Tuesday, November 2, 2021

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1976 CHRIS KNAPP

On the blog today, a "not so missing" 1976 card for former Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Knapp, who made his Big League debut in 1975 with two appearances at the age of 21:

 
Knapp didn't factor in a decision over that brief time, pitching to an earned run average of 4.50 in two innings of work.
After a 1976 season that saw him go 3-1 over just 11 appearances, with a 4.82 ERA in 52.1 innings, he would get a full time slot in the White Sox rotation in both 1977 and 1978, putting up some decent numbers.
In 1977 he'd go 12-7 over 27 appearances, all but one starts, with four complete games and 103 strikeouts, while in 1978 he'd find himself a member of the California Angels, having his finest season of his career, going 14-8 over 30 games with an ERA of 4.21, with eight complete games and 126 strikeouts, all career-bests.
In 1979 he'd have a bit of a setback, appearing in only 20 games while going 5-5 with a 5.51 ERA, throwing only 98 innings, while the following year he'd play what turned out to be the last games of his career, struggling with a record of 2-11 over 32 games, with a bloated 6.14 ERA over 117 innings, collecting the only save of his career.
All told, Knapp finished with a record of 36-32 in 122 games, 99 of them starts, with an ERA at 4.99 in 604.1 innings, completing 15 games while saving 1 between 1975 and 1981.