Phil Niekro’s Death – Age, Place, Cause, and More!
Phil Niekro died at age 81, impressive. Check out the death cause, death date, and more facts about the circumstances surrounding baseball player Phil Niekro's death.
Biography - A Short Wiki
5-time All-Star pitcher who won 318 games and struck out 3,342 batters throughout his 24-year MLB career, spent mostly with the Atlanta Braves.
He grew up in Bridgeport, Ohio, where he became friends with future NBA star John Havlicek.
He threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres on August 5, 1973.
How did Phil Niekro die?
Phil Niekro's death was caused by cancer.
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. Niekro was inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1997.
| Cause of death | Cancer |
|---|---|
| Age of death | 81 years |
| Profession | Baseball Player |
| Birthday | April 1, 1939 |
| Death date | December 26, 2020 |
| Place of death | Flowery Branch, Georgia, United States |
| Place of burial | N/A |
Quotes
"I never knew how to throw a fastball, never learned how to throw a curveball, a slider, split-finger, whatever they're throwing nowadays. I was a one-pitch pitcher."
Phil Niekro
"There's very few pitching coaches that I worked with that actually came out on the mound and told me what I was doing wrong with the knuckleball. Because they just didn't know. So I had to figure it out. I was on my own."
Phil Niekro
"My dad played for a coal-mining team in eastern Ohio; he was a very good pitcher. If he hadn't hurt his arm, he probably would have got a shot somewhere. He hurt his arm one spring, didn't warm up good enough, couldn't throw a fastball anymore. Another coal miner taught him how to throw the knuckleball."
Phil Niekro
"I remember going to see my dad pitch against other coal-mining teams, and he was successful with the knuckleball. I saw how bad guys would look like swinging, and how guys talked about how he could throw every day and didn't hurt his arm. That's how I grew up learning."
Phil Niekro
"There aren't many hitters who like facing knuckleball pitchers. They may not be intimidated by them, but they sure are thinking about them before they go into the box."
Phil Niekro
