232-601: Thomas Edward John Jr. (born May 22, 1943), nicknamed " the Bionic Man ," is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 26 seasons between 1963 and 1989. He played for the Cleveland Indians , Chicago White Sox , Los Angeles Dodgers , New York Yankees , California Angels , and Oakland Athletics . He was a four-time MLB All-Star and has
464-425: A sacrifice fly . In order to increase the chance of advancing a batter to first base via a walk, the manager will sometimes signal a batter who is ahead in the count (i.e., has more balls than strikes) to take , or not swing at, the next pitch. The batter's potential reward of reaching base (via a walk) exceeds the disadvantage if the next pitch is a strike. The evolution of baseball from older bat-and-ball games
696-398: A screwball , which he used as a changeup to complement his repertoire. His arm lagged behind the rest of his body when he threw pitches, a technique that put extra stress on it, which contributed to his UCL injury in 1974. John tried to emulate Whitey Ford 's pitching style, and he studied books on pitching by Christy Mathewson , Bob Feller , and Bob Shaw . Baseball Baseball
928-430: A second baseman to the right of second base, a shortstop to the left of second base, and a third baseman to the right of third base. The basic outfield positions are left fielder , center fielder , and right fielder . With the exception of the catcher, all fielders are required to be in fair territory when the pitch is delivered. A neutral umpire sets up behind the catcher. Other umpires will be distributed around
1160-501: A 1.32 ERA during the winning streak, and his ERA from June 18 to the end of the season was 2.19. He threw a complete game shutout against the Padres on July 16, allowing just four hits in a 1–0 victory. On August 8, he held the defending World Series champion Reds to two hits in a 4–0 complete game shutout victory. He threw a shutout in his next start too, allowing four hits in an 11–0 victory over Atlanta on August 13. John won 20 games for
1392-522: A 103–59 record, and John started Game 3, with the Yankees facing elimination by the Royals after losing the first two games. With the Yankees leading 2–1 in the seventh, John retired the first two batters but was replaced by Rich Gossage after giving up a double to Willie Wilson ; Gossage gave up a home run to George Brett a couple batters later, and the Yankees lost 4–2, though John was not credited with
1624-746: A 10–10 record, a 3.09 ERA, 91 strikeouts, 61 walks, and 207 hits allowed in 207 innings pitched. In recognition of John's accomplishments, the Sporting News awarded him its NL Comeback Player of the Year Award , and John also won the Fred Hutchinson Award , presented annually to a player who shows outstanding character and courage. "I thank God every day for being able to pitch," John told The New York Times after his comeback. "If I win, thanks for letting me win, if I lose, thanks for letting me lose because that's better than being on
1856-525: A 12–17 record. His 17 losses tied teammate Gerry Janeski for third in the AL, and teammate Joe Horlen was fifth with 16. John also finished fourth in walks (101, behind Sam McDowell 's 131, Mickey Lolich 's 109, and Jim Rooker 's 102), and he led the AL in wild pitches , throwing what would be a career-high 17. His ERA was 3.27, he struck out 138 hitters, and he had fewer hits allowed (253) than innings pitched ( 269 + 1 ⁄ 3 ). Despite all his losses, he
2088-598: A 17–4 season while winning his fourth Gold Glove Award and appearing in his fourth All-Star game. On October 1, with the Braves clinging to a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers , Niekro beat the San Diego Padres almost single-handedly by throwing a complete game shutout and hitting a two-run home run. Niekro started Game One of the subsequent 1982 National League Championship Series against
2320-752: A 2–7 record, a 5.80 ERA, 18 strikeouts, 22 walks, and 87 hits allowed in 63 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings. John finished his career with a 288–231 record, a 3.34 ERA, 2,245 strikeouts, 1,259 walks, and 4,783 hits allowed in 4,710 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings pitched. After pitching for 26 years, he ranked among baseball's all-time leaders in wins (26th), losses (19th), innings pitched (20th), hits allowed (10th), earned runs allowed (1,749, 16th), games started (700, eighth), shutouts (46, 26th), batters faced (19,692, 18th), and wild pitches (187, 17th). He had 188 career no decisions , an all-time MLB record among starting pitchers (dating back to at least 1908). Of Hall-of-Fame-eligible pitchers since 1900, Roger Clemens (whose career
2552-640: A 3.25 ERA, 128 strikeouts, 90 walks, and 230 hits allowed in 232 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings. In 1970, John got the Opening Day start but struggled, giving up six runs (five earned) in 4 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings as the Twins beat the White Sox 12–0 on April 7. In fact, he lost his first five starts before defeating the Orioles on April 30. On June 12, he allowed only two hits in a complete game shutout over
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#17327756357922784-823: A 4–2 record, a 3.86 ERA, 14 strikeouts, five walks, and 49 hits allowed in 35 innings pitched as the Angels clinched the AL West. His combined totals between New York and California were a 14–12 record, a 3.69 ERA, 68 strikeouts, 39 walks, and 239 hits allowed in 221 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings. John started Game 1 of the ALCS against the Brewers, allowing three runs in a complete game, 8–3 victory. When Game 4 arrived, instead of starting 13-game winner Ken Forsch , manager Gene Mauch opted to start John on three days rest. John gave up six runs (four earned) over 3 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings as
3016-692: A 98–64 record, the Dodgers won the NL West . For John, who had been injured when the Dodgers won the division in 1974, it was his first chance to pitch in the playoffs. He started Game 1 of the NL Championship Series (NLCS) against the Phillies, but only lasted 4 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings. He gave up four unearned runs, the result of two errors by Bill Russell , the Dodger shortstop . That
3248-583: A Hall of Famer." In a 2016 interview, John pointed out that his 164 wins following the surgery were one shy of the amount that Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax had over his entire career. John went on to win 164 games after having the surgery, 40 more than before. His successful comeback proved once and for all that baseball players could still be successful after undergoing major surgery. In 2012, Lindsey Berra of ESPN noted that roughly one in seven major league pitchers had undergone Tommy John surgery at some point in their careers. "It's become an accepted side effect of
3480-447: A ball that results in the team's third out, even if it is recorded against a teammate. On rare occasions, a batter may be at the plate when, without the batter's hitting the ball, a third out is recorded against a teammate—for instance, a runner getting caught stealing (tagged out attempting to steal a base). A batter with this sort of incomplete plate appearance starts off the team's next turn batting; any balls or strikes recorded against
3712-450: A base at any given time; the same applies for other runners if they are on a base that a teammate is forced to advance to. If a ball hit into play rolls foul before passing through the infield, it becomes dead and any runners must return to the base they occupied when the play began. If the ball is hit in the air and caught before it lands, the batter has flied out and any runners on base may attempt to advance only if they tag up (contact
3944-527: A career-high 22 games while losing nine, recording a 3.43 ERA, 78 strikeouts, 56 walks, and 270 hits allowed in 265 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings pitched. His six shutouts led the AL, the first time in 13 years he led a league in that category. He tied with Mike Norris for second in the AL in wins, behind Steve Stone 's 25. John finished fourth in Cy Young Award voting. The Yankees won the AL East with
4176-403: A common procedure among baseball pitchers, with 35.3% of MLB pitchers who were active in 2023 having received it at some point during their careers. John had a 10–10 record his first year back from recovery. In 1977, at age 34, John had his first career 20-win season, going 20–7 with a 2.78 ERA as the Dodgers won the NL West and reached the 1977 World Series . He helped the Dodgers return to
4408-453: A complete game shutout that the Dodgers won 1–0. The win was his fifth in five games. After a loss on May 5, he won five decisions in a row, not losing again until June 18. From June 28 through July 7, he won three straight starts. In the middle of an excellent 1974 season, John had a 13–3 record as the Dodgers were en route to their first NL pennant in eight years. He led the NL in wins coming into
4640-600: A complete game, 10–1 victory. In the second game of a doubleheader against the Houston Astros on July 8, he relieved Bob Welch in the sixth inning and threw four shutout innings, picking up the victory in Los Angeles's 7–5 triumph. With a 10–6 record and a 3.80 ERA halfway through the season, John was named to the NL All-Star team , his first selection to an All-Star Team in 10 years and the first of three in
4872-504: A complete game, 1–0 loss. In 20 starts, John had a 9–8 record, 50 strikeouts, 39 walks, and 135 hits allowed in 140 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings pitched. His 2.63 ERA ranked fourth in the AL. Though he had led the AL in shutouts the previous year, he had zero in 1981. Because of the strike, MLB divided the season into two halves and added an extra playoff round, the Division Series , in which the first half and second-half winners of
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#17327756357925104-430: A decision. "I'd like to pitch as long as I can effectively do the job," John told The New York Times during 1981 spring training. "I think I can start another two or three years. I also think I could pitch out of the bullpen for two or three years a la Steve Hamilton and Jim Kaat . I think I could do that effectively - as long as somebody would want to pay me to do it. Everybody needs lefthanded pitching, especially in
5336-600: A different grip to use while pitching. In the midst of doubts about his ability to come back, John kept repeating Luke 1:37 to himself: "For with God, nothing shall be impossible." Finally, in June, feeling came back to John's injured fingers. His velocity started to improve in July, and by September, he was healthy enough to pitch in an off-season instructional league in Arizona. Beginning September 29, John made five appearances with
5568-400: A fastball and a curveball. The Indians tried to get him to throw a slider in 1964, but John struggled with it and went back to throwing two pitches later that year. By 1980, he was throwing the slider. He also threw three different curveballs by then, classifying them by their release point: "Each one breaks differently, down or flat or in between, depending on how you spin it." In 1972, he added
5800-525: A following in much of the world was a factor, more important was MLB's reluctance to allow its players to participate during the major league season. MLB initiated the World Baseball Classic , scheduled to precede its season, partly as a replacement, high-profile international tournament. The inaugural Classic , held in March 2006, was the first tournament involving national teams to feature
6032-416: A football or soccer field does not affect play the way foul territory in baseball does, so variations in that regard are largely insignificant. These physical variations create a distinctive set of playing conditions at each ballpark. Other local factors, such as altitude and climate, can also significantly affect play. A given stadium may acquire a reputation as a pitcher's park or a hitter's park, if one or
6264-453: A four-hit shutout as the Dodgers won 4–0. After the Phillies won Game 3, the Dodgers won Game 4 to set up another playoff rematch, this time with the Yankees in the 1978 World Series . John started Game 1, giving up five runs (only three of which were earned) in 7 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings but earning the win in Los Angeles's 11–5 victory. In Game 4, he had held the Yankees to two runs (one earned) through seven innings before getting removed in
6496-419: A full recovery; he threw out the first pitch at a playoff game against the Brewers later that year, and by 1988, he was playing Little League Baseball with his brothers. By August 29, John was back to pitching road games for the Yankees. With a 9–5 record on September 14, he finished the year on a three-game losing streak, though that included a September 25 start against the Orioles where he allowed one run in
