Phil Niekro, the Hall of Fame pitcher who confounded batters with his fluttering knuckleballs for 24 seasons, winning 318 games, mostly with mediocre Atlanta Braves teams, before retiring at the ripe age of 48, died on Saturday. Niekro joined with his younger brother, Joe, who also threw knuckleballs and pitched in the majors for 21 seasons, to record 539 career wins, a record for two brothers. The previous mark, 529, had been held by Gaylord Perry, also a Hall of Famer, and his brother Jim. A right-hander, like his brother, Phil Niekro (pronounced NEEK-row) threw a total of 5,404 innings, placing him No. 4 on the major league career list, without ever incurring a sore arm, allowing him to endure in Major League Baseball far longer than most other players.

Source: New York Times December 27, 2020 19:28 UTC