Charlie Knepper Explained

Charlie Knepper
Position:Pitcher
Bats:Right
Throws:Right
Birth Date:18 February 1871
Birth Place:Anderson, Indiana, U.S.
Death Place:Muncie, Indiana, U.S.
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:May 26
Debutyear:1899
Debutteam:Cleveland Spiders
Finalleague:MLB
Finaldate:September 26
Finalyear:1899
Finalteam:Cleveland Spiders
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Win–loss record
Stat1value:4–22
Stat2label:Earned run average
Stat2value:5.78
Stat3label:Strikeouts
Stat3value:43
Teams:

Charles Knepper (February 18, 1871 – February 6, 1946) was an American professional baseball player who played as a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He threw and batted right-handed.

Knepper spent just one season in the majors, pitching for the Cleveland Spiders, a notoriously futile team that set a major league record by losing 134 games. Knepper was one of that team's primary starting pitchers, and he tied Jim Hughey for the team lead with four wins. He also ranked among the National League's leaders in several undesirable pitching categories, including home runs allowed (second, with 11), losses (fourth, with 22), earned runs allowed (seventh, with 141), and wild pitches (tenth, with eight).

Knepper was notoriously slow afoot. During a game on June 24, 1899, he hit a double, and the next day The Plain Dealer's game recap stated that "a hay wagon drawn by lame horses could have reached third, but Knepper is no hay wagon and had no lame horses to assist him".[1]

References

  1. James, Bill. The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, Simon and Schuster, 2003, p. 59.