[HOF] Phil niekro's knuckleball

[@martyharris4905]

I believe it was 1976 when Reds manager Sparky Anderson told Johnny Bench they were talking about making a trade for Niekro and asked him what he thought about it. Bench replied "He better bring his own catcher!!"

[@workingclassrunner]

His catcher Doug Benedict once said that Niekro could pitch every day if he had to, but it was he (Benedict himself) who needed four days off from Niekro.

[@archywiseman]

Saw him pitch a two hitter at Tiger Stadium in Detroit when Detroit last won the World series. Pitching a two hitter is impressive anytime, but to shut down a team whose bats were on fire was just over the top. Amazing player.

[@Rebel6911]

I sat in the upper deck of Atlanta Fulton County Stadium and watched Niekro pitch a game. You could see that ball move from up there. Truly amazing.

[@lburrell1965]

A prominent physicist studied Kniekro and determined that 68 mph was the optimal speed needed for the ball to dance, this is called a sick butterfly or sometimes refered to as "the ball exploded" Trust me I watched and loved this guy for years, there will never be a better knuckle ball pitcher, I met him once briefly and he was super nice, what a kind gentelman, love you phil, wish you were still slinging em!

[@rosszwelling1703]

I imagine wind speed and wind direction in the stadium would impact the dancing of the ball too. Steven Wright threw an amazing knuckle ball with literally zero rotation too!!!

[@Paranormalisto]

Charles, Niekro threw his knuckleball at different speeds. When he was up 0-2, he threw a hard knuckler (probably high 70's) which had a sharper break but was difficult to control and catch. His standard knuckleball was thrown mid to high 60's. His slowest offering was a high arcing eephus/knuckleball that Niekro used later in his career.

[@shack8110]

Bob Uecker has the record for most passed balls in a season. He only played 59 games that season but was the catcher whenever Niekro pitched. He said the best way to catch a Phil Niekro knuckleball was to wait til it stopped rolling.

[@jaysondavis4520]

God bless Phil! Seriously what an amazing pitcher and career! You will be missed!

[@guitrich]

Phil Niekro is my favorite pitcher of all time. He signed my baseball glove back in 82. He was a gentleman. I miss watching him pitch. There will never be another knuckler like Niekro.

[@TROLL-mz5hx]

Bullshit

[@jameshudson169]

hello?! joe niekro?!

[@guitrich]

@@jameshudson169 Joe Niekro died before Phil.

[@jameshudson169]

@@guitrich sorry, i thought you meant ever.

[@jameshudson169]

@@guitrich i mean never means for all eternity. i thought.

[@woodsinme]

He was the reason I started studying the knuckler in the late 70's. Just the dynamics of the movement of the ball. Subtlety of movement. Slight over or under rotation. Floating it dances or you can make it rise or drop or whatever. Peace Knucksey.

[@RisingSon011]

I have read that the Braves were having alot of trouble finding a catcher who could catch Niekro and this was keeping him from getting a chance to start regularly . Eucker came up and showed promise catching Phil so Euck got what he needed in a pitcher who needed him , and Phil got his chance to pitch because of Euck

[@rickwilliamson9248]

How fortunate we in Atlanta were to watch Knucksie in his prime.

[@JustSomeDamnCalifornian45]

RIP TO THE KNUCKLEBALL KING

[@Wad9591]

I was fortunate enough to go to a Blue Jay game at the old C.N.E. Stadium when Niekro was pitching. Actually we went just because he was going to be there. What we saw was an amazing display of Phil Niekro at his knuckleball best.IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!

[@stumarston6812]

That's a tough job for an umpire. "It looked like it was gonna be a strike. Then it wasn't. But I think it was when it crossed the plate. I think. I'll go with strike."

[@Geotubest]

RIP Phil Niekro. You were awesome.

[@rayking9781]

The knuckle ball, a lost art in Major League Baseball......great clips of the legend Phil Niekro and the late Jerry Coleman broadcasting on some of the clips.

[@ratesforless]

As a lifelong Braves' fan, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Niekro pitch when I was a kid and felt so sorry for Bruce Benedict who had to chase after those knuckleballs. Some of the pitches he made here couldn't have been hit with an iron board. It's too bad that the Braves didn't build all that much around him during his prime years, as I believe that this is from Game 2 of the '82 NLCS. Anyway, rest easy Phil. You'll be missed by all of us...

