Phil Niekro played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1987, appearing in 864 games over 24 seasons. He recorded a total of 318 W and 274 L, an ERA of 3.35, 3,342 SO, a WHIP of 1.268, and a WAR of 97.2.
Phil Niekro Yearly Pitching Stats
This chart shows the season-by-season changes in ERA, SO, and IP for Phil Niekro.
🧾 Basic Profile
 | |
| Name | Phil Niekro |
| Date of Birth | April 1, 1939 |
| Nationality |  United States |
| MLB Debut | 1964 |
📊 Career Summary
Phil Niekro appeared in 864 games over 24 MLB seasons from 1964 to 1987. Below are his cumulative stats and MLB all-time rankings:
| GS | 716 (MLB Rank: 5) |
| GF | 83 (MLB Rank: 949) |
| W | 318 (MLB Rank: 16) |
| L | 274 (MLB Rank: 5) |
| SV | 29 (MLB Rank: 569) |
| ERA | 3.35 (MLB Rank: 2,085) |
| IP | 5404 (MLB Rank: 4) |
| SHO | 45 (MLB Rank: 29) |
| CG | 245 (MLB Rank: 85) |
| SO | 3,342 (MLB Rank: 13) |
| BB | 1809 (MLB Rank: 3) |
| H | 5,044 (MLB Rank: 4) |
| HR | 482 (MLB Rank: 4) |
| SO9 | 5.57 (MLB Rank: 4,556) |
| BB9 | 3.01 (MLB Rank: 8,328) |
| H9 | 8.4 (MLB Rank: 9,003) |
| HR9 | 0.8 (MLB Rank: 5,389) |
| WHIP | 1.268 (MLB Rank: 9,792) |
| WAR | 97.2 (MLB Rank: 11) |
📊 Last Season Summary (1987)
In his final season (1987), Phil Niekro recorded the following stats:
| GS | 26 |
| W | 7 |
| L | 13 |
| ERA | 6.3 |
| IP | 138.2 |
| CG | 2 |
| SO | 64 |
| BB | 66 |
| H | 163 |
| HR | 22 |
| SO9 | 4.15 |
| BB9 | 4.28 |
| H9 | 10.58 |
| HR9 | 1.43 |
| WHIP | 1.651 |
| WAR | −0.1 |
📈 Seasonal Highlights
- Most Wins: 1969, 23 W
- Most SO: 1977, 262 SO
- Most IP: 1979, 342 IP
- Best WAR: 1978, 10.0 WAR
- Best ERA: 1967, 1.87 ERA
🎯 Postseason Performance
Phil Niekro appeared in 2 games during the postseason. He recorded an ERA of 3.86, pitched 14 IP, struck out 9 batters, with 0 W and 1 L.
Phil Niekro Career Pitching Stats Overview
| season | W | L | ERA | W-L% | SV | SO | IP | WAR | WHIP | HR | H | BB | R | ER | ERA+ | FIP | SO9 | SO/BB | GS | G | GF | CG | SHO | HR9 | H9 | BB9 | BK | HBP | IBB | WP | BF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1964 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 15 | -0.1 | 1.467 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 76 | 4.01 | 4.8 | 1.14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 | 9 | 4.2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 66 |
1965 | 2 | 3 | 2.89 | 0.4 | 6 | 49 | 74.2 | 0.5 | 1.326 | 5 | 73 | 26 | 32 | 24 | 122 | 3.24 | 5.9 | 1.88 | 1 | 41 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 | 8.8 | 3.1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 324 |
1966 | 4 | 3 | 4.11 | 0.571 | 2 | 17 | 50.1 | -0.7 | 1.411 | 4 | 48 | 23 | 32 | 23 | 90 | 4.4 | 3 | 0.74 | 0 | 28 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 8.6 | 4.1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 224 |
1967 | 11 | 9 | 1.87 | 0.55 | 9 | 129 | 207 | 4.9 | 1.058 | 9 | 164 | 55 | 64 | 43 | 179 | 2.76 | 5.6 | 2.35 | 20 | 46 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 0.4 | 7.1 | 2.4 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 19 | 827 |
1968 | 14 | 12 | 2.59 | 0.538 | 2 | 140 | 256.2 | 4 | 1.064 | 16 | 228 | 45 | 83 | 74 | 116 | 2.69 | 4.9 | 3.11 | 34 | 37 | 3 | 15 | 5 | 0.6 | 8 | 1.6 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 16 | 1019 |
1969 | 23 | 13 | 2.56 | 0.639 | 1 | 193 | 284.1 | 6 | 1.027 | 21 | 235 | 57 | 93 | 81 | 142 | 2.77 | 6.1 | 3.39 | 35 | 40 | 4 | 21 | 4 | 0.7 | 7.4 | 1.8 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 1143 |
