Top 10 Greatest Braves of All Time: Number 6

 

Phil Neikro or “Knucksie” comes in at number 6 on our list of the 10 greatest players to ever wear the Braves uniform. Neikro pitched for the Braves organization for 20 years, dazzling fans with his dancing knuckleballs. In 1967, the knuckleballer led the league in ERA at 1.87. His most profound year came 2 years later in 1969 when he finished 2nd in the CY Young voting. Neikro finished the season with 23 wins, his first of 3 20-win seasons, and 13 losses with 2.59 ERA. In 1979, Neikro became the last pitcher to ever win and lose 20 games in a season. At the young age of 40, he won 21 games while losing 20. In 1984, Neikro went to the Yankees and was elected to his 5th and final All-Star game. He retired after spending a season with Cleveland, Toronto, and Atlanta in 1987. After 24 seasons in the MLB, Neikro finished with 318 wins, 274 losses and a career 3.35 ERA. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997. Neikro made his balls dance around the plate and goes down as the best knuckleball pitcher to this date. Perhaps if Neikro had better teams around him, he would have won even more games and been much higher on this list. But as it stands today, Neikro is the 6th best player to ever wear the Braves uniform.

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