6728-430: A game after at least five innings with a lead and received a no-decision, often due to runners he had left on base scoring when relievers replaced him. At 45, he was the only Yankee starting pitcher to go the full year without missing time due to injury. By 1989, John was doing a "ten-part cardiovascular and muscular endurance program" which Jeff Mangold, the Yankees' former strength coach, had helped him develop. At 45, he
6960-435: A game, involves an individual, one-on-one contest: "the pitcher and the batter in a battle of wits". Pitcher, batter, and fielder all act essentially independent of each other. While coaching staffs can signal pitcher or batter to pursue certain tactics, the execution of the play itself is a series of solitary acts. If the batter hits a line drive, the outfielder is solely responsible for deciding to try to catch it or play it on
7192-535: A group. The kids have a lifetime contract with us." After the Yankees released him in 1989, he planned to keep working out and throwing in case another ballclub signed him; none did, however, and the season was his last. John first appeared on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in 1995. He earned 21.3% of the vote, but 75% is required for induction. Over the next several years, his vote totals rose and fell, but through 2008, he had never received more than 29.6% of
Tommy John - Misplaced Pages Continue
7424-487: A home run at another. A team that plays in a park with a relatively short right field, such as the New York Yankees , will tend to stock its roster with left-handed pull hitters , who can best exploit it. On the individual level, a player who spends most of his career with a team that plays in a hitter's park will gain an advantage in batting statistics over time—even more so if his talents are especially suited to
7656-495: A lead , the pitcher may attempt a pickoff , a quick throw to a fielder covering the base to keep the runner's lead in check or, optimally, effect a tag out. Pickoff attempts, however, are subject to rules that severely restrict the pitcher's movements before and during the pickoff attempt. Violation of any one of these rules could result in the umpire calling a balk against the pitcher, which permits any runners on base to advance one base with impunity. If an attempted stolen base
7888-667: A major league pitch. John picked baseball and signed with the Indians after graduating, getting assigned to the Dubuque Packers of the Class D Midwest League . John had a 10–4 record in 1961 but had some trouble with the Charleston Indians of the Class A Eastern League in 1962. "I was rearing back on every pitch and firing with all my strength at the strike zone," he said. "As a result I kept getting behind in
8120-535: A major league record by playing 24 seasons in the major leagues without a World Series appearance. His total of 5,404 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings pitched is the most by any pitcher in the post-1920 live-ball era . A sidearm pitcher, his pitching featured the knuckleball, which frustrated major league hitters. Ralph Kiner compared Niekro's special pitch to "watching Mario Andretti park a car". Pete Rose said, "I work for three weeks to get my swing down pat and Phil messes it up in one night... Trying to hit that thing
8352-403: A marriage. If you have an argument and patch it up fast, it's okay. But the longer you let it go, the harder it is to reconcile it." Through June 25 of 1982, though his record was just 5–7, he had a 2.95 ERA. From then through July 5, he posted a 6.67 ERA in six games (five starts). John clashed with the Yankees' front office over the move and also over their failure to give him a $ 200,000 loan that
8584-478: A new rule officially banning the spitball and other pitches that depended on the ball being treated or roughed-up with foreign substances, resulted in a ball that traveled farther when hit. The rise of the legendary player Babe Ruth , the first great power hitter of the new era, helped permanently alter the nature of the game. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, St. Louis Cardinals general manager Branch Rickey invested in several minor league clubs and developed
8816-609: A no-decision, as the Dodgers defeated the New York Mets 2–1 in the 10th inning. On August 3, he gave up only three hits in a complete game, 3–0 shutout victory over the San Francisco Giants . Though John made 29 starts for the Dodgers in 1972, his season ended prematurely on September 23, due to an injury suffered in a game against the Giants. John singled against Frank Reberger in the third, advanced to second on
9048-699: A number of competitions between clubs from different countries. Other competitions between national teams, such as the Baseball World Cup and the Olympic baseball tournament , were administered by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) from its formation in 1938 until its 2013 merger with the International Softball Federation to create the current joint governing body for both sports,
9280-408: A park with little space between the foul lines and the stands, but a foulout in a park with more expansive foul ground. A fence in foul territory that is close to the outfield line will tend to direct balls that strike it back toward the fielders, while one that is farther away may actually prompt more collisions, as outfielders run full speed to field balls deep in the corner. These variations can make
9512-544: A permanent fixture of the post-season. Regular-season interleague play was introduced in 1997 and the second-highest attendance mark for a full season was set. In 2000, the National and American Leagues were dissolved as legal entities. While their identities were maintained for scheduling purposes (and the designated hitter distinction), the regulations and other functions—such as player discipline and umpire supervision—they had administered separately were consolidated under
Tommy John - Misplaced Pages Continue
9744-427: A pitcher's park when the strong winds off Lake Michigan are blowing in, it becomes more of a hitter's park when they are blowing out. The absence of a standardized field affects not only how particular games play out, but the nature of team rosters and players' statistical records. For example, hitting a fly ball 330 feet (100 m) into right field might result in an easy catch on the warning track at one park, and
9976-411: A player has been removed for a substitute, that player may not reenter the game. Children's games often have more lenient rules, such as Little League rules, which allow players to be substituted back into the same game. If the designated hitter (DH) rule is in effect, each team has a tenth player whose sole responsibility is to bat (and run). The DH takes the place of another player—almost invariably
10208-474: A potentially career-ending injury when he tore his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in a game against the Montreal Expos . Dr. Frank Jobe , the Dodger physician, performed ligament replacement surgery on John later that year. He missed the 1975 season recovering from surgery, but he became the first pitcher to successfully return to baseball following such surgery. "Tommy John" surgery has since become
10440-577: A power-hitting first base prospect with the San Francisco Giants . Niekro was a member of the board of directors for Kiz Toys, a toy company based out of Cumming, Georgia , and Niekro advised the company on the KizSport baseball line, reviewing product designs and development. The Gwinnett Stripers —the AAA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves—play their home games at Coolray Field . Coolray Field has
10672-407: A propensity for inducing ground balls, which would have likely resulted in an out and possibly a double play. Instead, Steve Yeager hit a sacrifice fly against him, and Davey Lopes added an RBI single; the runs did not count on John's record, but the Yankees lost the game 8–7. With the Yankees down to the Dodgers 3 games to 2, John started Game 6. He held the Dodgers to one run over four innings but
10904-461: A record of 44–36. The Braves finished 3rd, 4th, and 5th in their division. On August 5, 1973, Niekro threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres , the first for the Braves since moving to Atlanta. In 1974, Niekro led the league in several pitching categories, including wins (20), complete games (18), and innings pitched (302.1). He finished third in the voting for the Cy Young Award that year. From 1975 to 1976, he went 15–15 and 17–11 and made
11136-604: A restaurant, Niekro's, that is named after Niekro. It features the Knucksie Sandwich, made with barbecue pork and cole slaw atop a corn muffin; it was said to be Niekro's favorite sandwich. Niekro and his family supported the students of Bridgeport High School with the proceeds from an annual golf tournament called "The Niekro Classic". Niekro and his wife, Nancy, had three sons: Philip, John, and Michael. On December 26, 2020, Niekro died in his sleep at age 81. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and had battled
11368-691: A row and got sent to AAA (now the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League ) in July. Indians' pitching coach Early Wynn had been trying to get John to throw a slider , but John altered his grip, affecting his control. He returned to throwing just a fastball and a curveball in the minors and was called up for a few games in September by the Indians. After the season, he was sent to the Chicago White Sox as part of
11600-589: A row for him. In a complete game against Montreal on August 29, he held the Expos to one unearned run in a complete game, 4–1 victory. In 33 games (30 starts), he had a 17–10 record, a 3.30 ERA, 124 strikeouts, 53 walks, and 230 hits allowed in 213 innings. He finished eighth in Cy Young Award voting. For the second year in a row, the Dodgers won the NL West and faced the Phillies in the NLCS . The Game 2 starter, John threw
11832-480: A run. The team in the field attempts to prevent runs from scoring by recording outs , which remove opposing players from offensive action until their next turn at bat comes up again. When three outs are recorded, the teams switch roles for the next half-inning. If the score of the game is tied after nine innings, extra innings are played to resolve the contest. Many amateur games, particularly unorganized ones, involve different numbers of players and innings. The game
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#173277563579212064-400: A runner legally advances around the bases in order and touches home plate (the place where the player started as a batter). The initial objective of the batting team is to have a player reach first base safely ; this generally occurs either when the batter hits the ball and reaches first base before an opponent retrieves the ball and touches the base, or when the pitcher persists in throwing
12296-477: A second All-Star appearance in 1975. Between 1977 and 1979, Niekro was the league leader in complete games, innings pitched and batters faced. In 1979, the 40-year-old Niekro led the league in both wins (21) and losses (20). He finished sixth in Cy Young Award voting in both 1978 and 1979, and made his third All-Star appearance in 1978, as well as winning three consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1978 to 1980. Phil and Joe Niekro were NL co-leaders in wins in 1979;
12528-441: A significant effect on how ground balls behave and are fielded as well as on baserunning. Similarly, the presence of a roof (seven major league teams play in stadiums with permanent or retractable roofs) can greatly affect how fly balls are played. While football and soccer players deal with similar variations of field surface and stadium covering, the size and shape of their fields are much more standardized. The area out-of-bounds on
12760-629: A significant number of MLB participants. The Baseball World Cup was discontinued after its 2011 edition in favor of an expanded World Baseball Classic. Baseball has certain attributes that set it apart from the other popular team sports in the countries where it has a following. All of these sports use a clock, play is less individual, and the variation between playing fields is not as substantial or important. The comparison between cricket and baseball demonstrates that many of baseball's distinctive elements are shared in various ways with its cousin sports. In clock-limited sports, games often end with
12992-409: A skillful contact hitter , the runner takes off with the pitch, drawing the shortstop or second baseman over to second base, creating a gap in the infield for the batter to poke the ball through. The sacrifice bunt , calls for the batter to focus on making soft contact with the ball, so that it rolls a short distance into the infield, allowing the runner to advance into scoring position as the batter
