What years did Phil Niekro play?

Phil Niekro played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1987.

Was Phil Niekro a pitcher?

Yes. Phil Niekro pitched in the major leagues, recording 318 wins and 3342 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Phil Niekro hit?

Phil Niekro hit 7 career home runs with 260 hits.

What teams did Phil Niekro play for?

Phil Niekro played for 4 teams: the Atlanta Braves (1964–1983, 1987), the New York Yankees (1984–1985), the Cleveland Indians (1986–1987), and the Toronto Blue Jays (1987).

Did Phil Niekro win a Cy Young Award?

No. Phil Niekro did not win the Cy Young Award.

What awards did Phil Niekro win?

Phil Niekro won 5 Gold Gloves (1978–1980, 1982–1983). He was selected to 5 All-Star Games.

What were Phil Niekro's career stats?

In 864 games, Phil Niekro went 318-274 with a 3.35 ERA, 3,342 strikeouts, 5,404.1 innings pitched, and 29 saves. At the plate he had 260 hits and 7 home runs.

What was Phil Niekro's salary?

Phil Niekro's last recorded salary was $300,000, in 1986. His highest recorded salary was $600,000, in 1985, and his lowest was $300,000, in 1986. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1986.

What position did Phil Niekro play?

Phil Niekro played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Phil Niekro and how much did he weigh?

Phil Niekro was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 180 pounds.

What was Phil Niekro's career ERA?

Phil Niekro finished with a 3.35 career ERA, going 318-274 with 3,342 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Phil Niekro have?

Phil Niekro recorded 3,342 career strikeouts.

Phil Niekro

Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1964-1987)

Phil Niekro was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1987 for 5 teams, including the Milwaukee Braves, a span of 24 seasons. Across 864 career appearances, he went 318-274 with a 3.35 ERA, 3,342 strikeouts, and 29 saves. He also batted .169 with 7 home runs. Phil Niekro was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 and was a 5-time All-Star, a 5-time Gold Glove, and a Roberto Clemente Award. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 13102.5.

W (Wins):: Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):: Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):: For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):: Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated October 15, 2026

⭐ Hall of Fame 1997

W–L 318–274

ERA 3.35

WHIP 1.27

SO 3,342

Pitcher PIV 13102.5

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'1" / 180 lb
Born: 4/1/1939 in Blaine, OH, USA
Died: 12/27/2020 in Flowery Branch, GA, USA
MLB Debut: 1964-04-15
Last Game: 1987-09-27
Hall of Fame: Inducted 1997 (BBWAA)
Awards: 5× All-Star · 5× Gold Glove · Roberto Clemente Award

Full name: Philip Henry Niekro

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Career Pitching Statistics

Phil Niekro — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
318	274	864	716	245	45	29	5404.1	5,044	2,012	482	1,809	3,342	3.35	13102.5

