The Braves first two division titles, 13 years apart, wouldn’t have happened without Phil Niekro. When the games mattered most, Knucksie was at his best.
The Braves were involved in tight division races both years, and no one — not Hank, or Murph — was more clutch.
In ’69, he started and won three of the team’s last seven games. In ’82, he hurled shutouts in two of the Braves’ last six games. All of them came when the division was still undecided.
Five games. Five wins. Thirty-nine and one-third IP. Six earned runs.