13224-422: A team that holds the lead killing the clock rather than competing aggressively against the opposing team. In contrast, baseball has no clock, thus a team cannot win without getting the last batter out and rallies are not constrained by time. At almost any turn in any baseball game, the most advantageous strategy is some form of aggressive strategy. Whereas, in the case of multi-day Test and first-class cricket ,
13456-501: A three-way trade between Cleveland, Chicago, and the Kansas City Athletics that sent Rocky Colavito to Cleveland. John's first appearances with the White Sox were in relief . During the first half of the 1965 season, he and Juan Pizarro alternatively spent time as Chicago's fifth starter in the rotation. By the second half, however, he had cemented himself within the team's starting rotation. September 25, he held
13688-575: A two-hit performance on April 16 when he retired 13 hitters in a row at one point. On May 11, he held the Twins to six hits in a 5–0 shutout victory. He allowed just two hits on June 6 in a 3–0 shutout victory over the Seattle Mariners . On July 22, he held Milwaukee to four hits in the first game of a doubleheader, throwing a shutout as the Yankees defeated the Brewers 3–0. No other AL pitcher would win 20 games in back-to-back years until Roger Clemens did it in 1986 and '87. In 36 starts, John won
13920-482: A two-year contract with the New York Yankees . He won 16 games in 1984 and made his fifth and final All-Star appearance. On October 6, 1985, Niekro earned his 300th career win with a shutout win over the Toronto Blue Jays . At 46 years, 188 days, Niekro became the oldest pitcher to pitch a shutout in the major leagues. This record stood for nearly 25 years before Jamie Moyer (47 years, 170 days) bested
14152-503: A walk, and attempted to score on a single by Bill Buckner . As he slid into home, though (where he was called out), he jammed his throwing elbow hard into the ground, dislodging bone chips. He pitched 1 + 2 ⁄ 3 more innings before getting taken out of the game, but took the remainder of the year off and had surgery to clear out the elbow. John had an 11–5 record, a 2.89 ERA, 117 strikeouts, 40 walks, and 172 hits allowed in 186 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings. His .688 winning percentage
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#173277563579214384-535: A window and fell three stories onto the hood of a parked car. He was in a coma for about two weeks. John was warming up for a game against the Tigers when he found out the news. He went on national television asking people to pray for his son, and he received permission from the Yankees to stay in New York with his son while he recovered, pitching only home games in the immediate aftermath of the accident while staying at
14616-491: A youth, he often played sandlot ball with other kids, either at Spencer F. Ball Park or Woodrow Wilson field. Arley Andrews, a former minor league pitcher and a friend of John's father, taught John to throw a curveball , which would be John's main pitch. John was an outstanding baseball and basketball player at Gerstmeyer High School in Terre Haute, Indiana . He had a 28–2 record as a pitcher . Athletics did not get in
14848-414: Is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding . The game occurs over the course of several plays , with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding team , called the pitcher , throws a ball that a player on the batting team , called the batter , tries to hit with a bat . The objective of the offensive team (batting team)
15080-407: Is a miserable way to make a living." Catcher Bob Uecker was also frustrated by the pitch at times, saying, "Niekro struck out a hitter once and I never touched the ball. It hit me in the shinguard, bounced out to Clete Boyer at third base and he threw out the runner at first. Talk about a weird assist: 2–5–3 on a strikeout." Uecker also said humorously of the pitch, "The way to catch a knuckleball
15312-402: Is anticipated, the catcher may call for a pitchout , a ball thrown deliberately off the plate, allowing the catcher to catch it while standing and throw quickly to a base. Facing a batter with a strong tendency to hit to one side of the field, the fielding team may employ a shift , with most or all of the fielders moving to the left or right of their usual positions. With a runner on third base,
15544-441: Is awarded a base on balls or walk, a free advance to first base. (A batter may also freely advance to first base if the batter's body or uniform is struck by a pitch outside the strike zone, provided the batter does not swing and attempts to avoid being hit.) Crucial to determining balls and strikes is the umpire's judgment as to whether a pitch has passed through the strike zone , a conceptual area above home plate extending from
15776-424: Is called a grand slam . A player who reaches base due to a fielding mistake is not credited with a hit—instead, the responsible fielder is charged with an error . Any runners already on base may attempt to advance on batted balls that land, or contact the ground, in fair territory, before or after the ball lands. A runner on first base must attempt to advance if a ball lands in play, as only one runner may occupy
16008-414: Is called. While the team at bat is trying to score runs, the team in the field is attempting to record outs. In addition to the strikeout and flyout, common ways a member of the batting team may be put out include the ground out , force out , and tag out . These occur either when a runner is forced to advance to a base, and a fielder with possession of the ball reaches that base before the runner does, or
16240-570: Is difficult to trace with precision. Consensus once held that today's baseball is a North American development from the older game rounders , popular among children in Great Britain and Ireland . American baseball historian David Block suggests that the game originated in England ; recently uncovered historical evidence supports this position. Block argues that rounders and early baseball were actually regional variants of each other, and that
16472-710: Is on the 2025 Hall of Fame ballot, along with seven other men, under consideration by the Classic Era Committee. He served as a broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins and the Yankees in the 1990s, then managed the Bridgeport Bluefish from 2007 through the first half of the 2009 season. Since retiring, he has served as a motivational speaker and also founded the "Let's Do It" Foundation, dedicated to raising awareness about suicides and preventing them. John grew up in Terre Haute, Indiana . As
16704-411: Is one), or if the batter-runner otherwise safely circles all the bases, it is a home run : the batter and any runners on base may all freely circle the bases, each scoring a run. This is the most desirable result for the batter. The ultimate and most desirable result possible for a batter would be to hit a home run while all three bases are occupied or "loaded", thus scoring four runs on a single hit. This
16936-405: Is played on a field whose primary boundaries, the foul lines, extend forward from home plate at 45-degree angles. The 90-degree area within the foul lines is referred to as fair territory; the 270-degree area outside them is foul territory. The part of the field enclosed by the bases and several yards beyond them is the infield ; the area farther beyond the infield is the outfield . In the middle of
17168-549: Is tainted by steroids allegations) is the only one with more wins than John not to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Though John was nearing the 300 win club at the end of his career, he had not necessarily intended to pitch long enough to reach the milestone. "You'd like to stay around long enough to win 300, but that's not the ultimate goal for me," he said in 1987. "My kids are getting older, and it's tougher for us to move as much as we used to. I decided that wherever we go, we go as
17400-474: Is thrown out at first. A batter, particularly one who is a fast runner, may also attempt to bunt for a hit. A sacrifice bunt employed with a runner on third base, aimed at bringing that runner home, is known as a squeeze play . With a runner on third and fewer than two outs, a batter may instead concentrate on hitting a fly ball that, even if it is caught, will be deep enough to allow the runner to tag up and score—a successful batter, in this case, gets credit for
17632-403: Is to hit the ball into the field of play, away from the other team's players, allowing its players to run the bases , having them advance counter-clockwise around four bases to score what are called " runs ". The objective of the defensive team (referred to as the fielding team) is to prevent batters from becoming runners , and to prevent runners advancing around the bases . A run is scored when
17864-439: Is to wait until it stops rolling and pick it up." Niekro was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997, his fifth year of eligibility. He was the only player elected that year; Tony Pérez and Don Sutton were among the notable eligible players who were not elected that year. After he was notified, Niekro said, "Giving a description of today's phone call is impossible. I've been stunned before. I just didn't prepare myself this year. I
18096-568: The American League , which evolved from the minor Western League , was established in 1893, and virtually all of the modern baseball rules were in place by then. The National Agreement of 1903 formalized relations both between the two major leagues and between them and the National Association of Professional Base Ball Leagues, representing most of the country's minor professional leagues . The World Series , pitting
18328-468: The Chicago Cubs to five hits on July 13 in a 5–0, complete game shutout victory. On August 24, he had a better start against the Phillies, limiting them to three hits in a 3–0, complete game shutout victory. That game was the first of six straight decisions John would win through the end of the season. With a 16–7 record at season's end, John tied with three others for seventh in the NL in wins and led
18560-485: The Cleveland Indians in 1986. He went 11–11 with a 4.32 ERA. He started the 1987 season with the Indians, going 7–11 in 26 starts. On August 9, 1987, Niekro was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Darryl Landrum and a player to be named later , who was later revealed to be Don Gordon . After going 0–2 in three starts, the Blue Jays released Niekro. On September 23, 1987, Niekro signed again with his old team,
18792-740: The Jacksonville Braves . He spent the next season with the Class AA Austin Senators . He returned to Louisville in 1962 and had a 9–6 record. He missed the 1963 season due to military service. Niekro debuted with the Milwaukee Braves in 1964 , working 15 major league innings and spending time with the team's class AAA minor league affiliate. He stayed with the major league team all year in 1965, pitching 74 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings in 41 games and recording six saves . In 1966, Niekro split time again between
19024-570: The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award , presented by Phi Delta Theta to "the Major League Baseball Player who best exemplifies the spirit and character of Brother Lou Gehrig, both on and off the field." The Yankees and John nearly went to arbitration after 1981 but ultimately agreed to a two-year, $ 1.7 million contract. "I'm glad to get it over with and get it put to bed," John said after signing. "It's like in
19256-591: The Milwaukee Brewers . In 38 games (35 starts), he had a 13–16 record, a 3.61 ERA, three shutouts, 131 strikeouts, 58 walks, and 244 hits in 229 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings pitched. His 16 losses tied him for seventh in the AL with Ray Culp and Dick Bosman . John was traded along with Steve Huntz from the White Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Dick Allen at the Winter Meetings on December 2, 1971. He got along much better with Red Adams ,
19488-477: The Montreal Expos . With the Dodgers leading 4–0 in the third inning, John tried to throw a sinking fastball to Hal Breeden . Suddenly, he felt the "strangest sensation I had ever known...right at the point where I put force on the pitch, the point where my arm is back and bent, something happened," he explained. "It felt as if I had left my arm someplace else. It was as if my body continued to go forward and my left arm had just flown out to right field, independent of
19720-496: The National Association of Base Ball Players , was formed. In 1867, it barred participation by African Americans . The more formally structured National League was founded in 1876. Professional Negro leagues formed, but quickly folded. In 1887, softball , under the name of indoor baseball or indoor-outdoor, was invented as a winter version of the parent game. The National League's first successful counterpart,
19952-408: The New York Yankees to one run and hit a go-ahead home run against Bill Stafford to give himself a 3–1 victory. In 39 games (27 starts), he had a 14–7 record, a 3.09 ERA, 126 strikeouts , 58 walks, and 162 hits allowed in 183 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings. By 1966, manager Eddie Stanky had made John his Opening Day starter. He tied for the American League (AL) lead with five shutouts during
