Free Republic

ATLANTA — Phil Niekro threw a pitch that baffled hitters and catchers. Heck, he didn’t even know where it was going most of the time. But the knuckleball carried Niekro to more than 300 wins, earned him a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame and left him with a nickname that stuck for the rest of his life...Knucksie. The longtime stalwart of the Atlanta Braves rotation died after a long fight with cancer, the team announced Sunday, becoming the seventh member of the Hall of Fame to pass away in 2020. He was 81. Niekro won 318 games over...

ATLANTA -- Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro has died at the age of 81.Niekro passed away in his sleep on Saturday night. The suburban Atlanta resident had a longtime battle with cancer.

Former major-league pitcher and Plant City resident Joe Niekro died Friday, according to the Tampa Tribune. He was 61. Niekro suffered an aneurysm and was taken to South Florida Baptist Hospital, the Tribune reported. He was transported on Thursday to a Tampa-area hospital. Niekro, brother of Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro, pitched 22 seasons in the majors before retiring in 1988 with a lifetime record of 221-204. Joe Niekro was an All-Star in 1979 when he won 21 games for the Astros. He followed that season up with 20 victories in 1980, a playoff year for the Astros. Niekro...