Episode description

The Knuckleball… a pitch that is turbulent, unpredictable, and rarely mastered. One player who did was Phil Niekro. With 318 career victories he currently sits 16th on the All-time Winners list, the highest of any knuckleball pitcher.

Of course the knuckelball is a fickle mistress. Niekro may have had three 20-win seasons, but he also had two 20-loss seasons as well; and to top it all off he is the sole MLB pitcher to pick up 20 wins and 20 losses in a single season, throwing 21-20 for the Atlanta Braves in 1979.

With 24 seasons under his belt, there's a lot games to choose from. For today's classic, we're heading back to 1967, as the Braves visit the Houston Astros.Phil Niekro is on the mound, facing a pitching duel with the Astro's Don Wilson

Behind the microphone are Gene Elston, Loel Passe, and Harry Kalas to take you through the game.

You can find the boxscore here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU196706180.shtml

This game was played on June 18th, 1967.