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| Darold Knowles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1941-12-09)December 9, 1941 (age 83) Brunswick, Missouri, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 18, 1965, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 18, 1980, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 66–74 |
| Earned run average | 3.12 |
| Strikeouts | 681 |
| Saves | 143 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Darold Duane Knowles (born December 9, 1941) is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher andcoach,[1] who played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from1965 through1980, most notably as a member of theOakland Athletics dynasty that won three consecutiveWorld Series championships between1972 and1974.[1] In the1973 World Series, Knowles became the first pitcher to appear in all seven games of aWorld Series.[2] He also played for theBaltimore Orioles,Philadelphia Phillies,Washington Senators /Texas Rangers,Chicago Cubs,Montreal Expos, andSt. Louis Cardinals.[1] Knowles batted and threw left-handed. He served as a pitching coach or pitching rehabilitation coordinator from 1981 to 2020, at the major or minor league levels.
Knowles was born on December 9, 1941, inBrunswick, Missouri, the son of Verna and Ralph Knowles. He attended Brunswick High School.[3][4] He played in theKansas City area summer collegiate-level Ban Johnson League,[5][6] and once struck out either 32 or 33 batters in a 13-inning win (1–0) in a league game.[7][8] Knowles attended theUniversity of Missouri, but left school to sign with the Baltimore Orioles in February 1961.[9][1]
In 2012, Knowles was inducted into theMissouri Sports Hall of Fame.[10][8]
Knowles spent five seasons in the Oriolesfarm system (1961,Aberdeen; 1962–63,Elmira; 1962,Stockton; 1964–65,Rochester), with a short six game stint in 1962 on theMinnesota Twins affiliateCharlotte Hornets of theSouth Atlantic League.[11] He was mostly utilized as a starting pitcher, though he did pitch 47 games in relief. In his five year minor league career, Knowles had a 56–33 record, with a 2.77earned run averaged (ERA),striking out 799batters in 852innings pitched.[11]
He played under future hall of fame managerEarl Weaver at Elmira, where some of his teammates includedDave McNally,Mark Belanger,Davey Johnson, and future hall of fame executivePat Gillick.[12][13][14][15] Years later, Weaver told Knowles that Knowles' success under Weaver was one of the reasons Weaver made it to the major leagues.[16]
Knowles made his debut with the Orioles on April 18, 1965,[1] pitching 1.2 innings out of thebullpen, and giving up fiveearned runs[17] before returning to theTriple-ARochester Red Wings. Upon completion of theInternational League (IL) season, Knowles received a September call back up to Baltimore. He went 0–1 with a 6.92 ERA in his return.[1] The loss came against theDetroit Tigers, in Knowles’ only start.[18]
Knowles was traded withJackie Brandt to the Phillies forJack Baldschun on December 6, 1965.[19] He won the season opener against the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching six innings of one-run ball as a relief pitcher to earn his first career win.[20] His first careersave came on May 12 against theLos Angeles Dodgers.[21] For the1966 season, Knowles earned 13 saves.[1] His 69 appearances, all in relief, were the third highest total of any pitcher in the league.[22] At the end of his only season inPhiladelphia, he was traded to the Washington Senators forDon Lock.[1][9]
Knowles began earning a reputation as a work-horserelief pitcher, as he was used 61 times by managerGil Hodges in1967. He had a 2.70 ERA in 113.1 innings with 14 saves.[1][23] In an August 9, 1967 game against the Twins, Knowles came in to pitch in the eighth inning of what would become a 20-inning game. He pitched ten innings of shutout baseball through the 17th inning. He allowed only three hits and struck out 10 Twins.[24]
He was used 32 times in1968, with a 2.18 ERA and four saves,[1] when his season was cut short by PresidentLyndon B. Johnson's reserve call-up of theUSAF's 113th Tactical Fighter Wing in which he was an airman first class.[25] He returned to the Senators in May1969, and went 4–1 with four saves and a 2.01 ERA to earn his only careerAll-Star nod.[26][1] He finished the 1969 season with a career best 9–2 record, with a 2.24 ERA and 13 saves in 53 games.[1] This was Knowles only season with the Senators where the team finished above .500.[27]
Despite a 2–14 record in1970, Knowles enjoyed career highs in saves (27), appearances (71) and innings pitched (119.1), and had a 2.04 ERA.[1] The 1970 team was 70–92, finishing last in theAmerican League East division. During his time with Senators, the team only finished above .500 once.[27] He played under managerTed Williams in 1969 and 1970.[16]
On May 8, 1971, theAmerican League West first-place Oakland Athletics acquired Knowles andMike Epstein forFrank Fernandez,Paul Lindblad, andDon Mincher.[9][28] Knowles only allowed four of 35 inherited runners to score,[citation needed] and earned seven saves and five wins out of a bullpen that already includedRollie Fingers andBob Locker.[29] The A's won theAmerican League West by 16 games over theKansas City Royals, but were swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the1971 American League Championship Series.[30] Knowles' only series appearance came in game three.[31]
