Hall of Famer Phil Niekro dies — dead at 81

Major League Baseball lost a legend over the weekend, as Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro has died.

The Atlanta Braves announced on Sunday that Niekro died the night before following a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 81.

Niekro is widely considered to be the best knuckleball pitcher of all time. He pitched for 24 seasons, 20 of which were spent with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves. Niekro won 318 games, which places him 16th all time. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.

Niekro was appropriately nicknamed “Knucksie.”

“We are heartbroken on the passing of our treasured friend, Phil Niekro,” the Braves said in a statement. “Knucksie was woven into the Braves fabric, first in Milwaukee and then in Atlanta. Phil baffled batters on the field and later was always the first to join in our community activities. It was during those community and fan activities where he would communicate with fans as if they were long lost friends.”

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his career was that Niekro won 121 games after he turned 40. That is an MLB record. He pitched until he was 48.