Youth

Knight grew up in Albany, Georgia, and attended Dougherty Excessive Faculty and Albany Junior School.^[1]

Profession

Cincinnati Reds

Knight made his main league debut with Cincinnati as a September call-up in 1974.^[2] He spent all of 1975 and 1976 with the triple A Indianapolis Indians. In 1976, with just one house run coming into the ultimate month of the season, Knight borrowed a bat from Reds star George Foster and hit 9 within the remaining video games of the yr. He would later borrow Foster’s bat once more within the main leagues when Foster was injured.^[3] Throughout these seasons, the Reds gained two World Sequence titles. He returned to the majors in 1977.

Knight was a .232 hitter with two house runs and 19 runs batted in when he assumed the position of beginning third baseman for the “Massive Purple Machine” following Rose’s signing with Philadelphia Phillies in 1979. Knight responded with a .318 Batting common, 10 house runs, 79 RBIs and 64 runs scored to complete fifth in Nationwide League Most Helpful Participant balloting.

On Could 13, 1980, Knight broke out of an 0-for-15 droop by homering twice within the fifth inning of a 15–4 win over the Mets.^[4] He was the primary Purple to hit two house runs in a single inning. Aaron Boone matched the feat on August 9, 2002.^[5] He made his first All-star look in 1980, hitting a single off Tommy John in his first at-bat.^[6]

In 1981, Knight batted .259 with six house runs and 34 RBIs. On December 18, 1981, he was traded to the Houston Astros for César Cedeño, to accommodate Johnny Bench’s transfer from behind the plate to 3rd base.^[7]

Houston Astros

Knight break up his time between third and first base with the Astros. He made the All Star group in 1982, and performed third base within the recreation. Nonetheless, he made extra appearances at first than he did at third throughout the common season.

After batting .304 in 1983, Knight was batting solely .237 in 1984, he was traded on August 28, 1984, to the New York Mets for 3 gamers to be named later (Gerald Younger, Manuel Lee and Mitch Prepare dinner).

New York Mets

Knight platooned third base with the newly acquired Howard Johnson for the 1985 and 1986 seasons. In his first full season with the Mets, Knight batted solely .218 with six house runs and 36 RBIs. In the course of the low season, the Mets tried to commerce Knight to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Lee Mazzilli, however had been denied.

Knight adopted a brand new batting stance in 1986 and noticed rapid outcomes, crushing six house runs and batting .306 with twelve RBIs within the month of April.^[8] Teammate Ron Darling spoke extremely of Knight’s contributions in a midseason interview: “Apart from our pitching, it has been Ray Knight’s emergence that has been the distinction. He carried us for a very long time.”^[8] On July 22, Knight incited a bench clearing brawl at Riverfront Stadium in opposition to his former teammates.^[9] Eric Davis pinch-running for Reds participant/supervisor Pete Rose within the tenth inning stole second and third base. Knight took the throw from Mets catcher Gary Carter late, introduced his glove to Davis’ face and knocked his helmet off. A stare off ensued, adopted by a proper cross from Knight. The benches emptied and on account of all of the ejections from this battle (together with Darryl Strawberry who had beforehand been ejected for arguing balls and strikes), back-up catcher Ed Hearn was introduced into the sport, and Carter moved from behind the plate to 3rd. The Mets gained the sport in fourteen innings.^[10]

The Mets gained 108 video games in 1986 and took the Nationwide League East convincingly by 21.5 video games over the Phillies. For the season, Knight batted .298 with eleven house runs and 76 RBIs to earn NL Comeback Participant of the 12 months honors. Knight batted solely .167 within the 1986 Nationwide League Championship Sequence in opposition to his former teammates, the Houston Astros. Within the World Sequence, nonetheless, Knight broke out with a .391 batting common and 5 RBIs.

The Mets gained the 1986 World Sequence in seven video games over the Boston Purple Sox. Knight’s single within the tenth inning of recreation six of the Sequence drove in Gary Carter for the primary run of the inning, and likewise pushed Kevin Mitchell to 3rd, permitting him to attain on Bob Stanley’s wild pitch. Knight then scored the successful run from second after Mookie Wilson’s floor ball went by way of the legs of Invoice Buckner, and Knight’s celebration as he rounded third to attain was one of many indelible photos of the collection.^[11]

He hit the tiebreaking house run in recreation seven, and was rewarded with the World Sequence MVP award and the Baseball Writers’ Affiliation of America’s Babe Ruth Award for the most effective efficiency within the World Sequence.

