Blue Jays, Niekro was 318-274 with a 3.35 ERA. 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. I've been stunned before. So thankful for our memories and time together. Coaches are quick to banish the pitch after one bad outing. 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. Also featured are the stories of the best knuckleball catchers, from Bob Uecker and Doug Mirabelli to Rick Ferrell and Paul Richards. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 12:52AM. Instead, you will feel like it "shoots" out as the ball leaves your fingertips. All rights reserved. "They may not be intimidated by them, but they sure are thinking about them before they go into the box.". Seams have texture. He was 81. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. 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 . He had been diagnosed with prostate[31] cancer.[32][33]. The grips of these guys are similar because they understand the basic rule for throwing a great knuckleball reduce as many variables as possible to put yourself into a position to give yourself a chance of killing the spin entirely. He would say later that he wanted to prove he was a pitcher, not just a knuckleballer. Carroll would go on to become a two-time All-Star reliever for the Cincinnati Reds and would notch 143 saves over his career. Phil Niekro owns one of, if not, the best knuckleball in MLB history. [30], The record for passed balls in an inning (4) was first set by Ray Katt of the New York Giants in 1954, catching Hoyt Wilhelm. Phil Niekro signs autographs for fans in Cooperstown at the 2011 Hall of Fame Parade of Legends. A statue of Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro, the winningest knuckleball pitcher in major league history, adorns the Atlanta Braves' Truist Park Tuesday, March 31, 2020, in Atlanta. 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. Pinstripes look just fine on Phil Niekro. "He was a constant presence over the years, in our clubhouse, our alumni activities and throughout Braves Country and we will forever be grateful for having him be such an important part of our organization. Hoyt Wilhelm, Phil Niekro, and Jesse Haines, three pitchers who primarily relied on the knuckleball, have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Your grip should avoid seams altogether. Stay away from them at all costs.And stay tuned for the next part of this never-ending series about knuckleball grips Theres just so much to talk about. It was a career summed up by his dedication to a pitch that can be as confounding as it is unhittable. [] We present them here for purely educational purposes. I LOVE NEW YORK is a registered trademark and service mark of the New York State Department of Economic Development; used with permission. 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. in Blaine, OH A little more pressure from any of the fingertips and the ball spins. This grip can also include digging the fingernails into the surface of the ball. 300, entered the bottom of the ninth having shut out the Jays on curveballs, slip pitches, fastballs and screwballs -- everything but a knuckleball. With the Braves Niekro earned 268 of his career 318 . Facing Jeff Burroughs, an old friend and former Braves teammate, Phil Niekro threw four pitches -- the final three knucklers. Nancy and I are deeply saddened by the news today of the passing of Phil Niekro. Uecker acknowledged he did a lot of chasing. "There aren't many hitters who like facing knuckleball pitchers," Niekro said. It feels comfortable to me. Well, three fingers gives you a much better chance of spinning the ball, and heres why: To eliminate the spin you need to apply even pressure from two fingertips. http://www.courtsidetweets.comPhil Niekro of the New York Yankees wins his 300th game in Toronto against the Blue Jays! 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. Niekro was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997. Heck, he didn't even know where it was going most of the time. If you have any question, please contact me at knuckleballnation@gmail.com, Monday Friday: 10am 9pmSaturday: 10am 4pm, Copyright OceanWP Knuckleball Nation. Friend, teammate, father and husband. (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. 5/08 - initial page AKA This grip is also called knuckler, dancer, or floater. Phil Niekro won 318 games over his 24-year big league career. Check out some of his best highlights here!Don't forget to subscribe! The asymmetric drag that results tends to deflect the trajectory toward the side with the stitches. [33], Varitek holds the postseason record with three passed balls in the 13th inning of Game 5 of the 2004 American League Championship Series while catching Wakefield.[34]. Niekro was born in Blaine, Ohio, and grew up in Lansing, Ohio, the son of Henrietta (Klinkoski) and Philip Niekro. Seams are raised. Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1997. Amazingly, he won 121 games over the age of 40 thanks to his knuckleball. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. How tall was Phil Niekro? Read More 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. He finished the 1985 season with a 1612 record, the final time he won 15 or more games in a single season. This is a difficult task. 