Career ERA 3.35 vs. league average 3.71 across their career seasons — 9.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Phil Niekro Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1964	ML1	NL	0	0	10	0	0	0	0	15.0	15	8	7	8	4.80	3.58 (-34%)	-159.2
1965	ML1	NL	2	3	41	1	0	0	6	74.2	73	24	26	49	2.89	3.50 (+17%)	489.8
1966	ATL	NL	4	3	28	0	0	0	2	50.1	48	23	23	17	4.11	3.52 (-17%)	-1109.5
1967	ATL	NL	11	9	46	20	10	1	9	207.0	164	43	55	129	1.87	3.30 (+43%)	2951.4
1968	ATL	NL	14	12	37	34	15	5	2	257.0	228	74	45	140	2.59	2.98 (+13%)	1985.0
1969	ATL	NL	23	13	40	35	21	4	1	284.1	235	81	57	193	2.56	3.61 (+29%)	6376.8
1970	ATL	NL	12	18	34	32	10	3	0	229.2	222	109	68	168	4.27	3.89 (-10%)	-2987.5
1971	ATL	NL	15	14	42	36	18	4	2	268.2	248	89	70	173	2.98	3.47 (+14%)	1303.0
1972	ATL	NL	16	12	38	36	17	1	0	282.1	254	96	53	164	3.06	3.26 (+6%)	2968.3
1973	ATL	NL	13	10	42	30	9	1	4	245.0	214	90	89	131	3.31	3.75 (+12%)	-95.4
1974	ATL	NL	20	13	41	39	18	6	1	302.1	249	80	88	195	2.38	3.63 (+34%)	4731.6
1975	ATL	NL	15	15	39	37	13	1	0	275.2	285	98	72	144	3.20	3.71 (+14%)	-706.5
1976	ATL	NL	17	11	38	37	10	2	0	270.2	249	99	101	173	3.29	3.51 (+6%)	623.3
1977	ATL	NL	16	20	44	43	20	2	0	330.1	315	148	164	262	4.03	4.00 (-1%)	2306.2
1978	ATL	NL	19	18	44	42	22	4	1	334.1	295	107	102	248	2.88	3.69 (+22%)	8322.6
1979	ATL	NL	21	20	44	44	23	1	0	342.0	311	129	113	208	3.39	4.00 (+15%)	-1367.8
1980	ATL	NL	15	18	40	38	11	3	1	275.0	256	111	85	176	3.63	3.84 (+5%)	-60.0
1981	ATL	NL	7	7	22	22	3	3	0	139.1	120	48	56	62	3.10	3.58 (+13%)	308.6
1982	ATL	NL	17	4	35	35	4	2	0	234.1	225	94	73	144	3.61	3.86 (+7%)	776.4
1983	ATL	NL	11	10	34	33	2	0	0	201.2	212	89	105	128	3.97	3.87 (-3%)	-1841.8
1984	NYA	AL	16	8	32	31	5	1	0	215.2	219	74	76	136	3.09	3.81 (+19%)	1694.4
1985	NYA	AL	16	12	33	33	7	1	0	220.0	203	100	120	149	4.09	3.89 (-5%)	-4474.7
1986	CLE	AL	11	11	34	32	5	0	0	210.1	241	101	95	81	4.32	3.97 (-9%)	-5007.2
1987	CLE	AL	7	11	22	22	2	0	0	123.2	142	81	53	57	5.89	4.29 (-37%)	-2877.2
1987	TOR	AL	0	2	3	3	0	0	0	12.0	15	11	7	7	8.25	4.29 (-92%)	-1048.3
1987	ATL	NL	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	3.0	6	5	6	0	15.00	—	0.0
Career · 26 seasons			318	274	864	716	245	45	29	5,404.1	5,044	2,012	1,809	3,342	3.35	—	13,102

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Phil Niekro — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
866	1,537	80	260	42	1	7	109	0	17	314	.169	.183	.211	.395	-10,297

Career AVG .169 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 33.8% below league average.

Career OBP .183 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 43.0% below league average.

Career SLG .211 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 44.3% below league average.

Career OPS .395 vs. league average .701 across their career seasons — 43.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Phil Niekro Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1964	ML1	NL	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1965	ML1	NL	42	10	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	.100	—	—	—	—	0.0
1966	ATL	NL	28	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1967	ATL	NL	46	57	4	7	2	0	0	2	1	16	.123	.242 (-49%)	.306 (-46%)	.357 (-56%)	.663 (-51%)	-428.5
1968	ATL	NL	37	77	3	8	1	0	2	7	0	22	.104	.236 (-56%)	.298 (-65%)	.340 (-43%)	.638 (-53%)	-599.5
1969	ATL	NL	40	95	11	20	4	0	0	7	2	21	.211	.248 (-15%)	.320 (-29%)	.369 (-32%)	.689 (-30%)	-456.6
1970	ATL	NL	34	79	5	12	0	0	1	3	2	17	.152	.253 (-40%)	.325 (-48%)	.385 (-51%)	.711 (-49%)	-626.3
1971	ATL	NL	42	92	3	14	1	0	0	4	0	20	.152	.249 (-39%)	.316 (-50%)	.365 (-55%)	.682 (-53%)	-745.7
1972	ATL	NL	38	93	7	18	1	0	1	4	1	22	.194	.243 (-21%)	.310 (-30%)	.353 (-33%)	.664 (-32%)	-449.7
1973	ATL	NL	42	82	3	10	4	0	1	2	1	26	.122	.256 (-53%)	.325 (-56%)	.378 (-45%)	.703 (-50%)	-659.8
1974	ATL	NL	41	104	5	20	2	0	0	11	3	18	.192	.256 (-25%)	.324 (-32%)	.369 (-43%)	.693 (-38%)	-612.6
1975	ATL	NL	39	99	5	17	2	1	0	10	1	18	.172	.257 (-33%)	.327 (-46%)	.374 (-43%)	.701 (-45%)	-725.4
1976	ATL	NL	38	94	5	18	3	0	1	12	0	8	.191	.255 (-25%)	.320 (-38%)	.360 (-29%)	.681 (-33%)	-501.3
1977	ATL	NL	44	109	2	19	1	0	0	7	0	15	.174	.264 (-34%)	.329 (-45%)	.401 (-54%)	.730 (-50%)	-882.5
1978	ATL	NL	45	120	5	27	4	0	0	10	3	25	.225	.257 (-13%)	.323 (-23%)	.378 (-32%)	.702 (-28%)	-529.5
1979	ATL	NL	44	123	10	24	6	0	0	12	1	19	.195	.265 (-27%)	.329 (-36%)	.397 (-39%)	.727 (-37%)	-750.9
1980	ATL	NL	40	90	2	12	5	0	0	5	1	19	.133	.264 (-50%)	.326 (-56%)	.387 (-51%)	.714 (-54%)	-771.6
1981	ATL	NL	22	52	1	4	0	0	0	1	0	11	.077	.255 (-70%)	.320 (-76%)	.368 (-79%)	.688 (-78%)	-612.6
1982	ATL	NL	35	87	6	17	4	0	1	7	0	16	.195	.261 (-25%)	.324 (-40%)	.388 (-29%)	.712 (-34%)	-494.6
1983	ATL	NL	34	65	3	12	2	0	0	5	1	12	.185	.260 (-29%)	.324 (-40%)	.389 (-45%)	.714 (-43%)	-450.2
1984	NYA	AL	32	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1985	NYA	AL	33	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1986	CLE	AL	34	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1987	CLE	AL	22	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1987	TOR	AL	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1987	ATL	NL	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 26 seasons			866	1,537	80	260	42	1	7	109	17	314	.169	—	—	—	—	-10,297