20184-524: The St. Louis Cardinals and pitched well, but the game was called on account of rain just before it became official. He pitched six innings of Game 2 and left with a 3–2 lead. However, the Cardinals scored two late runs after Niekro left the game and would eventually sweep the series. In 1983, he went 11–10 and won his fifth Gold Glove Award. After the season, the Braves released him. In 1984, Niekro signed
20416-606: The Washington Senators . Used at first as a reliever, he finished the year with three starts . Though his record was 0–2, his earned run average (ERA) was 2.21. Cleveland manager Birdie Tebbetts called his fastball "deceptive." In his first start of 1964, on May 3, John threw a shutout against the Baltimore Orioles for his first major league win in the second game of a doubleheader . He won two of his first three games but then lost eight decisions in
20648-778: The West League and East League . The World Baseball Classic , organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation , is the major international competition of the sport and attracts the top national teams from around the world. Baseball was played at the Olympic Games from 1992 to 2008, and was reinstated on a one-off basis in 2020. A baseball game is played between two teams, each usually composed of nine players, that take turns playing offense (batting and baserunning) and defense (pitching and fielding). A pair of turns, one at bat and one in
20880-461: The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). Women's baseball is played on an organized amateur basis in numerous countries. After being admitted to the Olympics as a medal sport beginning with the 1992 Games , baseball was dropped from the 2012 Summer Olympic Games at the 2005 International Olympic Committee meeting . It remained part of the 2008 Games . While the sport's lack of
21112-455: The ball , the bat , and the glove or mitt : Protective helmets are also standard equipment for all batters. At the beginning of each half-inning, the nine players of the fielding team arrange themselves around the field. One of them, the pitcher , stands on the pitcher's mound. The pitcher begins the pitching delivery with one foot on the rubber, pushing off it to gain velocity when throwing toward home plate. Another fielding team player,
21344-408: The catcher , squats on the far side of home plate, facing the pitcher. The rest of the fielding team faces home plate, typically arranged as four infielders—who set up along or within a few yards outside the imaginary lines (basepaths) between first, second, and third base—and three outfielders. In the standard arrangement , there is a first baseman positioned several steps to the left of first base,
21576-774: The national sport of the United States , though in modern times is considered less popular than other sports , such as American football . In addition to North America , baseball spread throughout the rest of the Americas and the Asia–Pacific in the 19th and 20th centuries, and is now considered the most popular sport in parts of Central and South America , the Caribbean , and East Asia , particularly in Japan , South Korea , and Taiwan . In Major League Baseball (MLB),
21808-410: The slider . Pitchers have different repertoires of pitches they are skillful at throwing. Conventionally, before each pitch, the catcher signals the pitcher what type of pitch to throw, as well as its general vertical or horizontal location. If there is disagreement on the selection, the pitcher may shake off the sign and the catcher will call for a different pitch. With a runner on base and taking
22040-423: The wicket for an hour or much more. There is no statistical equivalent in cricket for the fielding error and thus less emphasis on personal responsibility in this area of play. Unlike those of most sports, baseball playing fields can vary significantly in size and shape. While the dimensions of the infield are specifically regulated, the only constraint on outfield size and shape for professional teams, following
22272-484: The 1920s, it was joined by the Eastern Colored League . Compared with the present, professional baseball in the early 20th century was lower-scoring, and pitchers were more dominant. This so-called " dead-ball era " ended in the early 1920s with several changes in rule and circumstance that were advantageous to hitters. Strict new regulations governed the ball's size, shape and composition, along with
22504-440: The 26th in a 14–2 win over Cleveland. Pitching on three days' rest on August 8, he threw a two-hit shutout against the Tigers, the last he would throw in his career. On October 2, he gave up just one run in a complete game, 3–1 triumph over Baltimore. In 33 starts, John had a 13–6 record, a 4.03 ERA, 63 strikeouts, 47 walks, and 212 hits allowed in 187 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings pitched. After Phil Niekro 's retirement, John became
22736-590: The AL in shutouts, this time with six. He had a season-high nine strikeouts in a shutout of the Senators on June 13. On July 4, he shut out the defending- World Series champion Orioles, limiting Baltimore to two hits. July 22, he left a game against the Athletics after facing just two batters and did not pitch again until August 20. He was plagued in the season's second half by a severe gastrointestinal virus that caused him to lose 28 pounds. At season's end, his record
22968-463: The All-Star break but was left off the roster, as the Dodgers already had Andy Messersmith and Mike Marshall on the team. "If I don't belong on the team, there is no justice in baseball," John said on July 17. "It really sets you back. I've had a great year, I've worked hard and yet I can't even get picked for the All-Star team." Bigger disappointment followed for John in that evening's game against
23200-525: The Angel GM in 1985, and no coach worked with John at all during spring training until he finally asked Frank Reberger to assist him. That season, John posted a 4.70 ERA in 12 games, only six of which were starts. In May, the Angels opted to use only four starters for much of the month, and John was the odd man out. The Angels considered trading him for Dick Ruthven of the Cubs but opted not to because Ruthven
23432-413: The Angels lost in the 14th once relief pitchers entered the game. In 34 starts, John had an 11–13 record, a 4.33 ERA (the highest it had ever been in his career), 65 strikeouts, and 49 walks in 234 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings. He led the AL in hits allowed with 287, and 1983 would be the last time he would top 200 innings in a season. In 1984, John had a 2.48 ERA through June 2 but a 6.13 ERA thereafter. In
23664-430: The Angels. On July 27, he set a record by committing three errors on one play against the Brewers. First, he dropped a ground ball hit back to the mound by Jeffrey Leonard . Picking it up, he threw it about 10 feet wide of first base. Jim Gantner tried to score, and John cut off a throw to home, then threw it by the head of the catcher, incredibly, for his third error on the play. However, he would pitch eight innings as
23896-451: The Athletics in Game 1 of the ALCS , earning the win, but he was replaced on the mound by Ron Davis after the sixth inning because his right ankle was bothering him. Though he felt good enough to remain in the game, Yankee manager Bob Lemon did not want to risk further injury: "If something happened, I'd be worried about it all winter," Lemon said. He would not get a chance to pitch again in
24128-466: The Atlanta Braves. On September 27, he made his final start of his career, pitching three innings and surrendering five runs in the no-decision. The Braves lost the game against the San Francisco Giants 15–6. Niekro retired at the end of the season. At the age of 48, Niekro was the oldest player in major league history to play regularly until Julio Franco played at age 49 in 2007. He set
24360-528: The Atlanta game, in a 1–0 loss to the Houston Astros , John threw seven scoreless innings. On June 13, he threw his first complete game since the injury, also against the Expos, whom he held to three runs in a 6–3 victory. He threw a four-hit shutout against the Padres on July 23 and a 10-hit shutout against the Cincinnati Reds on September 14. John would make 31 starts for the Dodgers in 1976, posting
24592-442: The Braves and their minor league system, going 4–3 with a 4.11 earned run average (ERA). Niekro led the league with a 1.87 ERA in 1967, earning an 11–9 record with 10 complete games and 9 saves. He began the year as a relief pitcher but had earned a job in the starting rotation during the season. Before the 1968 season, sportswriter Fred Down described the Braves' pitching staff as "chaotic" and reported that team leadership
24824-416: The Brewers defeated the Angels 9–5; the Brewers went on to win the series in five games. Before the 1983 season, Angel GM Buzzie Bavasi extended John's contract for three years. Assistant GM Mike Port disagreed with the decision because he thought John was too old. California's number two starter, John had a 6–2 record and a 3.43 ERA through June 9. Thereafter, he only won five of 16 decisions, and his ERA
25056-462: The Brewers in a 4–3 triumph. Facing the Yankees on August 27, he threw seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits and earning the victory in a 3–0 triumph. Those were his only wins with Oakland, though; he lost his next five decisions and finished with a 2–6 record and a 6.19 ERA in 11 starts. His combined totals for the season were a 4–10 record, a 5.53 ERA, 25 strikeouts, 28 walks, and 117 hits allowed in 86 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings pitched. After
25288-612: The Class A Fort Lauderdale Yankees , winning two and not allowing an earned run in 13 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings. During the 1986 season, John had agreed to become the pitching coach for the University of North Carolina (UNC) later in the year, meaning he would likely retire. However, he resigned from the UNC position on November 21 due to "irreconcilable differences" with head coach Mike Roberts . In his 1991 autobiography, John stated that
25520-448: The DH rule, including MLB, Japan's Pacific League , and Caribbean professional leagues, along with major American amateur organizations. The Central League in Japan does not have the rule and high-level minor league clubs connected to National League teams are not required to field a DH. In leagues that apply the designated hitter rule, a typical team has nine offensive regulars (including
25752-684: The DH), five starting pitchers, seven or eight relievers, a backup catcher, and two or three other reserve players. The manager , or head coach, oversees the team's major strategic decisions, such as establishing the starting rotation, setting the lineup, or batting order, before each game, and making substitutions during games—in particular, bringing in relief pitchers. Managers are typically assisted by two or more coaches ; they may have specialized responsibilities, such as working with players on hitting, fielding, pitching, or strength and conditioning. At most levels of organized play, two coaches are stationed on
25984-538: The Dodger pitching coach, who encouraged John to use his soft fastball instead of trying to rely on his breaking pitches. "You'll get plenty of batters out with that," Adams said, praising the movement John put on his fastball. He gave up 13 hits and five runs on July 12 but was allowed to complete the game as the Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 9–5. Six days later, he pitched nine innings and only allowed one unearned run but settled for
26216-459: The Dodgers. Latin-American players, largely overlooked before, also started entering the majors in greater numbers. In 1951, two Chicago White Sox, Venezuelan-born Chico Carrasquel and black Cuban-born Minnie Miñoso , became the first Hispanic All-Stars . Integration proceeded slowly: by 1953, only six of the 16 major league teams had a black player on the roster. In 1975, the union's power—and players' salaries—began to increase greatly when
26448-729: The Gotham Club. While there are reports that the New York Knickerbockers played games in 1845, the contest long recognized as the first officially recorded baseball game in U.S. history took place on June 19, 1846, in Hoboken, New Jersey : the "New York Nine" defeated the Knickerbockers, 23–1, in four innings. With the Knickerbocker code as the basis, the rules of modern baseball continued to evolve over
26680-480: The Grand Hyatt Hotel near the N.Y.U. Medical Center. Hundreds of letters and cards poured in from well-wishers, including people who wrote that they hated the Yankees and George Steinbrenner but were rooting for Travis to pull through. President Ronald Reagan sent Travis a get-well card, as did former Presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter . Frank Sinatra sent a telegram . Travis ultimately made
