Joe Niekro

Joe Niekro, born Joseph Franklin Niekro on November 7, 1944, was an American professional baseball pitcher who pitched in the major leagues from 1967 to 1988 for seven teams, most of all the Houston Astros. Born in Martins Ferry, Ohio, he was the younger brother of the pitcher Phil Niekro and the father of the first baseman Lance Niekro. Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1966, he later pitched for the San Diego Padres, the Detroit Tigers, the Atlanta Braves, the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins. In Atlanta he became reacquainted with the knuckleball their father had taught the brothers, and in Houston he perfected it, winning 21 games in 1979 and 20 in 1980 and becoming the first Astros pitcher to win 20 games in consecutive seasons. His 221 career wins make him one of the most successful knuckleball pitchers, and with Phil he shares the record of 539 wins by a pair of brothers. In 1987 he was suspended for ten games after an emery board and a piece of sandpaper fell from his pocket during a game. He died on October 27, 2006, aged 61, after a brain aneurysm, and his daughter later founded the Joe Niekro Foundation.