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Phil Niekro — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Phil Niekro — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1982	NLCS	ATL	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000
1969	NLCS	ATL	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Phil Niekro — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
0	1	2	2	0	14.0	15	6	8	9	3.86

Playoff Pitching by Year

Phil Niekro — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1982	NLCS	ATL	0	0	1	1	0	6.0	6	2	4	5	3.00
1969	NLCS	ATL	0	1	1	1	0	8.0	9	4	4	4	4.50

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1730 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Phil Niekro — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	428	723	37	127	3	55	.176
Away	438	814	43	133	4	54	.163

Pitching — Home / Away

Phil Niekro — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	427	2666.1	2511	1040	920	1666	3.51
Away	437	2737.2	2533	972	889	1676	3.20

Last 10 Games — Batting

Phil Niekro — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB
1987-09-27	ATL	SFG	L	1
1987-08-29	TOR	OAK	L	0
1987-08-21	TOR	LAA	L	0
1987-08-13	TOR	CHW	L	0
1987-08-05	CLE	NYY	L	0
1987-07-31	CLE	TOR	L	0
1987-07-25	CLE	TEX	L	0
1987-07-20	CLE	KCR	W	0
1987-07-10	CLE	TEX	L	0
1987-07-05	CLE	CHW	L	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Phil Niekro — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1987-09-27	ATL	SFG	—	3.0	6	5	5	6	0	0
1987-08-29	TOR	OAK	—	0.2	4	5	5	2	1	1
1987-08-21	TOR	LAA	L	5.2	6	3	3	2	3	2
1987-08-13	TOR	CHW	L	5.2	5	3	3	3	3	1
1987-08-05	CLE	NYY	L	7.1	11	5	5	2	3	2
1987-07-31	CLE	TOR	—	6.0	3	2	1	1	3	0
1987-07-25	CLE	TEX	L	6.0	9	5	5	1	1	1
1987-07-20	CLE	KCR	W	5.0	8	5	5	4	0	0
1987-07-10	CLE	TEX	L	5.0	9	7	7	3	2	0
1987-07-05	CLE	CHW	L	3.0	7	8	8	2	1	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Phil Niekro — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	864	716	386	878	37	83

Season-by-Season Fielding

Phil Niekro — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1964	ML1	P	10	0	0	2	0	1
1965	ML1	P	41	1	6	17	1	2
1966	ATL	P	28	0	2	18	0	1
1967	ATL	P	46	20	10	40	4	4
1968	ATL	P	37	34	18	59	4	4
1969	ATL	P	40	35	24	51	3	4
1970	ATL	P	34	32	14	38	1	4
1971	ATL	P	42	36	19	44	2	6
1972	ATL	P	38	36	26	40	4	4
1973	ATL	P	42	30	30	41	4	4
1974	ATL	P	41	39	22	42	0	3
1975	ATL	P	39	37	21	41	0	2
1976	ATL	P	38	37	19	41	2	2
1977	ATL	P	44	43	20	51	0	5
1978	ATL	P	44	42	17	65	2	4
1979	ATL	P	44	44	31	56	1	3
1980	ATL	P	40	38	18	40	1	6
1981	ATL	P	22	22	10	22	0	2
1982	ATL	P	35	35	18	38	1	4
1983	ATL	P	34	33	15	27	2	6
1984	NYA	P	32	31	13	36	1	4
1985	NYA	P	33	33	11	20	0	5
1986	CLE	P	34	32	9	32	4	2
1987	CLE	P	22	22	12	17	0	1
1987	TOR	P	3	3	1	0	0	0
1987	ATL	P	1	1	0	0	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Phil Niekro Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	864