[@samrichmond9709]

You are correct. I was a kid in St. Louis and my dad had tickets from a Pepsi vendor so I got to go with my uncle to this game. While Niekro was warming up my uncle pointed out the size of the catchers mitt was to catch the knuckleball from Niekro. Niekro was talked about as some sorcerer who mastered this mysterious pitch that no one could hit. And he was!! Trouble was it was such a wild pitch, even the catcher couldn’t catch it all the time. He was the master at this and love the fact this clip is out there!

[@marbanak]

Niekro's KB is the best I have ever seen. Ed Hermann, who used to catch Wilbah' Wood, said that he used a first baseman's glove, with its massive web, and as the knuckler came in, he moved his glove in a sort of tracking style, with a fluid motion, to catch last-second breaks as the ball came in. Niekor's knuckler is insane,.

[@rustybird8803]

I love phil and his knuckle ball...ATL humidity helped...God almighty that thing would dip and dive an curve and drop in one pitch!!!

[@82dorrin]

Hitting a knuckleball is like trying to eat Jello with chopsticks.

[@mikewelsh5458]

My favorite player on those 1970,s teams and early 80,s he was all they had for most of those teams.

[@MrHaroldG2000]

The late Bobby Murcer said it best: "Trying to hit Phil Niekro was like trying to eat Jell-O with chopsticks."

[@ChairmanMeow1]

this dude still threw 100+ innings at 48 years old

[@killertigerace]

Everyone talking about how hard it was to catch and hit this, imagine the umpire trying to call a strike on it

[@azathoth0820]

I had a pajamas that looked just like the Braves uniform

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

The best pajama looking uniform i ever saw was at a NY Ranger home game when the now-defunct Quebeque Nordiques wore their smurfy blue away uniforms.

[@cabpacedilla]

sorry to the catcher

[@workingclassrunner]

Bruce Benedict (the catcher in this video) famously said that Niekro could pitch every day, but he was the one who probably needed four days off.

[@cactaceous]

Juuuust a bit outside!

[@dmariecherry4637]

I know him...his family...wonderful people...his brother Joe...sadly passed away in 2006

[@michaelu2419]

my favorite part was when he threw a knuckle ball

[@luthierboy]

Wow, he gets so much movement! I'm not entirely sure he knew where it was going. I don't know who I feel more sorry for, the batter or the catcher!

[@andros1984]

The most deceptive aspect of the knucker is that (when thrown correctly), it looks like a change-up speed gimme-pitch right down the middle.... swing.... and a miss.... it dips left, right, down, and even stays up and floats. But it certainly doesn't go where the batter wants it.

[@joecorrero6763]

Bob Uecker from Major League...”Vasoline Ball”...just a bit outside “The way to catch a knuckle ball is just wait until it’s stops rolling and then pick it up” RIP Phil...you’re throwing knuckle balls up there that never get hit...and then you might throw one that gets hit, and it never comes down...👼

[@youdraw]

Look at that thing MOVE!

[@Sabercats12]

Phil Niekro was quite fun to watch pitch during his playing years. He's only the 2nd knuckleball pitcher besides Hoyt Wilhelm to be inducted into baseball's hall of fame. Phil also had a fastball in his arsenal of pitches, often used it when the knuckleball wasn't working the way it should.

[@fuzzfrancis435]

Just imagine..if Knucksie was on a much better team. Johnny Bench said, "Sparky told me one day we may get Niekro from Atlanta. I said great get someone to catch him."

[@Cincinnatus1869]

I wish they had got him. He might have won 350 games if he'd been on the Reds in the 70s

[@kademcconnell4345]

MY favorite pitcher But Rest In Peace Catcher ^_^

I remember watching this game. I used to follow the Braves for a couple of years during the early "TBS Superstation" days on early cable TV.

[@modblogger1]

that was a good cardinals team that year

[@gkprivate433]

Got to love it. Won and lost 20 games in the same season once

[@kenshawpga]

At 2:17, when a catcher has to use his bare hand to catch a pitch....you know it's nasty.

[@rvm8315]

it looked like it him in the throat.... he looked dazed for a second....

