Karl Knutsson

Karl Knutsson (Kalle)

• Bats Left, Throws Right

• Born December 12, 1966

Biographical Information

Karl Knutsson has played for and managed the Swedish national team.

In the 2001 European Championship, he was 0-2 with 19 hits and 15 runs allowed in only 11 innings. He led Sweden with five appearances on the mound in the 2003 European Championship, going 1-0 with 7 runs (2 earned) in 8 1/3 IP.

Knutsson hit .226/.333/.264 for the Oskarshamn Lost Boys in 2004, playing the infield when not pitching; he was 6-4 with a 6.45 ERA and .334 allowed average. In '05, Karl batted .222/.322/.259 and went 3-0 with a 2.83 ERA. He was 0-1 despite a 0.93 ERA in the 2005 European Championship, dropping a 2-0 duel to Tetsuhiro Monna of Croatia. In the 2005 Baseball World Cup, the 38-year-old was not Sweden's oldest player; that was Magnus Höglund, 4 years older. Karl faced 13 batters - he walked 3 and allowed 6 hits, only retiring four (one on a sacrifice fly) - in 3 games. His 32.40 ERA was second-highest on a bad Swedish staff.

Knutsson sat out 2006 and returned to the field in '07 with Tranås, going 3-2 with a 6.56 ERA and .368 opponent average. He managed Sweden to 6th place in the 2007 European Championship and was listed on the playing roster, but did not put himself into a game.

In 2008, Karl was 2-1 with a 3.75 ERA. He allowed 13 runs in 14 2/3 IP in '09.

After an 0-3 finish at the 2009 Baseball World Cup, Knutsson resigned as manager of the Swedish national team, citing a need for change for the team and difficulty balancing family and the job.

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