JJ Niekro is on a torrid streak in Augusta GreenJackets. The 24-year-old right-hander moved into the starting rotation at the end of May and hasn’t allowed a run over his past three starts, a streak spanning 22.2-straight innings.
You’ll also quickly notice the last name. That’s because he is the son of former MLB hurler Joe Niekro, nephew of hall of famer Phil Niekro, and brother to Lance Niekro, a former MLB player and his college coach. That’s 50 years of MLB experience... and now it’s JJ’s turn to try and add to it.
“I remember pictures from which I was just a couple of weeks old,” Niekro recollected.