Awards & Honors

Phil Niekro — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1985	Player of the Week	Week of 1985-10-04
1983	Gold Glove	P
1982	Gold Glove	P
1982	Player of the Week	Week of 1982-10-01
1980	Gold Glove	P
1980	Roberto Clemente Award
1979	Gold Glove	P
1979	Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1978	Gold Glove	P
1978	Player of the Week	Week of 1978-06-09
1974	Player of the Week	Week of 1974-08-02

Salary History

Phil Niekro's recorded salaries total $900,000 over 2 seasons, 1985 to 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Niekro's career ran from 1964 to 1987. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1987.

Phil Niekro — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
1986	CLE	AL	$300,000
1985	NYA	AL	$600,000
Total recorded salary (partial)			$900,000

Award Voting History

Phil Niekro — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1982	Cy Young Award	NL	5th	18.0	120	0
1979	Cy Young Award	NL	6th	3.0	120	0
1979	Most Valuable Player	NL	20th	11.0	336	0
1978	Cy Young Award	NL	6th	10.0	120	0
1978	Most Valuable Player	NL	17th	8.0	336	0
1974	Cy Young Award	NL	3rd	15.0	120	1
1969	Cy Young Award	NL	2nd	1.0	24	1
1969	Most Valuable Player	NL	9th	47.0	336	0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Phil Niekro (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Compare Phil Niekro

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Phil Niekro: the record in brief

Phil Niekro's major league career runs from a debut on April 15, 1964 to a final game on September 27, 1987. By club, Niekro's seasons break down as the Milwaukee Braves (1964 through 1965), the Atlanta Braves (1966 through 1987), the New York Yankees (1984 through 1985), the Cleveland Indians (1986 through 1987), and the Toronto Blue Jays (1987). Listed as a pitcher, Niekro threw and hit right-handed. Niekro is listed at 180 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The birth record reads April 1, 1939, in Blaine, OH, USA. Niekro died on December 27, 2020, in Flowery Branch, GA, USA. Niekro's full given name, per the bio, is Philip Henry Niekro.

Niekro pitched in 864 games, starting 716, and finished with a 318-274 record and 3.35 ERA. Niekro had 3,342 strikeouts, 245 complete games, 45 shutouts, and 29 saves. That 3.35 ERA compares with a 3.71 league average across the same seasons, 9.7% better. No season topped the 23 wins of 1969. The strikeout high was 262 in 1977.

Frequently Asked Questions about Phil Niekro

What years did Phil Niekro play?: Phil Niekro played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1987.
Was Phil Niekro a pitcher?: Yes. Phil Niekro pitched in the major leagues, recording 318 wins and 3342 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Phil Niekro hit?: Phil Niekro hit 7 career home runs with 260 hits.
Is Phil Niekro in the Hall of Fame?: Yes. Phil Niekro was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.
What teams did Phil Niekro play for?: Phil Niekro played for 4 teams: the Atlanta Braves (1964–1983, 1987), the New York Yankees (1984–1985), the Cleveland Indians (1986–1987), and the Toronto Blue Jays (1987).
Did Phil Niekro win a Cy Young Award?: No. Phil Niekro did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Phil Niekro win?: Phil Niekro won 5 Gold Gloves (1978–1980, 1982–1983). He was selected to 5 All-Star Games.
What were Phil Niekro's career stats?: In 864 games, Phil Niekro went 318-274 with a 3.35 ERA, 3,342 strikeouts, 5,404.1 innings pitched, and 29 saves. At the plate he had 260 hits and 7 home runs.
How much did Phil Niekro earn in his career?: Phil Niekro's recorded salaries total $900,000 over 2 seasons, 1985 to 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Niekro's career ran from 1964 to 1987. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1987.
What was Phil Niekro's salary?: Phil Niekro's last recorded salary was $300,000, in 1986. His highest recorded salary was $600,000, in 1985, and his lowest was $300,000, in 1986. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1986.
What position did Phil Niekro play?: Phil Niekro played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Phil Niekro and how much did he weigh?: Phil Niekro was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 180 pounds.
What was Phil Niekro's career ERA?: Phil Niekro finished with a 3.35 career ERA, going 318-274 with 3,342 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Phil Niekro have?: Phil Niekro recorded 3,342 career strikeouts.