26912-425: The Indians scoreless for seven innings and scored the only run of the game. He had a 1.98 ERA through 25 starts with the White Sox in 1968. August 22 of that year, with a 3-2 count on Dick McAuliffe , John threw ball four over McAuliffe's head. An angry McAuliffe charged the mound and started a fight between the two players. McAuliffe was fined and suspended; John was not punished, but he tore some shoulder ligaments in
27144-536: The Mariners in the first game of a doubleheader on August 30, he took the loss but allowed just one run in eight innings in what would be his last start of the year. On September 4, he fell down while warming up on muddy soil and injured his left thumb while trying to break his fall, ending his season. In 13 games (10 starts), he had a 5–3 record, a 2.93 ERA, 28 strikeouts, 15 walks, and 73 hits allowed in 70 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings pitched. He also made three starts for
27376-485: The NL with a .696 winning percentage. He recorded 116 strikeouts, 50 walks, and 202 hits allowed in 218 innings of work. John began 1974 as the Dodgers' number two starter, behind Don Sutton in the rotation. He threw a shutout against the Padres in his first start on April 6, then threw eight shutout innings against the Atlanta Braves four days later. On April 25, he held the Phillies to four hits and no runs in
27608-731: The Niekros had the most combined wins by brothers in baseball history. As of 2023, Niekro also holds the major league record with 121 career victories after the age of 40. Niekro was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997. Niekro was born in Blaine, Ohio , and grew up in Lansing, Ohio , the son of Henrietta (Klinkoski) and Philip Niekro. He was of Polish descent. He attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio , and
27840-493: The Royals to two runs over eight-plus innings, picking up his 288th (and final) victory. He lost four games in May, though, allowing five or more runs in each of his outings. On May 25, he allowed five runs in 5 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings against the Angels, receiving a no-decision in an 8–6 Yankee victory. That game would be his last appearance for the Yankees, who released him at the end of the month. In 10 starts for New York, John had
28072-412: The Senators, as the White Sox won the game 6–0. He lost four starts in a row after that game, then won his next five decisions. On July 26, he allowed seven hits in a complete game shutout of the Tigers, which the White Sox won 4–0. In the first game of a doubleheader against the Yankees on August 23, he allowed only four hits in a complete game shutout that the White Sox won 2–0. John finished the year with
28304-633: The United States and Canada was founded in 1878 in Cuba, which maintains a rich baseball tradition. The Dominican Republic held its first islandwide championship tournament in 1912. Professional baseball tournaments and leagues began to form in other countries between the world wars, including the Netherlands (formed in 1922), Australia (1934), Japan (1936), Mexico (1937), and Puerto Rico (1938). The Japanese major leagues have long been considered
28536-867: The United States. While baseball is widely played in Canada and many minor league teams have been based in the country, the American major leagues did not include a Canadian club until 1969, when the Montreal Expos joined the National League as an expansion team. In 1977, the expansion Toronto Blue Jays joined the American League. In 1847, American soldiers played what may have been the first baseball game in Mexico at Parque Los Berros in Xalapa , Veracruz . The first formal baseball league outside of
28768-466: The World Series in 1978 with a 17–10 record before leaving for the Yankees as a free agent. With the Yankees, John posted 20-win seasons in 1979 and 1980; he was an All-Star in those years as well as in 1978, his final year with the Dodgers. He appeared in three World Series contested between the Dodgers and Yankees, his only World Series appearances, and pitched for the losing team in all three. He
29000-470: The Yankees because, as he said, "I like to play for a winner." John won his first nine decisions as a Yankee, including shutout victories on April 12 and May 20, 1979. Through July 6, he was leading the AL in wins and had a 13–3 record, as he had five years earlier with the Dodgers, before the surgery. That day, he threw a complete game shutout in a 3–0 victory over the Athletics. He held the Indians to three hits on September 19, getting removed with two outs in
29232-406: The Yankees in 1987, then, at age 45, became the oldest player in baseball in 1988 following Phil Niekro 's retirement. In 1989, he tied Deacon McGuire 's record for most seasons pitched (26, later broken by Nolan Ryan , who ended with 27) before retiring. From 1995 through 2009, John was on the Hall of Fame ballot; he never received more than 31.7% of the votes (75% is required for election). John
29464-503: The Yankees went on to win 16–3. In 35 games (32 starts), he had a 9–8 record, a 4.49 ERA, 81 strikeouts, 46 walks, and 221 hits allowed in 176 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings. Bill Madden of the New York Daily News speculated that John, a ground-ball pitcher, suffered from late-season injuries to Yankee infielders Willie Randolph and Mike Pagliarulo , their replacements not being quite as capable fielders. Ten times, he left
29696-526: The Yankees, John had posted a 10–10 record, a 3.66 ERA, 54 strikeouts, 34 walks, and 190 hits allowed in 186 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings, throwing two shutouts as well. California was interested in John because it was contending for the AL West title. In his first start with the team on September 3, John held the Brewers to two runs (neither earned) in a complete game, 5–2 victory. John made seven starts, posting
29928-486: The average major league game has increased steadily through the years. At the turn of the 20th century, games typically took an hour and a half to play. In the 1920s, they averaged just less than two hours, which eventually ballooned to 2:38 in 1960. By 1997, the average American League game lasted 2:57 (National League games were about 10 minutes shorter—pitchers at the plate making for quicker outs than designated hitters). In 2004, Major League Baseball declared that its goal
30160-474: The ball out of the batter's reach . Players on the batting team who reach first base without being called " out " can attempt to advance to subsequent bases as a runner, either immediately or during teammates' turns batting. The fielding team tries to prevent runs by using the ball to get batters or runners "out", which forces them out of the field of play. The pitcher can get the batter out by throwing three pitches which result in strikes , while fielders can get
30392-571: The ball-and-strike count, often running it to three balls and no strikes, so I just had to put my fastball right over the plate and get it creamed." This led to a lot of walks , but player-coach Steve Jankowski worked with him, suggesting that John throw less hard so that he would have more control. The alterations helped John get called up to the Class AAA Jacksonville Suns of the International League during
30624-440: The base they occupied when the play began, as or after the ball is caught). Runners may also attempt to advance to the next base while the pitcher is in the process of delivering the ball to home plate; a successful effort is a stolen base . A pitch that is not hit into the field of play is called either a strike or a ball. A batter against whom three strikes are recorded strikes out . A batter against whom four balls are recorded
30856-413: The baseball in a certain manner, and by throwing it at a certain speed, pitchers can cause the baseball to break to either side, or downward, as it approaches the batter, thus creating differing pitches that can be selected. Among the resulting wide variety of pitches that may be thrown, the four basic types are the fastball , the changeup (or off-speed pitch), and two breaking balls —the curveball and
31088-429: The batter out by catching a batted ball before it touches the ground, and can get a runner out by tagging them with the ball while the runner is not touching a base. The opposing teams switch back and forth between batting and fielding; the batting team's turn to bat is over once the fielding team records three outs. One turn batting for each team constitutes an inning . A game is usually composed of nine innings, and
31320-454: The batter the previous inning are erased. A runner may circle the bases only once per plate appearance and thus can score at most a single run per batting turn. Once a player has completed a plate appearance, that player may not bat again until the eight other members of the player's team have all taken their turn at bat in the batting order . The batting order is set before the game begins, and may not be altered except for substitutions . Once
31552-450: The bottom, or second half, of every inning. The goal of the game is to score more points ( runs ) than the other team. The players on the team at bat attempt to score runs by touching all four bases, in order, set at the corners of the square-shaped baseball diamond . A player bats at home plate and must attempt to safely reach a base before proceeding, counterclockwise , from first base, to second base, third base, and back home to score
31784-413: The bounce and for succeeding or failing. The statistical precision of baseball is both facilitated by this isolation and reinforces it. Cricket is more similar to baseball than many other team sports in this regard: while the individual focus in cricket is mitigated by the importance of the batting partnership and the practicalities of tandem running, it is enhanced by the fact that a batsman may occupy
32016-517: The boys the pitch in the backyard. In addition, Phil played American Legion Baseball . Niekro signed with the Milwaukee Braves in 1959 for $ 250 (equivalent to $ 2,613 in 2023). He pitched for several minor league teams at several levels for the next few years, appearing mostly as a relief pitcher. While he was briefly promoted to the Class AAA Louisville Colonels in 1960, he spent the rest of that season pitching for
32248-537: The bullpen." He made his first Opening Day start for the Yankees on April 9, allowing three runs (two earned) in eight innings as the Yankees beat the Texas Rangers by a score of 10–3. His season was interrupted by the 1981 Major League Baseball strike and also by an incident that occurred on August 13. While the John family was at their vacation home on the Jersey shore, John's two-year-old son Travis toppled out
32480-399: The defending World Champion Orioles on May 31, he threw a shutout in a 1–0 victory. On June 17, he held the Twins to three runs over 10 innings. The White Sox pinch-hit for him in the 11th, took a 6–3 lead, then lost 7–6 after three relievers gave up four runs in the bottom of the inning. He struck out a season-high nine hitters on June 29 but also gave up four runs (two earned) in a 5–2 loss to
32712-473: The difference between a double and a triple or inside-the-park home run . The surface of the field is also unregulated. While the adjacent image shows a traditional field surfacing arrangement (and the one used by virtually all MLB teams with naturally surfaced fields), teams are free to decide what areas will be grassed or bare. Some fields—including several in MLB—use artificial turf . Surface variations can have
32944-405: The dynamics of nuclear fission, or something like that. I did all that, and now I was back at work." Though he allowed three runs in five innings and took the loss, it was the first time any pitcher had started a game following UCL reconstruction surgery. Darrell Evans of the Braves called the return a "miracle." Soon, players and writers were referring to John as "The Bionic Man." Five days after
33176-626: The early 1830s, there were reports of a variety of uncodified bat-and-ball games recognizable as early forms of baseball being played around North America. The first officially recorded baseball game in North America was played in Beachville, Ontario , Canada, on June 4, 1838. In 1845, Alexander Cartwright , a member of New York City's Knickerbocker Club , led the codification of the so-called Knickerbocker Rules , which in turn were based on rules developed in 1837 by William R. Wheaton of
33408-418: The effect of shortening 2023 regular season games by 24 minutes on average. Although baseball is a team sport, individual players are often placed under scrutiny and pressure. While rewarding, it has sometimes been described as "ruthless" due to the pressure on the individual player. In 1915, a baseball instructional manual pointed out that every single pitch, of which there are often more than two hundred in
