Phil Niekro was a master of the elusive knuckleball, using the darting pitch to accumulate 318 victories over his 24-season career, which lasted until he was 48. Niekro wore this jersey during the 1979 season, his 16th season with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves. In 1979, Niekro finished tied for first in the National League in wins, equaling his brother Joe’s mark with 21 victories. Thanks to the knuckleball’s limited impact on his pitching arm, Niekro was able to throw a staggering 342 innings in 1979, a number which included 23 complete games. Niekro, who retired after the 1987 MLB season, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.

     This jersey, an off-white, red pinstriped pullover home jersey, has “Braves” sewn across the chest in blue, white, and red tackle twill. Niekro’s number “35”, which has since been retired by the Braves, is sewn on the front and back in blue, white, and red tackle twill. The sleeve and collar openings of this jersey are ringed in red bands. A Wilson size “44” tag is sewn on the back inside collar of this jersey. A “79” tag is present on the front left tail of the jersey. Niekro signed the front of this jersey in blue marker, adding the inscription “H.O.F. 97”.

     Additionally, this jersey is accompanied by Niekro’s off-white, red pinstriped home pants from the 1979 season. A Wilson size “36” tag is sewn on the back inside waistband of these pants, along with a “25 79 2 35” tag. Niekro signed the left leg of these pants in blue marker, adding the inscription “H.O.F. 97”. The jersey and pants, which show moderate evidence of game use, come with a LOA from noted game used jersey expert Dave Miedema. Additionally, a LOA from JSA (Z58548) authenticates the signatures on both the pants and jersey.

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