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. Biographical Information [] "It actually giggles at you as it goes by." - Rick Monday, discussing Niekro's famous knuckleball Phil Niekro was, by several years, the last man born in the 1930s to be playing Major League Baseball. A successful knuckleball shot will move, dip, or wobble in the air unpredictably, making it difficult for the goalkeeper to save. "I led the league in ERA [1.87], and he led the league in passed balls.". And if you can throw a ball without any spin at 65-plus miles-per-hour, than you've got a great knuckleball grip.But there are overwhelming similarities between the grips of the great knuckleball pitchers; guys like Phil Niekro, Charlie Hough, Tom . Phil Niekro, Braves and Yankees pitcher whose knuckleball earned him spot in Hall of Fame, dies at 81. Some knuckleballers have continued to pitch professionally well into their forties: Tim Wakefield, Hoyt Wilhelm, R. A. Dickey, Charlie Hough, Tom Candiotti, and the brothers Phil Niekro and Joe Niekro. On October 6, 1985, Niekro gained entry into the 300 win club with a shutout win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Pitching coaches often struggle with knuckleball pitchers due to a lack of experience with the pitch. On occasion, teams have traded knuckleball pitchers and their catchers in the same transaction. The Braves finished 3rd, 4th, and 5th in their division. He played most of his many seasons with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves alongside brief stops with the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Cleveland. The Hall said in an announcement Sunday that Niekro died overnight. 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. First called up by Milwaukee in 1964, Niekro seesawed between the majors and minors, a pitcher struggling to find a niche and willing catchers. A knuckleball is thrown with normal arm action, but the wrist remains stiff until the baseball has completely left the hand. This can be attributed to a variety of factors. Twenty years after he broke into the majors, 45-year-old starter Phil Niekro deals a knuckleball against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium, Aug. 8, 1984. ASSOCIATED . vs. SFG 3.0 IP, 6 H, 0 SO, 6 BB, 5 ER. By continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy. 5.0. Since it developed during a period when the spitball was legal and commonly used, and was similarly surprising in its motion, the knuckleball was sometimes called the "dry spitter". A trip to Cooperstown has something for baseball fans and everyone else. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. [28], The knuckleball does provide some advantages to its practitioners. 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 . [21] Mickey Jannis of the Baltimore Orioles organization also throws the knuckleball, and made his major league debut on June 23, 2021. He missed the 1963 season due to military service. Signed in 1958, he didn't break through for good for nearly a decade. 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. [1], Between 1977 and 1979, Niekro was the league leader in complete games, innings pitched and batters faced. December 30, 2020. Trying to hit that thing is a miserable way to make a living. 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. Phil Niekro played 24 . A team will sometimes employ a catcher solely for games started by a knuckleballer. We'll miss you, Knucksie. Niekro, often referred to by his knuckleball . 1978 Topps #206 Strikeout Leaders Phil Niekro Nolan Ryan - Nice Card. His total of 5,404+13 innings pitched is the most by any pitcher in the post-1920 live-ball era. ", "Knuckleballers' paths as tricky as the pitch", "MLB pitchers setting velocity records, altering balance of power", "Knuckleball life comes full circle for Wakefield", "Japan's 'Knuckle Princess' Arrives in U.S.", "Knuckleball pitchers may be a dying breed", "The art of the mysterious knuckleball is on the verge of extinction", "Wakefield, Dickey share a unique relationship", "R. A. Dickey calls Cy Young Award a victory for all knuckleballers", "Knuckleballer Mickey Jannis Making His MLB Debut at Age 33 Is So Cool", "Frazier breaks out knuckler in pitching debut", "You knew Wade Boggs could hit, but did you also know he had a nasty knuckleball? [3] In 1917, Druery taught the pitch to Eddie Rommel who became successful with it for the Philadelphia Athletics.[4]. He was the best knuckleball pitcher in baseball history. 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 . "[26], After the end of his professional baseball career, Niekro managed the all-women Colorado Silver Bullets baseball team. [21], At the age of 48, Niekro was the oldest player in major league history to play regularly until Julio Franco played at age 49 in 2007. Over more than a decade of serving as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Hall of Fame, his wisdom, his compassion, and his love for the game proved to be invaluable in helping us shape our decisions. As a mentor, leader and friend, Phil brought out the best in all of us in Cooperstown. Phil Niekro was born in Blaine, OH. "Trying to hit Phil Niekro is like trying to eat Jell-O with chopsticks," said former New York Yankees All-Star outfielder Bobby Murcer.