33640-495: The eighth after giving up a leadoff single to Paul Blair . Blair went on to score, and John got a no-decision in a 10-inning, 4–3 loss. For the second year in a row, New York won the series in six games. With his contract up at the end of the season, John became a free agent . On November 21, he signed a three-year, $ 1.4 million contract with the New York Yankees . Though the Royals and the Reds had both offered more money, John chose
33872-515: The end of the season after he was injured in a fight with Dick McAuliffe . In 1971, pitching coach Johnny Sain tried to have John throw a slider more, but John had his highest ERA since 1964 and was traded to the Dodgers for Dick Allen after the season. He won 11 games in 1972 with the Dodgers, then led the National League (NL) in winning percentage over the next two seasons (.696 in 1973 and .813 in 1974). In 1974, though, he suffered
34104-417: The feat in May 2010. He did not throw his trademark knuckleball throughout the game until the final hitter; to former AL MVP Jeff Burroughs . Niekro struck Burroughs out to end the game. He finished the 1985 season with a 16–12 record, the final time he won 15 or more games in a single season. He was released by the Yankees before the 1986 season started. After two seasons in New York, Niekro pitched for
34336-431: The field as well. Play starts with a member of the batting team, the batter, standing in either of the two batter's boxes next to home plate, holding a bat. The batter waits for the pitcher to throw a pitch (the ball) toward home plate, and attempts to hit the ball with the bat. The catcher catches pitches that the batter does not hit—as a result of either electing not to swing or failing to connect—and returns them to
34568-476: The field to confer with players during a game. Any baseball game involves one or more umpires , who make rulings on the outcome of each play. At a minimum, one umpire will stand behind the catcher, to have a good view of the strike zone, and call balls and strikes. Additional umpires may be stationed near the other bases, thus making it easier to judge plays such as attempted force outs and tag outs. In MLB, four umpires are used for each game, one near each base. In
34800-467: The field when the team is at bat: the first base coach and third base coach, who occupy designated coaches' boxes, just outside the foul lines. These coaches assist in the direction of baserunners, when the ball is in play, and relay tactical signals from the manager to batters and runners, during pauses in play. In contrast to many other team sports, baseball managers and coaches generally wear their team's uniforms; coaches must be in uniform to be allowed on
35032-480: The field, by each team constitutes an inning . A game consists of nine innings (seven innings at the high school level and in doubleheaders in college, Minor League Baseball and, since the 2020 season , Major League Baseball ; and six innings at the Little League level). One team—customarily the visiting team—bats in the top, or first half, of every inning. The other team—customarily the home team—bats in
35264-410: The field, returning to their team's dugout or bench. A runner may be stranded on base when a third out is recorded against another player on the team. Stranded runners do not benefit the team in its next turn at bat as every half-inning begins with the bases empty. An individual player's turn batting or plate appearance is complete when the player reaches base, hits a home run, makes an out, or hits
35496-709: The first British baseball champions winning the 1890 National League of Baseball of Great Britain . The 2020 National Champions were the London Mets . Other European countries have seen professional leagues; the most successful, other than the Dutch league , is the Italian league , founded in 1948. In 2004, Australia won a surprise silver medal at the Olympic Games . The Confédération Européene de Baseball (European Baseball Confederation), founded in 1953, organizes
35728-526: The first inning, as the Yankees won 5–3. Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda said John would start Game 7 if the series went that far, but the Yankees clinched it in six games, making Game 3 John's only appearance in the loss. John won all four of his starts in April 1978, throwing complete games in the last three. On May 17, he held the Pittsburgh Pirates to four hits and one run, striking out seven in
35960-629: The first modern farm system . A new Negro National League was organized in 1933; four years later, it was joined by the Negro American League . The first elections to the National Baseball Hall of Fame took place in 1936. In 1939, Little League Baseball was founded in Pennsylvania. Many minor league teams disbanded when World War II led to a player shortage. Chicago Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley led
36192-638: The first time in his career in 1977, his 14th season in Major League Baseball, finishing with a 20–7 record. He ranked among the NL leaders in wins (third, tied with Bob Forsch , Rick Reuschel , and John Candelaria ) and ERA (2.78, fifth). John finished 12th in NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting and was second in voting for the NL Cy Young Award , bested by Steve Carlton , who led the NL with 23 wins. With
36424-604: The formation of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League to help keep the game in the public eye. The first crack in the unwritten agreement barring blacks from white-controlled professional ball occurred in 1945: Jackie Robinson was signed by the National League's Brooklyn Dodgers and began playing for their minor league team in Montreal . In 1947, Robinson broke the major leagues' color barrier when he debuted with
36656-450: The full range of motion of his arm but still lacked feeling in some of his fingers, preventing him from gripping the ball properly. For six weeks, he would tape the fingers that lacked feeling to ones that had it, then feebly throw balls against a wall for a while. John also worked with teammate and pitcher Mike Marshall , who had a Master's degree in kinesiology and who was said to know how to help pitchers recover from injuries, on learning
36888-609: The game's most direct antecedents are the English games of stoolball and "tut-ball". The earliest known reference to baseball is in a 1744 British publication, A Little Pretty Pocket-Book , by John Newbery . Block discovered that the first recorded game of "Bass-Ball" took place in 1749 in Surrey , and featured the Prince of Wales as a player. This early form of the game was apparently brought to Canada by English immigrants. By
37120-426: The game. Cons were that he never led the league in wins or strikeouts or won a Cy Young Award, and his 288 wins and 3.34 ERA were more "borderline" Hall of Fame credentials. Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports also did a pro-con analysis in 2019. On the pro side, Calcaterra noted that he was above average during his long career; on the con side, he too noted that John never led the league in wins or strikeouts, writing "John
37352-497: The height of fences or other structures at the edge of the outfield. The most famously idiosyncratic outfield boundary is the left-field wall at Boston's Fenway Park , in use since 1912: the Green Monster is 310 feet (94 m) from home plate down the line and 37 feet (11 m) tall. Similarly, there are no regulations at all concerning the dimensions of foul territory. Thus a foul fly ball may be entirely out of play in
37584-570: The highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, teams are divided into the National League (NL) and American League (AL), each with three divisions: East, West, and Central. The MLB champion is determined by playoffs that culminate in the World Series . The top level of play is similarly split in Japan between the Central and Pacific Leagues and in Cuba between
37816-680: The highest quality professional circuits outside of the United States. After World War II, professional leagues were founded in many Latin American countries, most prominently Venezuela (1946) and the Dominican Republic (1955). Since the early 1970s, the annual Caribbean Series has matched the championship clubs from the four leading Latin American winter leagues: the Dominican Professional Baseball League , Mexican Pacific League , Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League , and Venezuelan Professional Baseball League . In Asia, South Korea (1982), Taiwan (1990) and China (2003) all have professional leagues. The English football club, Aston Villa , were
38048-577: The impact that Tommy John surgery has had on the game, stating in 2012 that there could be a case for John being awarded the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award . The initial Tommy John surgery , John's subsequent return to pitching success, and his relationship with Dr. Jobe was the subject of an ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts documentary in 2013. John was a soft throwing sinkerball pitcher whose technique resulted in batters hitting numerous ground balls which often induced double plays . In 1980, Dave Anderson of The New York Times estimated that his fastball
38280-416: The inductees. He appeared on the Classic Baseball Era Committee's 2025 ballot; the results of the ballot will be announced on December 8, 2024. In a Yahoo Sports article in 2017, Chris Cwik discussed the pros and cons of John's Hall of Fame case. Pros Cwik mentioned were that his 111 Adjusted ERA+ was better than that of Sutton or Early Wynn (both Hall of Famers) and that his surgery has revolutionized
38512-425: The infield is a raised pitcher's mound, with a rectangular rubber plate (the rubber) at its center. The outer boundary of the outfield is typically demarcated by a raised fence, which may be of any material and height. The fair territory between home plate and the outfield boundary is baseball's field of play, though significant events can take place in foul territory, as well. There are three basic tools of baseball:
38744-410: The infielders may play in , moving closer to home plate to improve the odds of throwing out the runner on a ground ball , though a sharply hit grounder is more likely to carry through a drawn-in infield. Several basic offensive tactics come into play with a runner on first base, including the fundamental choice of whether to attempt a steal of second base. The hit and run is sometimes employed, with
38976-416: The job," said George Paletta, team physician for the St. Louis Cardinals . Doug Miller of MLB.com wrote that "baseball history was altered – some would say saved – forever" when John returned from his recovery, observing that "Today, the tearing of a pitcher's ulnar collateral ligament is no longer a career-ending calamity." ESPN personality Dan Patrick and longtime baseball commentator Bob Costas discussed
39208-447: The league. He had a 10–5 record and gave up just 135 hits in 177 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings. John recovered in time for the 1969 season, though Gary Peters got the Opening Day start, with John second in the rotation. In his first start of the year, against the Athletics on April 9, John allowed only four hits in a complete game shutout, as Chicago won 3–0. He held the Indians scoreless for 7 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings on May 10, earning
39440-440: The ligament in the elbow of John's pitching arm with a tendon from his right forearm. Though the procedure had actually been performed on other people before, it was usually conducted on wrists and hands; John was the first baseball pitcher to have it done on his elbow. The surgery was performed on September 25, 1974, and it took four hours; Jobe made holes in the humerus and ulna bones of John's left arm and used anchors to insert
39672-439: The manager of the batting team trying to arrange opposite-handed matchups. With a team that has the lead in the late innings, a manager may remove a starting position player—especially one whose turn at bat is not likely to come up again—for a more skillful fielder (known as a defensive substitution ). The tactical decision that precedes almost every play in a baseball game involves pitch selection. By gripping and then releasing
39904-432: The mid-18th century. This game was brought by immigrants to North America, where the modern version developed . Baseball's American origins, as well as its reputation as a source of escapism during troubled points in American history such as the American Civil War and the Great Depression , have led the sport to receive the moniker of "America's Pastime"; since the late 19th century, it has been unofficially recognized as
40136-407: The midpoint between the batter's shoulders and belt down to the hollow of the knee. Any pitch which does not pass through the strike zone is called a ball, unless the batter either swings and misses at the pitch, or hits the pitch into foul territory; an exception generally occurs if the ball is hit into foul territory when the batter already has two strikes, in which case neither a ball nor a strike
