Phil Niekro had died today at the age of 81, the latest in the long line of Hall of Famers whose lives were claimed in 2020.
Niekro, who is probably the best knuckleballer in major league history, didn’t break in until 1964, when he was 25. He was with the Braves their final two years in Milwaukee, then was a fixture in Atlanta through the 1983 season. Like fellow knuckleballer Charlie Hough when Hough was with the Rangers, Niekro was a stalwart on a lot of bad teams, leading the National League in losses in four straight seasons from 1977-80 despite accumulating 29.