[@revellleavy3488]

I'm dead 😂

[@enayatkapadia1157]

RIP Catcher

[@candybanks8717]

What if Arnoldis Chapman could mix in one of these. Soooooo filthy. No even fair.

[@MrAlumni72]

It's said that a knuckleball pitcher can throw knuckleballs mixed in with a 'fast' ball now and then (the knuckler is said to usually be the weapon of a regular pitcher who has lost his speed) but if he tries to use it only occasionally he won't be successful with it. It has to be his primary pitch or he can't control it enough for it to be useful. But yeah, if it were possible, a guy like Chapman would be impossible to hit.

[@betawolf9908]

+MrAlumni72 I'm sure someone will come around with exceptional skills and be able use the knuckle ball in with other pitches.

[@wlouisharris]

Love Niekro. Watching this you wonder why more guys don't use the knuckleball. If you ever try and throw one you know. We spent a good bit of time in little league practicing but never saw anyone that could throw one effectively.

[@wlouisharris]

@Trigger Warning we used to spend hours trying to learn to throw it in little league. I could maybe throw one pitch that knuckled out of every 30. Extremely hard pitch to learn.

[@H43339]

​​@@wlouisharrisI got to where I could throw it pretty well mine would be like a sliding sinker it would break away and down from right handed hitters. Of course I was trying to copy Phil the "Knucksie".

[@rushkiss2012]

Gonna miss you Phil

[@xlX2FreshXlx]

(Very)Small town to the big-time! Phil and Joe were nasty on the mound! Just wish Joe would've left the emory board at home! Their dad taught them the knuckleball at early ages, would like to know what his looked like!

[@gkprivate433]

that ball sure did move around a lot, and he had a weird delivery that probably messed up hitters a bit

[@bartplays3392]

Rip phill niekro

[@techmaven5900]

R.A. has found two HUGH fans with my son and I. He's a 13y/o pitcher who watches every game Dickey pitches. An 80mph knuckleball is going to reap Dickey big rewards...Another great showing today!

[@youdraw]

Mets fan from Queens.......I am HAPPY to be looking silly with my previous comment!!!!! In fairness, I am a believer that the extinction of the hand stitched ball (machine stitched balls are possibly wrapped tighter and the seams cause less friction) has changed the physics of the pitch.

[@ercb.7299]

Amazing. The catcher can hardly hold on.

[@radioham6979]

What a treat !! Jack Buck and Phil Niekro !!

[@litojonny]

the way he throws in sidearm just fascinates me

[@JustinCredible420]

The second pitch at 0:25 is one of the nastiest pitches Ive ever seen

[@toddsalvati5694]

Look at that f'ing ball dance, damn.

[@brianhansen1556]

Rip phil, can't even imagine trying to catch that thing

[@LIT_STREAMS]

That catcher looks miserable back there lol

[@CaliforniaCrimson]

I'm a Mets fan, and i consistently watch Mets games, and niekro's knuckleball literally "dances." dickey's doesn't go all over the place like niekro's does. dickey's is definitely straighter.

[@jumpingjacks5558]

You have to have a catcher that specializes in catching knuckleballs.

[@jjojjorge]

Mcgee, Coleman, Herr, Smith, great St. Luis team; speed, speed, speed.... =)

[@lburrell1965]

Phil Kniekro was amazing , I love wakefield but his knuckelball had ONE movement, it simply dropped. Knucksies ball EXPLODED , it could go anywhere , it could be a homerun or make pete rose look sick, I miss him , he made baseball so fun to watch !

[@CallyA]

I like the part where the pitcher threw the ball and the guy said "knuckleball."

[@garrison6863]

Phil Niekro was the best starting knuckleball pitcher and Hoyt Wilhelm was the best knuckleball reliever.

[@louarmstrong6128]

It's amazing how skinny the players are compared to those of today

[@tomservo5347]

I think catchers hate this more than any batter.

[@cajunboi4888]

That poor fucking catcher.

[@mjacton]

Ooh, I answered my own question. LOL Even though it's just clips, I'm a Braves a fan who was only 8 at the time. I wasn't able to see this, and I'm grateful to at least see this much.

[@bennyvega100]

Well, I'd say he about mastered the knuckleball

[@barryoderfer]

Kind of funny when Willie McGee was batting at the 2:40 mark, he was batting right-handed, then, at the 2:50 mark, he was batting left-handed. Both at bats he struck out. LOL.