40368-400: The next half-century. The game then went on to spread throughout the Pacific Rim and the Americas, with Americans backing the sport as a way to spread American values. In the mid-1850s, a baseball craze hit the New York metropolitan area , and by 1856, local journals were referring to baseball as the "national pastime" or "national game". A year later, the sport's first governing body,
40600-489: The ninth after allowing a single to Toby Harrah but still earning the win as the Yankees defeated the Indians 2–0. John finished the year with a 21–9 record, 111 strikeouts (it was the last season he would have more than 100 strikeouts), 65 walks, and 268 hits allowed in 276 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings pitched. He was second to teammate Ron Guidry in ERA (2.96; Guidry's was 2.78), and he was second to Mike Flanagan in wins (Flanagan had 23). John finished 22nd in MVP voting and
40832-411: The oldest player in the major leagues in 1988; he turned 45 on May 22. On April 27, he held the Royals to two hits and no runs in 7 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings, though Kansas City ultimately won 3–1. For the first time since 1963 (a year he only made three starts), he did not complete a game; his longest outing came on May 14, when he allowed two runs over 8 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings in a 6–2 victory over
41064-423: The other discipline notably benefits from its unique mix of elements. The most exceptional park in this regard is Coors Field , home of the Colorado Rockies . Its high altitude—5,282 feet (1,610 m) above sea level—is partly responsible for giving it the strongest hitter's park effect in the major leagues due to the low air pressure. Wrigley Field , home of the Chicago Cubs, is known for its fickle disposition:
41296-472: The park. Phil Niekro Philip Henry Niekro ( / ˈ n iː k r oʊ / NEE -kroh ; April 1, 1939 – December 26, 2020), nicknamed " Knucksie ", was an American baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves , Cleveland Indians , New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays . Niekro is generally regarded as the greatest knuckleball pitcher of all time. During his career, Niekro
41528-441: The pitcher. A batter who hits the ball into the field of play must drop the bat and begin running toward first base, at which point the player is referred to as a runner (or, until the play is over, a batter-runner ). A batter-runner who reaches first base without being put out is said to be safe and is on base. A batter-runner may choose to remain at first base or attempt to advance to second base or even beyond—however far
41760-461: The pitcher—in the batting order, but does not field. Thus, even with the DH, each team still has a batting order of nine players and a fielding arrangement of nine players. The number of players on a baseball roster, or squad , varies by league and by the level of organized play. A Major League Baseball (MLB) team has a roster of 26 players with specific roles. A typical roster features the following players: Most baseball leagues worldwide have
41992-424: The player believes can be reached safely. A player who reaches base despite proper play by the fielders has recorded a hit . A player who reaches first base safely on a hit is credited with a single . If a player makes it to second base safely as a direct result of a hit, it is a double ; third base, a triple . If the ball is hit in the air within the foul lines over the entire outfield (and outfield fence, if there
42224-447: The playoffs, six umpires are used: one at each base and two in the outfield along the foul lines. Many of the pre-game and in-game strategic decisions in baseball revolve around a fundamental fact: in general, right-handed batters tend to be more successful against left-handed pitchers and, to an even greater degree, left-handed batters tend to be more successful against right-handed pitchers. A manager with several left-handed batters in
42456-404: The possibility of a draw (which occurs because of the restrictions on time, which like in baseball, originally did not exist ) often encourages a team that is batting last and well behind, to bat defensively and run out the clock, giving up any faint chance at a win, to avoid an overall loss. While nine innings has been the standard since the beginning of professional baseball, the duration of
42688-401: The preceding decade's average of 3:18. In 2016, the average nine-inning playoff game in Major League baseball was 3 hours and 35 minutes. This was up 10 minutes from 2015 and 21 minutes from 2014. In response to the lengthening of the game, MLB decided from the 2023 season onward to institute a pitch clock rule to penalize batters and pitchers who take too much time between pitches; this had
42920-526: The reasons he resigned were that Roberts, after promising John two cars and six season tickets to UNC basketball games for coming to work for UNC, tried to cut the deal back to one car and no tickets. Roberts also used John's name on promotional materials for baseball camps without John's permission. After resigning from UNC, John signed a contract for $ 350,000, provided he made the team out of spring training. On April 19 and April 26, 1987, he threw seven shutout innings in consecutive starts, only allowing one hit on
43152-463: The regular lineup, who knows the team will be facing a left-handed starting pitcher, may respond by starting one or more of the right-handed backups on the team's roster. During the late innings of a game, as relief pitchers and pinch hitters are brought in, the opposing managers will often go back and forth trying to create favorable matchups with their substitutions. The manager of the fielding team trying to arrange same-handed pitcher-batter matchups and
43384-472: The reserve clause was effectively struck down , leading to the free agency system . Significant work stoppages occurred in 1981 and 1994 , the latter forcing the cancellation of the World Series for the first time in 90 years. Attendance had been growing steadily since the mid-1970s and in 1994, before the stoppage, the majors were setting their all-time record for per-game attendance. After play resumed in 1995, non-division-winning wild card teams became
43616-534: The rest of me." John had permanently damaged the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm; he threw one more pitch before having manager Walt Alston remove him from the game. Initially, he was uncertain how serious the injury was; Dr. Frank Jobe , the Dodgers' team physician, advised John to rest the arm for a few days and treat it with ice. After a month, though, the injury had not improved. John attempted to pitch batting practice in New York, and when he failed to get much velocity on his pitches, he told Alston he
43848-519: The rotation, he won his first three decisions for the Yankees before losing a game on June 7. However, on June 12, he was placed on the 21-day disabled list with a strained left Achilles tendon; the injury kept him out of action until August 8. On August 24, rookie Mark McGwire of the Athletics had two hits off him. McGwire's father happened to be John's dentist , and John told reporters, "When your dentist's kid starts hitting you, it's time to retire!" He went on to pitch three more seasons, however. Against
44080-413: The rubric of MLB. In 2001, Barry Bonds established the current record of 73 home runs in a single season. There had long been suspicions that the dramatic increase in power hitting was fueled in large part by the abuse of illegal steroids (as well as by the dilution of pitching talent due to expansion), but the issue only began attracting significant media attention in 2002 and there was no penalty for
44312-504: The rules of MLB and Minor League Baseball , is that fields built or remodeled since June 1, 1958, must have a minimum distance of 325 feet (99 m) from home plate to the fences in left and right field and 400 feet (122 m) to center. Major league teams often skirt even this rule. For example, at Minute Maid Park , which became the home of the Houston Astros in 2000, the Crawford Boxes in left field are only 315 feet (96 m) from home plate. There are no rules at all that address
44544-449: The runner is touched by the ball, held in a fielder's hand, while not on a base. (The batter-runner is always forced to advance to first base, and any other runners must advance to the next base if a teammate is forced to advance to their base.) It is possible to record two outs in the course of the same play. This is called a double play . Three outs in one play, a triple play , is possible, though rare. Players put out or retired must leave
44776-427: The scuffle and missed the rest of the season with an injury. Thirty years later, McAuliffe said in an interview that he still thought John was trying to hit him in that game. White Sox' general manager (GM) Ed Short noted that this was unlikely given that the pitch before the fight came on a 3-2 count, resulting in a walk for McAuliffe. Though pitcher ERAs were down across baseball in 1968, John's still ranked fifth in
45008-428: The season, he became a free agent. John went unsigned to begin 1986, and it looked like his career might be over. He attended spring training with the Yankees, though, and though he did not make the roster, the Yankees informed him that they would consider him if they needed pitchers later in the year. Injuries to Ed Whitson and John Montefusco in May prompted the Yankees to re-sign their former pitcher. Inserted into
45240-421: The season. Two of these, May 7 against the Detroit Tigers and August 12 against the California Angels , came on days when the White Sox only scored one run for him. In 34 games (33 starts), he had a 14–11 record, a 2.62 ERA, 138 strikeouts, 57 walks, and 195 hits in 223 innings. His 2.62 ERA placed fifth in the league, and his 10 complete games tied for ninth (with Mudcat Grant ). Once again in 1967, John led
45472-489: The second game of a doubleheader against Boston on July 8, though, he threw a complete-game shutout in a 4–0 victory. He was removed from the rotation at the beginning of September when Geoff Zahn came off the disabled list, though he returned for two starts later in the month after Bruce Kison was removed. In 32 games (29 starts), he had a 7–13 record, a 4.52 ERA, 47 strikeouts, 56 walks, and 223 hits allowed in 181 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings pitched. Port succeeded Bavasi as
45704-422: The second-most wins (288) of any pitcher since 1900 not in the Hall of Fame . Known for his longevity, John was the Opening Day starter six times – three for the White Sox ( 1966 , 1970 , and 1971 ) and three times for the Yankees ( 1981 , 1982 , and 1989 ). At the age of 18, in 1961, John was signed by the Indians, who were impressed with his curveball . After three seasons in the minor leagues for them, he
45936-428: The series, as New York defeated Oakland in three games. The 1981 World Series was the third Dodger-Yankee World Series John had been a part of, though it was his first with New York. He picked up the win in his Game 2 start, retiring the first 12 batters he faced and throwing seven shutout innings in a 3–0 triumph. In Game 4, he was sent in during the seventh inning of a 6–6 tie because the bases were loaded, and John had
46168-401: The sidelines." Dissatisfied with his contract entering spring training in 1977, John threatened to file for free agency after the season. However, he ultimately signed a two-year, $ 400,000 contract to stay with the Dodgers. Through June 12, he had a 6–4 record and a 4.08 ERA. Starting June 18, John won 10 consecutive decisions, not losing another ballgame until August 19 against the Cubs. He had
46400-404: The team with the greater number of runs at the end of the game wins. Most games end after the ninth inning, but if scores are tied at that point, extra innings are usually played. Baseball has no game clock, though some competitions feature pace-of-play regulations such as the pitch clock to shorten game time. Baseball evolved from older bat-and-ball games already being played in England by
46632-418: The team, throwing as many as seven innings by his final one. John returned to the Dodgers in 1976, the fourth starter in their rotation after spending all of the previous year on the disabled list . On April 16, he made his comeback, against the Braves at Fulton County Stadium . "I was back in my office," John later described the day. "I took a year-and-a-half hiatus to, you know, go abroad and study and learn
46864-426: The tendon in what was roughly a figure-eight shape. It seemed unlikely John would ever be able to pitch again, as most pitchers in the past who had surgery on their arms never were effective again. Jobe gave the operation 100-1 odds of being successful, but John had it anyway, as his other option was to start working at a friend's car dealership in Terre Haute. The recovery was long and slow. Initially, John's left hand
