Joseph Franklin Niekro was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1967– 1988 for seven different teams, primarily for the Houston Astros. He made the National League All-Star team in 1979, where he led the league with his 21 wins and five shutouts. He reached the 1,000 strikeout plateau on April 19, 1981. He died in a car accident in 2004.
About Joe Niekro in brief
Joseph Franklin Niekro was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1967– 1988 for seven different teams, primarily for the Houston Astros. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil NieKro, and the father of Major League pitcher and first baseman Lance Nie kro. He made the National League All-Star team in 1979, where he led the league with his 21 wins and five shutouts. He reached the 1,000 strikeout plateau on April 19, 1981, by doing so on a strike out bunt. Nieksro was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the seventh round of the 1966 amateur draft, but he did not sign with the club. He went 10–7 in 1967, throwing 169. 2 innings while having a 3. 34 ERA and 77 strikeouts. NIEkro started the following season’s Opening Day game for the Cubs at Crosley Field against the Cincinnati Reds. He also appeared in the 1981 National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitching eight scoreless innings of the 2-0 Game 2 win.
He died in a car accident in 2004. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son, who is a professional baseball player. He had a son with former Chicago Cubs pitcher Gary Ross, Gary Ross Jr., and a daughter with former San Diego Padres pitcher Dick Selma. He has also a daughter who is married to former Detroit Tigers pitcher Dave Campbell, Dave Campbell Jr., Dave Campbell Sr., and Pat Dobson, who both played for the Detroit Tigers in the late 1960s and early 1970s. His son, Lance, is also a former Major League baseball player, and is currently playing for the New York Mets in the Competitive Balance Series. He played in the World Series for the Chicago Cubs in 1986 and 1987. He threw 122 innings in the next season and just 47 in the following.
You want to know more about Joe Niekro?
This page is based on the article Joe Niekro published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 30, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
