The best careers after age 35 in MLB history: 9. Phil Niekro, 1974-87 (35-48)
- 208 wins (208-180)
- 26 shutouts
- 49.5 WAR
For someone playing in the modern era of baseball (post-1960), the length of Phil Niekro’s career is quite impressive. Niekro played until 1987 when he was 48-years-old. Similar to another of the longest-tenured members found previously on this list, in Hoyt Wilhelm, Niekro did his damage on the mound with an elusive knuckleball.
Niekro spent 15 seasons playing professional baseball after the age of 35 and was as reliable of a starting pitcher as you can imagine. He leads the list of pitchers age 35+ in almost every metric of length including innings pitched, games started, and batters faced. The length of his career is impressive itself but Niekro was a proven winner. He leads that same list in wins with 208 after his 35th birthday. Niekro put together the fourth-highest WAR of pitchers over the age of 35 with a staggering 49.5 mark. He also threw 26 shutouts, a rank that sits top-5.
Unlike many of the other greats found on this list, Niekro seemed to become a better pitcher with age. Some of his best MLB seasons occurred after turning 35. The knuckleballer won at least 15 games in ten different seasons including two years with 20 wins. He led the NL in complete games four different times and often threw upwards of 300 innings pitched in these seasons.
Niekro made four All-Star games during his final 15 seasons, including the 1982 campaign where he went 17-4 to lead the MLB in winning percentage. The five-time All-Star was inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1997.