In1972, Knowles went 5–1 with a 1.37 ERA and 11 saves,[1] but he was lost for the postseason due to a broken thumb.[32] In 1972, the A's won the first of their three consecutive World Series championships (1972-1974).[33]
Knowles made five starts for the world champion A's in1973, pitching his onlycomplete gameshutout against theBoston Red Sox on August 14.[34] He threw 47 games in relief.[1] The Athletics repeated as American League champions, and faced theNew York Mets in the1973 World Series. Knowles appeared in all seven games of the World Series, pitching6+1⁄3 innings without giving up an earned run, and earning the saves in games one[35] and seven.[36][37] With two outs in the ninth inning of Game 7, managerDick Williams brought Knowles in to replace future hall of fame relief pitcherRollie Fingers. Knowles got the final out to seal the A's World Series victory.[16][38] Knowles considers this the most memorable moment of his career.[39]
He is one of only two pitchers to appear in all seven games of a World Series (the other pitcher beingBrandon Morrow, in2017 - coincidentally, Knowles was the pitching coach at High-A Dunedin, theToronto Blue Jays'Florida State League affiliate, when Morrow was a prospect with the club).[40]
In his 1980 autobiography, Athletics managerAlvin Dark recalled that Knowles "was having a bad year" in 1974.[41] In one game where Knowles struggled, Dark came to the mound to remove him from the game. Knowles argued with him on the mound, protesting that he would not get in shape unless he was able to pitch him more often. "Why don't you trade me?" he asked Dark when they got back to the dugout. "Because nobody wants you, that's why!" Dark retorted.[41] Knowles went 3–3 with a 4.22 ERA andblowing two of his five save opportunities. His .296batting average against was the highest in the Oakland bullpen.[1] Regardless, the A's won their third World Series in a row in1974; however, Knowles did not make a post-season appearance. Shortly after the World Series, he, Bob Locker andManny Trillo were dealt to theChicago Cubs forBilly Williams.[42]
Knowles inherited thecloser role in Chicago, saving 15 in1975[43] and nine in1976.[44] Shortly beforespring training1977, Knowles was dealt to the Rangers for aplayer to be named later (Gene Clines) and cash.[45] He went 5–2 with a 3.22 ERA and four saves to help the Rangers to a second-place finish.[1][46] After the season, he was reunited with his former A's manager Dick Williams when his contract was sold to the Expos. He appeared in 60 games with the Expos, going 3–3 with six saves and a 2.38 ERA.[47]
Knowles did not enjoy playing in Canada, citing taxes, language problems and political unrest inQuebec[48] as the reasons for his displeasure. After just one season inMontreal, the Expos granted him free agency in late 1978, and Knowles signed a two-year deal with his home team Cardinals.[9]
Knowles made 48 appearances and earned six saves with the Cards in1979.[1] He made just two appearances in April1980 before retiring and accepting a coaching position in the Cardinals' farm system. At the time of his retirement, he was tied for 13th in career saves.[citation needed] Through 2024, he is tied for 100th in career saves.[49] The standards for awarding saves became less stringent since Knowles first started pitching.[16]
In between, Knowles played winter ball with theTiburones de La Guaira club of theVenezuelan League in the 1964–1965 season, where he posted a 13-9 record with a 2.37 ERA and 155 strikeouts to earn Triple Crown honors.[50]
Knowles served eight years as a minor league rovingpitching coach for the Cardinals (1981-1988), with a short stint as the Cardinals pitching coach in 1983.[51] In 1989, Knowles was hired as the Philadelphia Phillies pitching coach by the team's new general managerLee Thomas, who had been director of the Cardinals' minor league system.[51]Nick Leyva, also formerly with the Cardinals coaching staff, became the Phillies new manager the same year.[52] The 1989 Phillies had a record of 67–95–1. Under Knowles, the Phillies' pitching staff had aNational League worst 4.04 ERA. The team showed improvement the next year (77–85), though the team ERA was 4.09, still surpassing three other National League teams.[53][54][55] After the 1990 season, the Phillies moved Knowles to a minor league pitching coach position with theClearwater Threshers in theFlorida State League, where he served for a decade.[56][51] Leyva was fired 13 games into the 1991 season.[57]
In 2001, Knowles became the pitching coach for theNashville Sounds, Triple-A affiliate of thePittsburgh Pirates, and coached on that team until at least 2003.[58][59][60][51] In 2005, he was pitching coach for the Triple-AIndianapolis Indians of the International League, who had become affiliated with the Pirates,[61] with the Sounds switching their affiliation to theMilwaukee Brewers in 2005.[62]
In 2006, Knowles was named as the pitching coach for theToronto Blue Jays Single-A affiliateDunedin Blue Jays in the Florida State League,[63][64][39] replacing the 2005 coachRick Langford.[65] Knowles continued coaching with Dunedin for many years, later becoming the Blue Jays rehab pitching coordinator.[66][39][16] His final year as the Blue Jays rehab coordinator was 2020.[67] Knowles was named to the Florida State League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012 for his coaching at Clearwater and Dunedin.[63]
| Preceded by | Philadelphia Philliespitching coach 1989–1990 | Succeeded by |