The Late Phil Niekro Caught Blue Jays Off Guard In Winning No. 300

The Yankees were eliminated in their battle with the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL East title on the next to last day of the 1995 season. The Yankees final game of the season — the next afternoon in Toronto — was far from a meaningless moment.

Forty-six-year-old Phil Niekro was on the mound for the Yankees, making his fifth bid to become baseball’s 18th 300-game winner. And he did it in what was a very unique style.

With an 8-0 lead, and having not thrown one knuckleball — his trademark pitch — to the first 31 batters he faced, Neikro reached the point where he was one out away from the 18th 300-gamewinner in MLB history. All that he had to do was retire his former Atlanta Braves teammate Jeff Burroughs.

And after a first-pitch fastball, Niekro’s fantasy of pitching a game without throwing a knuckleball gave away to reality. He struck out Burroughs on three consecutive knuckleballs, Niekro claiming that 300th victory while becoming the oldest pitcher in MLB history to throw a shutout (a distinction he held until Jamie Moyer accomplished that feat in 2010 at the age of 47 years, 178 days.

“I figured if there’s any way I’m going to win my 300th by striking the guy out, I was going to do it with the pitch that won the first game for me,” Niekro said.

Niekro pitched two more seasons in the big leagues with the Indians and Braves following his 300th win, adding 18 more wins to his victory total. He retired with a record of 318-274 with a 3.35 ERA over 24 seasons.

Niekro was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997.

On Saturday night, Niekro passed away, becoming a record seventh member of the Hall of Fame to die in 2020. It has often been mentioned that seven Hall of Famers also died in 1972, but only six of those seven had been inducted to the Hall of Fame at that time. Roberto Clemente, who died on New Years Eve 1972 when in the course of delivering help to earthquake devastated residents of Nicaragua.

The Hall of Fame waived its rule that a player must be retired five years before induction, and honored Clemente with induction in the Class of 1973.

Niekro was the 107th former big-league player to die in 2020.