47096-410: The two brothers each earned 21 wins that year. As of 2013, he remains the last MLB pitcher to win and lose 20 games in the same season. The 1979 season was Niekro's third and final 20-win season and his second and final 20-loss season. In 1980 and 1981, he went 15–18 and 7–7 while leading the league in games started (38) and losses (18) in 1980. In 1982, at the age of 43, Niekro led the Braves with
47328-428: The two divisions would play each other. The Yankees had the AL East's best record in the first half and faced the Brewers in the Division Series. With the Yankees up two games to none in the best of five series, John started Game 3 but gave up five runs in seven innings, taking the loss in a 5–3 defeat. The Brewers won Game 4 as well, but the Yankees won Game 5 to clinch the series victory. John allowed just one run against
47560-414: The two major league champions against each other, was inaugurated that fall. The Black Sox Scandal of the 1919 World Series led to the formation of the office of the Commissioner of Baseball . The first commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis , was elected in 1920. That year also saw the founding of the Negro National League ; the first significant Negro league, it would operate until 1931. For part of
47792-438: The use of performance-enhancing drugs before 2004. In 2007, Bonds became MLB's all-time home run leader, surpassing Hank Aaron , as total major league and minor league attendance both reached all-time highs. Despite having been called "America's national pastime", baseball is well-established in several other countries. As early as 1877, a professional league, the International Association , featured teams from both Canada and
48024-444: The victory as the White Sox prevailed by a score of 4–0. On June 20, in the first game of a doubleheader, he held the Angels to one run over 10 innings but received a no-decision in a 12-inning, 2–1 defeat. John was 6–11 on September 1, but he won his last three decisions to finish the season 9–11. In one of those wins, on September 19, he allowed eight hits but no runs in a 7–0 victory over the Kansas City Royals . In 33 starts, John had
48256-409: The vote. In 2009 , in his 15th and final year of eligibility for election on the main ballot, John received a career-high 31.7% of the vote, but this was still not enough for election. He could still enter the Hall if he were selected by the Modern Era Subcommittee of the Veterans Committee . John was announced as one of the finalists for the 2020 Modern Baseball Era ballot; however, he was not one of
48488-445: The way of his schoolwork, as John graduated as Gerstmeyer's 1961 valedictorian . School faculty forbade John from delivering a valedictory address because of his stutter . Several colleges recruited John as a basketball player, including the University of Kentucky , but John also caught the eye of Cleveland Indians ' scout Johnny Schulte , who worried that John needed more of a fastball to succeed but considered his curveball already
48720-404: The year, and John won two games for them with the playoffs. He started 1963 with Jacksonville, got sent down to Charleston, went 9–2 with a 1.61 ERA for the West Virginian Indians, and got called up to the major leagues in September at the age of twenty. On September 6, 1963, John started what would become a 26-year major league career, allowing one unearned run in one inning of a 7–2 loss to
48952-430: Was 0–1 with four earned runs allowed in an eight-inning appearance against the New York Mets . Niekro's playoff loss came against Seaver. The team was eliminated from the playoffs after losing the next two games. In 1970, he went 12–18 with a 4.27 ERA in what turned out to be a down year. He surrendered a league-leading 40 home runs that year, a feat he would not repeat until 1979. From 1971 to 1973, he combined for
49184-414: Was 4.84. Twice, he had extended outings for the Angels. In the second game of a doubleheader against Oakland on July 30, he gave up two runs over 12 innings but took the loss when Rickey Henderson had an RBI single in the 12th to bring home the go-ahead run. Yet that was not his longest outing of the year; he pitched 13 shutout innings on September 14 against the Royals. California never scored, however, and
49416-420: Was a boyhood friend of Basketball Hall-of-Famer John Havlicek . The baseball field where he played at Bridgeport High School's Perkins Field athletic complex was renamed "The Niekro Diamond" in 2008 after Phil and his brother, fellow major league pitcher Joe Niekro . The brothers were the sons of a coal miner who had pitched semi-pro baseball and learned to throw a knuckleball from another coal miner. He taught
49648-448: Was about 92 miles per hour. "It sinks sharply away from right-handed batters, and it sinks into left-handed batters," he wrote. Rick Cerone , who caught John with the Yankees, said of the fastball, "It looks like a real good pitch to hit until about the last 10 feet, then it sinks about two or three inches outside. When the batters try to pull it, they just hit these little grounders." At the start of his major league career, John threw just
49880-529: Was an average game of 2:45. By 2014, though, the average MLB game took over three hours to complete. The lengthening of games is attributed to longer breaks between half-innings for television commercials, increased offense, more pitching changes, and a slower pace of play, with pitchers taking more time between each delivery, and batters stepping out of the box more frequently. Other leagues have experienced similar issues. In 2008, Nippon Professional Baseball took steps aimed at shortening games by 12 minutes from
50112-418: Was called up for the first time in 1963. He pitched two seasons for Cleveland before getting traded to the White Sox, with whom he spent seven seasons. He established himself as a major league starter in 1965 and became Chicago's Opening Day starter in 1966. In 1968, he finished fifth in the American League (AL) with a 1.98 earned run average (ERA) and was named to his first All-Star team , though he missed
50344-405: Was fifth in the National League (NL). In his first start of 1973 for the Dodgers, on April 8 against the San Diego Padres , John threw scoreless ball for 7 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings, earning the win in a 4–0 victory. On June 18, he allowed eight runs in only one inning as the Dodgers were defeated 16–3 by the Phillies, but only two were earned (the rest were due to a Ron Cey error ). He held
50576-439: Was just 10–13, but his 2.47 ERA ranked fourth in the league. He had 110 strikeouts, 47 walks, and 143 hits allowed in 178 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings. 1968 started out as John's best season thus far in his career. On June 30, he shut out the Tigers in a 12–0 victory. With a 1.78 ERA in the first half, he was named to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career. Another highlight came against Cleveland August 9, when he held
50808-452: Was likely done for the season. In 22 starts for the Dodgers, he had a 13–3 record, a 2.59 ERA, 78 strikeouts, 42 walks, and 133 hits allowed in 153 innings. He also threw three shutouts and led the NL with a .813 winning percentage. With his career in doubt, John decided to allow Dr. Jobe to attempt a revolutionary surgical operation, ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction . This operation, colloquially known as 'Tommy John surgery', replaced
51040-429: Was not going to get myself so high." The year before, Niekro had received the most Hall of Fame votes out of all the players in the ballot, but had not received the required 75% of the vote for election. After the end of his professional baseball career, Niekro managed the all-women Colorado Silver Bullets baseball team. Niekro taught his nephew Lance Niekro to throw a knuckleball after Lance's unsuccessful stints as
51272-431: Was owed $ 400,000 in a deferred salary. In June, John left the team to be with his mother, who was battling cancer. She died of the disease on June 19. That same day, the Angels released him. The Oakland Athletics signed him nearly a month later, on July 12; John made three rehab starts in the minor leagues before debuting with Oakland on the 26th. He won that game, pitching six innings and allowing one run (unearned) against
51504-418: Was pinch-hit for by Bobby Murcer in the fourth. "I was trying to get a run ahead so I could get to the seventh inning and bring Goose in," explained Lemon. The Yankees failed to score that inning, and the relievers did not pitch well, enabling the Dodgers to win the game and the series. Will Grimsley of the Associated Press called the decision to pull John "a glaring error." After the 1981 season, John won
51736-424: Was planning to use Niekro as both a starter and a reliever in the coming season. He appeared in 37 games, finishing with a 14–12 record and 15 complete games. He appeared in relief three times, earning two saves. In 1969, his first All-Star season, he had a 23–13 season with a 2.56 ERA, finishing second in the National League Cy Young award balloting to Tom Seaver . The Braves went to the playoffs , where Niekro
51968-446: Was promised in his contract; in early August, the pitcher threatened to start a breach of contract case that would sever his Yankee contract. He did not stay in the bullpen long, as doubleheaders forced the Yankees to require another starter and John pitched well upon his return to the rotation. However, on August 31, he was traded to the California Angels for three minor league players who would be named later. In 30 games (26 starts) for
52200-474: Was selected to five All-Star teams, led the National League in victories twice (in 1974 and 1979), led the major leagues in earned run average once (in 1967), and won the National League Gold Glove Award five times. As of 2024, Niekro ranks 16th on MLB's all-time wins list with 318 career victories; as of 2024, he is the only knuckleballer to win 300 or more major league games. Niekro and his younger brother Joe amassed 539 wins between them; as of 2013,
52432-432: Was shriveled and he lacked feeling in several of his fingers, due to damage to the ulnar nerve; Jobe performed a second procedure to reroute the nerve that was necessary to John's full recovery. His arm was in a cast until January 1975, and once it was removed, John began performing exercises seven days a week to rebuild strength in the arm. He attended spring training with the Dodgers in 1975, by which point he had recovered
52664-443: Was simply not dominant in any way — his ERA+ was a not-very-Hall-of-Famer–111 — even if he was pretty darn dependable and even if he ate innings like crazy." Analyzing John's wins above replacement value on several statistical sites (ranging from over 60 to 79.1), Brett Ballantini of Sports Illustrated said in 2020, "This is a guy who, irrespective of any surgery named after him, is a guy whose baseball career alone simply says he's
52896-416: Was the Opening Day starter for the Yankees, his first Opening Day start for the ballclub in eight years, allowing two runs in seven innings and outpitching 1988 AL Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola as the Yankees defeated the Twins 4–2 on April 4. With the start, John matched Deacon McGuire 's record for most MLB seasons played with 26, a record that would later be broken by Nolan Ryan . On April 27, he held
53128-405: Was the only Chicago pitcher to start 10 or more games and post an ERA under 4.75. Johnny Sain became the White Sox' pitching coach in 1971, and he was determined to get John to throw a slider more. This caused trouble for John, who had his highest ERA since 1964. Through his first 11 games, his ERA was 6.08, but he posted a 2.97 ERA in his last 27 games. In the first game of a doubleheader against
53360-457: Was the only Dodger loss of the series, though, and John won the last game of the series four days later, allowing seven hits but one run in rainy weather as the Dodgers beat the Phillies 4–1 in Game 4. In both of his NLCS starts, John gave up fewer runs than his opponent on the mound, Carlton. The Dodgers faced the New York Yankees in the 1977 World Series ; John started Game 3 but gave up five runs (four earned) over six innings, including three in
53592-433: Was the runner-up in Cy Young voting again, this time to Flanagan. After taking a no-decision in his first start of the 1980 season, John won seven starts in a row, not losing until May 20. From June 30 through July 22, he won five starts in a row, and from August 29 through September 13, he won four starts in a row. John pitched particularly well against the White Sox, throwing shutouts all three times he faced them, including
53824-405: Was traded to the California Angels in 1982, for whom he made two starts in the AL Championship Series . He remained with the team until 1985, when he was released, though he spent the second half of the season pitching for the Oakland Athletics. Unsigned to begin 1986, it appeared that John's career might be over, but injuries to Yankee pitchers prompted New York to re-sign him. John won 13 games for
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