[@Burro1231]

Knuckleball and the strike... knuckleball struck him out... knuckleball swing and a miss... knuckleball struck him out...

[@canoebelue]

I think Dickey is throwing it slower this year...

[@EATENG]

Catcher: FML

[@あかぎはるな-t6d]

冒頭の髪を触る仕草が何より怪しくて非常にいいですね。

[@Cankuwicasa]

Always loved seeing this guy pitch when I was a kid. That knuckleball was great fun to watch. Nobody (and I mean nobody) knew where any particular pitch was going to go. Toughest workout any catcher ever undertook was catching a knuckleballer. It made every pitch exciting. I think a lot of the time catchers were just as afraid of the pitch as batters. With a guy like Phil on the mound catchers need over-sized mitts. That way if they can't catch it maybe they can at least knock it down and keep it in front of them.

[@donniewhitley8286]

We can't forget about Charlie Hough, he was a bad man also......KB, effortless! 😎

[@fredsmerlas9436]

Pete Rose used to bat righthanded vs both Niekro brothers. Funny

[@AthenianBaseball]

Hard to know who to feel more sorry for--the hitters or the catcher.

[@LTDANMAN44]

lol the catcher has no idea where its going

[@MrJking065]

That was great to see! How do you cath a knuckle ball....wait for it to stop moving and pick it up.

[@ggh7664]

@luthierboy As a former collegiate catcher who caught a knuckleballer, you should feel more sorry for the catcher, as he is the one who has to chase the ball after it gets away. Toughest workout of my life behind the plate on the days that he pitched.

[@hadmiar8]

Phil's brother Joe, hit a home run off him in 1976.

[@8E8ight]

R.A's knuckle is thrown with some heat on it, which is rare. Even if it has a little spin or doesn't move too much... it's still nasty cause the batter has to react quick & the break is unpredictable. I think that's why some people are arguing over who's got the best knuckle... cause either one could be right. If you're talking about the most movement which is what the knuckleball element brings.. I say Niekro. But with RA's ability to throw it with gas... He might have a badass career.

[@raptordt1991]

Jeez it looks like the ball could've been straight out of looney tunes

[@rengya]

Mr. Niekro must eat knuckle sandwiches for lunch. =)\

[@jimklabunde9115]

Phil often said even he had no idea where they were going.

[@kacperszpakowski4277]

Amazing knuckleball

[@Jedicake]

I bet the catcher is like "oh god oh god oh god oh god"

[@litojonny]

i like the time he threw the knuckleball

[@mikem591]

Niekro looked like a grandfather...

[@Cincinnatus1869]

Thanks for uploading this . Really cool stuff.

[@trappenweisseguy27]

My brother used to throw a good knuckleball to me. I think it was the lack of spin that used to visually throw me off not so much how much it moved around.

[@schepler2]

If he had that much movement every night on his knuckler, Niekro would've won 400 games! When he had it working, he was unhittable!

[@LittleTokyoOff]

There's a fastball how do you like that?

[@bobnewby616]

RIP ❤️ you will be missed. 😩😩

[@JulianZeezer]

Great vid, thanks for going to the trouble of putting this together for us

[@petermoran2832]

To think that Niekro's only playoff games were in the NL Champ Series in 1969 and 1982.

[@LCSClips22]

Rest In Peace 😢

[@SmoothJohnson]

haha poor bruce benedict.

[@marythompson7107]

My favorite part was when he threw a knuckleball.

[@larryvaldez1114]

i ill this just dont understand how the hell does he get so much movement on his k balls its unbelievable wakefield and dickewy are great but niekro damm amazing

[@tbr2109]

When a baseball travels through the air with little to no rotation it does some weird things. I doubt even Phil knew for sure where it was going a third of the time.

[@seanconnolly2840]

1:17 the catcher flinches😂

[@darkbeard2849]

Rip to a legend

[@poindextertunes]

is it just me or does his KB look fast as hell?

[@SnipeyGaming]

LocalBoyFerb no a knuckleball is about 65-71 mph normally

[@NicanTlacaWarrior1]

Niekro wasn't a hard thrower, it looks faster because of the great movement.