ATLANTA (CBSNewYork/AP) — Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who pitched well into his 40s with a knuckleball that baffled big league hitters for more than two decades, including two seasons with the New York Yankees, has died after a long fight with cancer, the Atlanta Braves announced Sunday. He was 81.
Niekro, who spent 20 seasons with the Braves, died Saturday night in his sleep, the team said. He lived in the Atlanta suburb of Flowery Branch, where a main thoroughfare bears his name.
Niekro won 318 games over his 24-year career, which ended in 1987 at age 48 after he made one final start with the Braves.