knorth@timesleaderonline.com
In this March 29, 2007, file photo, Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro holds a knuckleball at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland. 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. The Blaine native was 81.
Ohio Valley native and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro passed away Saturday night at home during his sleep in suburban Atlanta. Affectionately known as ‘Knucksie,’ he was 81 years old.
Niekro spent most of his 24-year career with the Atlanta Braves. The righthander baffled opposing hitters and even some catchers with his patented knuckleball for 318 wins and and 3,342 strikeouts, along with his younger brother Joe who died in 2006 at the age of 61 from a brain aneurysm, are the winningest brother combo in MLB history with 539 victories.