1970 | 12 | 18 | 4.27 | 0.4 | 0 | 168 | 229.2 | 2.1 | 1.263 | 40 | 222 | 68 | 124 | 109 | 100 | 4.41 | 6.6 | 2.47 | 32 | 34 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 1.6 | 8.7 | 2.7 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 980 |
1971 | 15 | 14 | 2.98 | 0.517 | 2 | 173 | 268.2 | 5.1 | 1.184 | 27 | 248 | 70 | 112 | 89 | 125 | 3.28 | 5.8 | 2.47 | 36 | 42 | 4 | 18 | 4 | 0.9 | 8.3 | 2.3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 1101 |
1972 | 16 | 12 | 3.06 | 0.571 | 0 | 164 | 282.1 | 5.4 | 1.087 | 22 | 254 | 53 | 112 | 96 | 123 | 2.87 | 5.2 | 3.09 | 36 | 38 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 0.7 | 8.1 | 1.7 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 1150 |
1973 | 13 | 10 | 3.31 | 0.565 | 4 | 131 | 245 | 4.4 | 1.237 | 21 | 214 | 89 | 103 | 90 | 120 | 3.76 | 4.8 | 1.47 | 30 | 42 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 0.8 | 7.9 | 3.3 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 1023 |
1974 | 20 | 13 | 2.38 | 0.606 | 1 | 195 | 302.1 | 7.9 | 1.115 | 19 | 249 | 88 | 91 | 80 | 159 | 3.04 | 5.8 | 2.22 | 39 | 41 | 1 | 18 | 6 | 0.6 | 7.4 | 2.6 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 1219 |
1975 | 15 | 15 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 0 | 144 | 275.2 | 6.7 | 1.295 | 29 | 285 | 72 | 115 | 98 | 118 | 3.81 | 4.7 | 2 | 37 | 39 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 0.9 | 9.3 | 2.4 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 15 | 1160 |
1976 | 17 | 11 | 3.29 | 0.607 | 0 | 173 | 270.2 | 6.7 | 1.293 | 18 | 249 | 101 | 116 | 99 | 115 | 3.43 | 5.8 | 1.71 | 37 | 38 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 0.6 | 8.3 | 3.4 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 14 | 1157 |
1977 | 16 | 20 | 4.03 | 0.444 | 0 | 262 | 330.1 | 8.9 | 1.45 | 26 | 315 | 164 | 166 | 148 | 111 | 3.74 | 7.1 | 1.6 | 43 | 44 | 1 | 20 | 2 | 0.7 | 8.6 | 4.5 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 17 | 1428 |
1978 | 19 | 18 | 2.88 | 0.514 | 1 | 248 | 334.1 | 10 | 1.187 | 16 | 295 | 102 | 129 | 107 | 142 | 2.76 | 6.7 | 2.43 | 42 | 44 | 1 | 22 | 4 | 0.4 | 7.9 | 2.7 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 11 | 1389 |
1979 | 21 | 20 | 3.39 | 0.512 | 0 | 208 | 342 | 7.4 | 1.24 | 41 | 311 | 113 | 160 | 129 | 119 | 4.16 | 5.5 | 1.84 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 1.1 | 8.2 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 8 | 18 | 1436 |
1980 | 15 | 18 | 3.63 | 0.455 | 1 | 176 | 275 | 3.4 | 1.24 | 30 | 256 | 85 | 119 | 111 | 102 | 3.85 | 5.8 | 2.07 | 38 | 40 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 8.4 | 2.8 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 1137 |
1981 | 7 | 7 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 0 | 62 | 139.1 | 1.7 | 1.263 | 6 | 120 | 56 | 56 | 48 | 116 | 3.5 | 4 | 1.11 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0.4 | 7.8 | 3.6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 578 |
1982 | 17 | 4 | 3.61 | 0.81 | 0 | 144 | 234.1 | 3.1 | 1.272 | 23 | 225 | 73 | 106 | 94 | 104 | 3.74 | 5.5 | 1.97 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0.9 | 8.6 | 2.8 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 969 |
1983 | 11 | 10 | 3.97 | 0.524 | 0 | 128 | 201.2 | 2.7 | 1.572 | 18 | 212 | 105 | 94 | 89 | 98 | 4.24 | 5.7 | 1.22 | 33 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.8 | 9.5 | 4.7 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 888 |