Darold Knowles

Darold Duane Knowles

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
• School University of Missouri
• High School Brunswick (MO) High School
• Debut April 18, 1965
• Final Game April 18, 1980
• Born December 9, 1941 in Brunswick, MO USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Darold Knowles pitched sixteen seasons in the majors. He is best known as a member of the Oakland Athletics bullpen in the early 1970s and was the first player ever to pitch in all seven games in one World Series.

Knowles played for the Lowry City Bulldogs before going to the University of Missouri. After stints in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies, he was traded to the Washington Senators in 1967 and had 27 saves in 1970 despite a won-lost record of 2-14.

Acquired by the A's during the 1971 season, Knowles became a set-up man for Rollie Fingers. Knowles went 5-1 with a 1.36 ERA and 11 saves in 1972 as the club reached the World Series, but he missed playing in it due to a broken thumb suffered on September 27th. The next season, he appeared in all seven games of the 1973 World Series against the New York Mets (the only World Series games of his career). He was the only pitcher to have been used in all seven games of a World Series until Brandon Morrow duplicated the feat in the 2017 World Series. He was still a member of the A's in 1974, but his record that year was only 3-3 with a 4.22 ERA in 45 games, and manager Alvin Dark did not call on him in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Knowles later played for the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos, and St. Louis Cardinals and finished his career with 143 saves.

Following his playing days, Knowles was a coach for the Cardinals in 1983 and a member of the Philadelphia Phillies staff in 1989 and 1990.

• 1991-1999 Pitching coach Clearwater Phillies
• 2001-2004 Pitching coach Nashville Sounds [1][2][3][4]
• 2005 Pitching coach Indianapolis Indians
• 2006-2014 Pitching coach Dunedin Blue Jays
• 2015 Rehabilitation pitching coach, Toronto Blue Jays organization

Notable Achievements

• AL All-Star (1969)
• Won three World Series with the Oakland Athletics (1972, 1973 & 1974; he did not play in the 1972 and 1974 World Series)

Further Reading

• Austin Gisriel: "Darold Knowles", in Chip Greene, ed.: Mustaches and Mayhem, Charlie O's Three-Time Champions: The Oakland Athletics 1972-74, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2015, pp. 229-234. ISBN 978-1-943816-07-1
• Darold Knowles (as told to George Vass): "The Game I'll Never Forget", Baseball Digest, July 1981, pp. 81-84. [5]

Related Sites

• Darold Knowles at the SABR Bio Project