Baltimore Orioles

Unable to agree on a contract with basic supervisor Frank Cashen for 1987, Knight turned the primary participant to hitch a brand new group the season after successful the World Sequence MVP award, signing with the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles completed sixth within the American League East in 1987, narrowly avoiding 100 losses (95). For his personal half, Knight batted .256 with 65 RBIs and tied his profession excessive with fourteen house runs. Following the season, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for pitcher Mark Thurmond. Knight served primarily because the Tigers’ first baseman or designated hitter, although he did see some enjoying time at third and within the outfield. Knight batted solely .217 with three house runs, and retired on the finish of the season.

Profession stats

Publish-playing profession

Upon retiring from baseball, Knight turned an ESPN broadcaster. He accepted his first teaching job with the Reds in 1993. Early within the 1995 season, Reds proprietor Marge Schott introduced that Knight would change Davey Johnson as supervisor of the Reds in 1996 no matter how the Reds did. Schott and Johnson had by no means gotten alongside, and relations between the 2 had deteriorated to the purpose that she nearly fired Johnson after the 1994 season. Nonetheless, the Reds had been doing so nicely beneath Johnson (they led the Nationwide League Central on the time of the 1994 Main League Baseball strike and gained the division in 1995) that she as an alternative opted to call Knight as assistant supervisor, with the understanding that he would succeed Johnson in 1996.

Knight managed the Reds from 1996 to 1997, and served as performing supervisor for a single recreation in 2003. In 1997, he forgot what number of outs there had been in a half-inning wherein the Reds had been at bat and referred to as for a bunt at an inopportune time. He later fined himself $250 for the incident. The group’s lack of success would result in his firing halfway by way of the 1997 season in favor of Jack McKeon.

From 2007 to 2018, Knight was a broadcaster with the Mid-Atlantic Sports activities Community (MASN) and co-hosted Nats Xtra, MASN’s pregame and postgame present for its Washington Nationals broadcasts.^[12] Johnny Holliday, Knight’s fellow MASN broadcaster and Nats Xtra co-host, playfully referred to him because the “Silver Fox.”

Managerial report

As of August 2, 2016

1986 Mets reunion

Knight was one in all a number of members of the 1986 championship group to not attend the twentieth anniversary celebration at Shea Stadium on August 19, 2006; the others included supervisor Davey Johnson, (who was managing Crew USA in Cuba), Dwight Gooden (who was serving a jail sentence), Roger McDowell (who was the Atlanta Braves pitching coach on the time), Lee Mazzilli (who was the New York Yankees bench coach on the time), and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre. Knight’s absence was resulting from a earlier dedication.^[14]

Private life

Knight married LPGA golfer Nancy Lopez on October 25, 1982, in Pelham, Georgia. The marriage, the second for each, was on the house of his accomplice in a Pelham sporting items retailer.^[1] Knight and Lopez met by likelihood in Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo in 1978.^[15] He and Lopez had three daughters collectively, Ashley Marie (1983), Erinn Shea (1986) and Torri Heather Knight (1991).^[16] They lived in Albany, Georgia, and likewise had a house in The Villages, Florida.^[17] Lopez designed her first golf course for The Villages and the three nines of the 27-hole Lopez Legacy course are named for the daughters: Ashley Meadows, Torri Pines, and Erinn Glenn.^[18] In 1985, he had a 7 handicap in golf and generally caddied for her, however not in massive tournaments.^[15] Knight and Lopez divorced in 2009.^[19] He additionally has a son, Brooks Knight, from his first marriage.^[15]

In 2013, Phoebe Putney Hospital in Albany, Georgia, unveiled a avenue on the property named Ray Knight Approach.^[20]

Knight is nice pals with former Reds’ teammate Harry Spilman, who grew up twenty minutes away from Knight in Georgia. Whereas they had been each within the Reds’ system, the 2 spent $700 on a pitching machine to work on their hitting.^[21]

Knight is a member of the Golden Gloves boxing affiliation.

On October 23, 2017, Knight was arrested after an altercation at his rental within the Alexandria, Virginia, space with an unidentified 33-year-old man. Each had been taken to the hospital and Knight was charged with assault and battery.^[22] The fees had been subsequently dropped.^[23]

Knight participated within the 2021 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary collection in regards to the 1986 New York Mets season, As soon as Upon a Time in Queens.^[24]

See additionally

• Houston Astros award winners and league leaders