Hall of Fame knuckleball pitcher Phil Niekro dies at age 81

The Atlanta Braves announced Sunday that Phil Neckro, a shooter who used his signature ball of knuckle ball to fool generations of hitters as well as making a career in Hall of Fame, died Saturday night in his sleep after a long struggle with cancer. He was 81 years old.

Nickro, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997, was one of baseball’s most prolific and enduring shooters, using his “Butterfly” stadium to win 318 matches in a career spanning 24 seasons, 20 of which were with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves.

“We are saddened by the death of our dear friend Phil Necro,” the brave said in a prepared statement. “Knucksie was woven into Braves’s tapestry, first in Milwaukee and then in Atlanta. Phil baffled fans on the field and later was always the first to join our community activities. It was during community and fan activities as he communicated with fans as if they were long lost friends.

“It has been a constant presence throughout the years, in our club, in our alumni activities and throughout Braves Country and we will be forever grateful to have it as such an important part of our organization.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Nancy and his sons Philip and John and Michael and his two grandsons Chase and Emma.”

As with many footballers, age has not proved a hindrance to Necro. He scored 121 victories after turning 40 – a record in the league – and went down to the age of 48. By the end of 1987, his last season, Necro was ranked tenth among the major leagues in the number of seasons he played. Only Cy Young, “Pud” Galvin and Walter Johnson offered more rounds than Niekro’s 5,404. No archer since the Age of Dead Balls has spent more time on Big Dori Hill.

“Phil Necro was one of the most distinguished and distinguished shooters of his generation,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a prepared statement. “In the past century, no player has thrown more than 5,404 rounds for Phil. His joint ball has led him to five all-star picks, three seasons of 20 wins for the Atlanta Braves, 300 wins, and, ultimately, to Copperstown.

“But even more than his remarkable stadium and brand durability, Phil will be remembered as one of the most ingenious people in our game. He has always represented his sport extraordinarily, and he will be sorely missed. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I will extend the condolences of Phil’s family, friends, and many fans who He earned them all his life in our national hobby. “

The symbol of both the success and the continuity of Necro’s career has been football, that eccentric floater that baffles not only the hitters and the steadfast, but also the shooters who don’t really know how the less-turned pitch will dance toward the board.

Necro was the king of football players, ranking first in both victories and strikes (3342). Tom Candiotti, a prominent bomber of his time and former Team Necker teammate with the Cleveland Indians in 1986, said that talking to Knucksie was “like talking to Thomas Edison about light bulbs.”

If survival in the major coins can be worth the bomber, the same can be said of Necro’s initial difficulty in reaching the major leagues. Confused players and managers worried about passing balls and unruly pitches were the often cited reasons for Necro’s prolonged retention in Braves’ little league system. Signed in 1958, it did not break out for nearly a decade. However, the release was all Necro had, everything he believed in.

He said, “I never knew how to throw a fastball, and I never learned how to throw a bowed ball, a slider, a split finger, or whatever they throw at the moment.” “I was one throw.”

First called up by Milwaukee in 1964, Necro has been swinging between big and small, an archer struggling to find a niche and ready to hunt. He found both in 1967, when united with Bob O’ker, a veteran reserve with lots of wise banter and advice.

“Uwick told me if I would ever win by throwing the football at all times and he will try to catch it,” said Neckro. “She led the league in ERA [1.87] He led the league in passing balls. “

Auker admitted he did a lot of stalking.

“Catching Niekro’s knuckleball was great,” said Auker, now a Hall of Fame announcer. “I’ve met a lot of important people. They’re all sitting behind a billboard.”

By 1969, Necro was an all-star. The 23 victories that season earned second place in the National League Cy Young Award vote. It will go on for another two decades to live inside the heads of hitters. He said, “There aren’t many hitters who like to take on soccer shooters.” “They may not be intimidated by them, but they definitely think about them before they even enter the box.”

“Trying to hit an elephant Necro is like trying to eat jelly – or with sticks,” said former All Star Yankees player Bobby Moorser.

Hall of Famer Ernie Banks said, “He’s simply ruining your timing with this ball.” “He comes flying in there and he’s diving in and jumping like crazy and you can’t hit him.”

“She’s actually laughing at you as you pass,” former defender Rick said Monday.

Nickro, born in Blaine, Ohio, on April 1, 1939, was the proud descendant of a family breed of sorts. Phil Necro Sr., a part-time semi-professional worker and marksman, had mastered the use of the joint after an injury to his arm that threatened to end his playing days. He taught his two sons, Phil Jr. and Joe, to playground when they were kids. Phil and Joe, known as “Knucksie” and “Little Knucksie” respectively, have learned so well that they have shown a total of 46 major league seasons, winning six docks in the All-Star Game, and in their most proudest accomplishments, they met For 539 wins.

Their wins total still represented a league record for the siblings, overtaking another two-sibling mix featuring Hall of Famer: Gaylord and Jim Perry (529 wins together).

Although Phil and Joe Niekro did team up together twice, with Braves 1973-1974 and Yankees in 1985, the two close friends were the most friendly rivals. In 1979 Phil, who was playing for the Brave, and Joe tied for the Astros team, for the most wins in the National League, with a score of 21 each. They quarreled against each other as opponents, with Joe defeating his older brother 5-4 in their careers. This supremacy was made possible by a home win, as Phil abandoned Joe, the only Homer that Joe had achieved in his 22-year career.

When Phil Necro won his 300th match, Joe was on his side, arguably the most memorable victory in Big Brother’s career. It was October 6, 1985, the last day of the season. The Yankees had failed their post-season hit the day before with a loss in Toronto. In the end, manager Billy Martin turned the shooting coach over to Joe Neckro and the ball to Phil Necro. Phil, who was trying for the fifth time to win the number 300, fell to the bottom of ninth place after throwing out Geez on flipped balls, sliding courts, fast balls and screws – everything but the knuckle ball.

He would later say he wanted to prove that he was an archer, not just a footballer. Then emotions finally prevailed with the two rejecters on the ninth. Facing Jeff Burrows, an old friend and former Braves teammate, Phil Niekro tossed four pitches – the last of three. Burrows scored a landslide 8-0 victory over the Yankees, and Necro won 8-0.

“I realized if there was any way I would win my 300th game by hitting the player, I would do it with the stadium that won my first match,” Nickro said.

Phil Niekro’s playing days ended in 1987, but he dressed up again, as manager of storming the barn of the Colorado Silver Bullets (1994-1997). Archer coach? Joe Necro.

Phil Necro was preceded by the death of Joe Nikro, who suffered from a cerebral aneurysm, in 2006.