OK, so Darold Knowles was the first pitcher to hurl in every game of a seven-game World Series. He did that in 1973 when the Oakland Athletics beat the New York Mets. Knowles got the save in Game 1 and then got the final out in Game 7 to earn another one, giving Oakland its second consecutive world championship en route to another in 1974. In his seven appearances in the ’73 series, Knowles gave up zero earned runs in 6 1/3 innings.
Absolutely a great accomplishment.
Yet, as sometimes happens when someone sets a record it often overshadows the bigger picture. In Knowles’ case, it was an overall successful major league career that started in 1965 and continued through 1980. Over that time Knowles, a lefthanded workhorse, relieved in over 40 games a year 13 times, earned 143 saves as a closer, and was also known as a reliable middle innings pitcher. In fact, Knowles’ save total was among the highest for relievers for several years.
His career record of 66-74 is deceiving. He had a terrific ERA of 3.12 and struck out nearly 700 batters in just under 1,100 innings. Nine seasons his ERA fell below 3.10, seven under 3.00, five times below 2.50. He had double digit saves in a season six times with four different teams.
“I was proud of my career,” said Knowles, who has lived in Pinellas County since 1981. “Looking back now I had some good years.”
Take away a deceiving record of 2-14 in 1970 while with the lowly Washington Senators, managed by Hall of Famer Ted Williams, and his career mark is over .500, a respectable 64-60 for a reliever.
“It sounds crazy but I tell people that 1970 was one of my best years,” said Knowles.
It was a heck of a year by anybody’s standards. Knowles pitched in 71 games, threw 119 innings, and had 27 saves. His ERA was 2.04. That year the Senators won only 70 games, meaning that Knowles saved close to 40% of Washington’s victories.
Knowles, now 84, grew up in Missouri. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1961, eventually getting a brief call to the major league club in 1965. He would get traded to the Philadelphia Phillies the next year, getting his first taste of Pinellas County in Clearwater for spring training. Then went to Washington for four-plus years in which he won 20 games and had 56 saves. In those four full years his ERA, year by year, was 2.70, 2.04, 2.18 and 2.24. His save total would have been higher except his 1968 season was cut short when he was called into the National Guard and got stationed in Japan. And of course, had the Senators had a better team he would have had even more save opportunities. In 1971 he was traded to the Oakland Athletics in early May. Knowles had mixed feelings at first.
“I had great memories from when I was in Washington,” he said. “I was the closer, the big guy in the bullpen in Washington. We had Frank Howard and he was a star. You could say I was the star pitcher. So I was upset at first. At Oakland Rollie Fingers was the guy. I was a spoke in a big wheel. After two weeks I said, ‘I can’t be upset – this team can win.’ And I did contribute a lot.” Yes, he did, and they did win.
Knowles chipped in right away, going 5-2 with seven saves to help Oakland win the American League West. The A’s lost to the Orioles in the championship series, however, that was the precursor to three straight world titles of which Knowles played a part. His season was going strong in 1972 but was short circuited by a broken thumb that kept him out of the post season.
“I was heartbroken,” Knowles said. “Every kid dreams of going to the World Series and I was no exception. We won the American League again in 1973 and I did get there. I saved Game 1 and I was ecstatic. My dream was fulfilled.”
Actually it was only the beginning. Six more relief appearances followed. Finally it was Game 7 and the lefty Knowles relieved future hall of famer Rollie Fingers with two outs in the ninth inning to face left-handed hitting Wayne Garrett. The Mets, down 5-2, had two runners on base.
“They brought me in and that was the only time I ever really felt pressure,” admitted Knowles. “I’m thinking, ‘don’t mess up now.’ I got him to pop out to shortstop and the rest is history.”
Only one other pitcher has pitched in seven World Series games – Brandon Morrow with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 – and coincidentally Knowles worked with him briefly later on when he was the pitching coach with the Dunedin Blue Jays farm team.
Knowles was also on the 1974 World Championship club. After the season, though, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs. A disappointment perhaps. Looking at the bright side, Knowles felt privileged to have played on three World Championship teams and for A’s manager, Dick Williams.
“He remembered me from when I was in Triple-A and he took a liking to me,” said Knowles. “He was probably the best manager I played for. He was tough, but was good.”
Knowles was with Chicago for two years, then the Texas Rangers and Montreal Expos for one year each, and as his playing career wound down landed in St. Louis in 1979. He amassed 16 years in the majors.
“You only got so many pitches in you,” he said. “I was very durable. Never had arm trouble.”
Very early in the 1980 season Knowles retired and turned to the next chapter in his pro career – coaching, with the Cardinals minor league system through 1988 (for a short time the major league club’s pitching coach) and then the Phillies, as their pitching coach, before moving him to the team’s Clearwater Florida State League farm club. Later on he worked for the Nashville Sounds, the Pittsburgh Pirates Triple-A affiliate, and in 2006 he joined the Toronto Blue Jays organization as their pitching coach for Dunedin. He remained with the Blue Jays through 2020.
“Sixty years in pro ball,” said Knowles, who first moved to St. Petersburg in 1981 when he joined the Cards and has since lived in different locations in the county. “I do miss it. I will watch Rays games on TV. Those guys are fun to watch. I don’t go to the ballpark though. I went to a game with my wife after I retired and sat in the stands. I told her that’s it. After 60 years of being in the dugout it’s just not the same looking on in the stands.”
As a pitching coach Knowles’ most memorable game occurred on April 7, 2003, when he was with Nashville.
“It was not long after we broke camp. John Wasdin threw a perfect game,” Knowles was saying recently while celebrating his 27th wedding anniversary with his wife Lynne in Nashville, a city he still loves and where he can enjoy his favorite music – country. “It was against the Albuquerque Isotopes. He got to 75 pitches and I said we’re not taking him out. We let him go. He only threw 100 pitches and struck out 15. That was a great game, maybe the best I ever saw.”
Wasdin, who was 30 years old at the time, threw 72 strikes out of the 100 pitches.
He also remembers coaching Patrick Mahomes’ dad, Pat, while his son was shagging fly balls in the outfield.
In 2012 he was elected to the Florida State League Hall of Fame.
When you are in the game for 60 years the memories are there.
His one regret?
“I never got Ted Williams’ autograph!” Knowles said.