Joe and Phil Niekro united in New York

Joe and Phil Niekro united in New York

ByThis Day in Baseball

On September 15, 1985, the New York Yankees acquire pitcher Joe Niekro from the Houston Astros for three minor leaguers. The trade reunites Joe with his older brother, Phil. The brothers had been teammates with Atlanta in 1974. @ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IGp1c3QgY2xpY2sgdGhlIHRhZ3MhICAiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsImxpbmtfdG9fdGVybV9wYWdlIjoib24iLCJzZXBhcmF0b3IiOiIgfCAiLCJjYXRlZ29yeV90eXBlIjoicG9zdF90YWcifX0=@

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Joe Niekro of the Houston Astros wins his 200th career game

ByThis Day in Baseball

On July 2, 1985, Joe Niekro of the Houston Astros wins his 200th career game-a 3-2 decision over the San Diego Padres. Joe and his brother Phil, a future Hall of Famer, become only the second brother combination to accumulate 200 wins apiece. @ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IGp1c3QgY2xpY2sgdGhlIHRhZ3MhICAiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsImxpbmtfdG9fdGVybV9wYWdlIjoib24iLCJzZXBhcmF0b3IiOiIgfCAiLCJjYXRlZ29yeV90eXBlIjoicG9zdF90YWcifX0=@

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Joe Niekro becomes the winningest pitcher in club history with a two-hit shutout of the Giants, 5-0

ByTom

1985 – Joe Niekro becomes the winningest pitcher in club history with a two-hit shutout of the Giants, 5-0. Mark Bailey helps his batterymate with a three-run blast. Niekro had failed in the previous six starts to notch his 138th win as an Astro, leading to offers from Niekro to pay the hitters for helping him set the mark. 

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Phil Garner goes 4-for-5 to pace a 12-6 win at Dodger Stadium. Houston pounds Orel Hershiser for five runs in the second but Los Angeles gets to Joe Niekro for six runs in the bottom of the frame. No problem. The Astros tally four more times the next inning and then it rains. Niekro staggers to his 16th win while Jose Cruz and Alan Ashby go deep. 

ByThis Day in Baseball

1984 – Phil Garner goes 4-for-5 to pace a 12-6 win at Dodger Stadium. Houston pounds Orel Hershiser for five runs in the second but Los Angeles gets to Joe Niekro for six runs in the bottom of the frame. No problem. The Astros tally four more times the next inning and then it rains. Niekro staggers to his 16th win while Jose Cruz and Alan Ashby go deep. 

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1984 – Bill Doran singles five times in the second game of a doubleheader against Montreal, a 7-5 loss. Houston takes the opener, 8-2, as Joe Niekro wins his seventh straight in a complete-game performance. 

ByTom

1984 – Bill Doran singles five times in the second game of a doubleheader against Montreal, a 7-5 loss. Houston takes the opener, 8-2, as Joe Niekro wins his seventh straight in a complete-game performance. 

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Jerry Mumphrey cracks two home runs and drives in six as the Astros maul the Phillies, 13-1. Denny Walling also homers. Jose Cruz has a four-hit night and scores four times. Craig Reynolds and Terry Puhl chime in with triples. Joe Niekro scatters six hits in an easy victory. 

ByTom

1984 – Jerry Mumphrey cracks two home runs and drives in six as the Astros maul the Phillies, 13-1. Denny Walling also homers. Jose Cruz has a four-hit night and scores four times. Craig Reynolds and Terry Puhl chime in with triples. Joe Niekro scatters six hits in an easy victory. 

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Jerry Mumphrey and Craig Reynolds crack two-run homers to pace the Astros to a 14-5 thumping in San Francisco

ByTom

1984 – Jerry Mumphrey and Craig Reynolds crack two-run homers to pace the Astros to a 14-5 thumping in San Francisco. Terry Puhl has four hits while Jose Cruz and Bill Doran each contribute three. Joe Niekro is the beneficiary. 

1982 – Harry Spilman launches a tenth-inning bomb off Kent Tekulve to stab the Pirates, 4-3, at the Dome. Joe Niekro, for whom Spilman was pinch-hitting, goes the distance for the victory. Dickie Thon also homers. 

ByThis Day in Baseball

1982 – Harry Spilman launches a tenth-inning bomb off Kent Tekulve to stab the Pirates, 4-3, at the Dome. Joe Niekro, for whom Spilman was pinch-hitting, goes the distance for the victory. Dickie Thon also homers.