In a career that saw him win 318 games, Phil Niekro dominated batters with his logic-defying knuckleball. At-bat he seemed to meet with the same frustration batters felt when facing him. In a 24-year career, Niekro batted a modest .169 with a home run thrown in every couple years or so. In 1980, at the age of 40, Niekro collected 12 hits, including 5 doubles. Niekro used this Adirondack 194VP model bat during the 1980 season. This bat displays outstanding game use and is un-cracked. There are ball marks, black ink transfers, cleat imprints and red and blue bat rack streaks present on the barrel. The handle has a light coating of pine tar and the bat’s model number “194VP” is stamped on the knob, along with an unusual “012-9” stamping that is unclear as to its meaning. The knob also has Niekro’s number “35”, which is handwritten in black marker. The Hall of Famer has signed his name in blue marker with the inscription “Pat, A super good friend.” This bat comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (1B24919) for the game use and has been given a very high grade of GU 9.5 and a LOA from Beckett Authentication for the signature.

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