The knuckleball that danced, dazzled and frustrated hitters and catchers alike, was a gift from Niekro's father, Phil Sr. A semipro pitcher in the Mine Workers League who threw 92 mph, the elder Niekro injured his arm and a coworker showed him how to throw the pitch. So use the fingertips and not the knuckles. By adding a third finger, you make the process a lot more difficult. He. Using everything but his knuckleball for the first 26 outs, he held the Blue Jays hitless into the fourth inning. Sunday Notes: Bill Haselman Recalls the Brawl That Almost Broke Cal's Streak, Effectively Wild Episode 2000: We Thought of More Things We Like About Baseball, The Sleeper and the Bust Episode: 1169 Sunday FAAB ft. Michael Govier, Starting Pitchers Arent Leaning On Their Best Pitches, Remembering Phil Niekro, King of the Knuckleballers (1939-2020), FanGraphs Q&A and Sunday Notes: The Best Quotes of 2020. Phil Sr. mined coal in Eastern Ohio and pitched in the sandlots of the Mine Workers League. In Corporate America where ageism is a reality, Mr. Niekros career reminds us that older workers can still provide high value to their organizations as their age and that their experience, guile, confidence and ability to mentor others are very important assets. The knuckleball grip used by Boston Red Sox pitcher Steven Wright. That raises a logical question: Why aren't there more knuckleballers? ", According to The New York Times, "Niekro's assignment is to help the Orioles transform three pitchers into full-time knuckleballers: [Zach] Clark, 30, now with Class A Frederick, Md. As of 2021, four primary knuckleball pitchers are in the Baseball Hall of Fam e today. Before the ninth, manager Billy Martin sent Joe out to catch his warm-up pitches; the brothers embraced on the mound, and then Phil bounced his first knuckleball of the day off of Joes leg. Light-hitting and self-effacing, Uecker was hardly the knuckleball specialist that the Braves presented him as being, but Torre, the regular catcher, was at wits end, and Uecker did have experience catching the knuckleballs of the Cardinals Barney Schultz, and before that the Braves Bobby Tiefenauer. Phil Niekro, a pitcher who used his signature knuckleball to fool generations of hitters and craft a Hall of Fame career, died Saturday night in his sleep, the Braves announced Sunday. 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 after. Pitching coaches often struggle with knuckleball pitchers due to a lack of experience with the pitch. With a fluttering knuckleball that required catchers to wear an oversized mitt, Niekro went 23-13 as the Braves won the first NL West title in 1969. Many people, including pros, think that the pitch is thrown with fingertips dug into the seams. But with his 72-year-old father critically ill in a West Virginia hospital, he steeled himself. KNUCKSIE HASN'T LOST HIS GRIP - Sports Illustrated Niekro began his career with the Milwaukee Braves and ended it with the Atlanta Braves. However, year in and year out he continued to do his job under the radar, at a very high level and kept amassing pitching victories over a very lengthy 24 year career. All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, [22], On September 18, 2020, the first knuckleball thrown in 2020 was by the New York Mets' Todd Frazier, normally a third baseman, in a 15-2 blowout loss to Atlanta Braves. Other prominent knuckleball pitchers have included Joe Niekro (Phil's brother), Charlie Hough, Dave Jolly, Ben Flowers, Wilbur Wood, Barney Schultz, Tom Candiotti, Bob Purkey, Steve Sparks, Eddie Rommel, Tim Wakefield, Steven Wright, and Dickey. Avoid the seams. 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. With Phil Niekro's Death, Baseball Has Lost the Knuckleball and Its The pitch he perfected also appears to be lost. Mr. Niekros longevity in a game that can be unforgiving for players who lose their timing, great eyesight, speed and ability to throw as they age is simply remarkable. A free agent for the first time, Niekro was pursued by the Cardinals, Pirates, As and Yankees. Phil Niekro, the man, was in many ways the opposite of the signature pitch that made him one of baseball's legendary hurlers over a 24-year Hall of Fame career. Tim Wakefield argues that "The problem is that [baseball] is so radar gun-oriented." The first is selection bias in scouting. Finally, there's the focus required. As of 2004[update], only about 70 Major League Baseball pitchers have regularly used the knuckleball during their careers, and its use has become rarer over time. The Stadium Reviews, LLC Not only did he have incredible success as a pitcher, but since the knuckleball did not exact a toll on his pitching arm like other harder thrown pitches do he was able to be even more valuable, durable and versatile to his teams by pitching on short rest, pitching many complete games, serving as both a starter and a relief pitcher and pitching in the major leagues for an incredible 24 seasons. He began his answer to our question with this observation: "There's a stigma attached to the knuckleball" by many in baseball. As youd guess from those numbers, Niekros knuckler baffled hitters, making even All-Stars look foolish. Dennis Garcia is an Assistant General Counsel for Microsoft Corporation based in Chicago. Baseball Hall of Famer, knuckleballer Phil Niekro dies at 81 Copyright 2023 Historically, the term "knuckle curve" had a usage that was different from what it has in the game today. Mr. Niekro's longevity in a game that can be unforgiving for players who lose their timing, great eyesight, speed and ability to throw as they age is simply remarkable.