One of my all time faves! Rip knucksie
When Phil was having an off nite (which was rarely) you could light him up but when he was on no one could hang with his knuckler. RIP Phil. peace & comfort to Joe and the family.
I played catcher. I wondered how many of his pitches would hit me in the chest if I tried to catch him. I was always in awe with what he could do.
I only ever caught one kid who threw genuine knuckleball. It was a nightmare.
I believe when Bob Ueker was asked, “how do you catch a knuckleball,” he famously said: “wait for it to stop rolling and then pick it up.”
One of my heroes. Loved to watch him twist batters in knots.
Followed Phil’s younger brother, Joe Niekro, as ace pitcher for Astros in mid '70s thru mid '80s. He died in '06. Great family pitching legacy!
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