Phil Knell

Born: 3/12/1865 in Mill Valley, CA, USA

Died: 6/5/1944 in Santa Monica, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1888-07-06 | Final Game: 1895-09-29

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 5'7" | Weight: 154 lbs

Full name: Philip Louis Knell

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Biography

Phil Knell was a professional baseball pitcher born in 1865, whose career spanned from 1888 to 1895. He played during an era when the game was rapidly evolving, transitioning from the deadball era's emphasis on pitching and defense to a more offense-oriented approach. Over the course of his career, Knell compiled a record of 79 wins and 90 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 4.05. He was known for his durability on the mound, striking out a total of 575 batters throughout his time in the major leagues. Knell's playing style reflected the competitive spirit of the late 19th century, a time when pitchers often faced a heavy workload and were pivotal to their teams' successes. Though he did not record any saves, his contributions were significant in an era that placed a premium on complete games and innings pitched. Phil Knell's legacy is marked by his resilience and dedication to the game, leaving an indelible mark on the history of baseball as one of the many players who helped shape the sport during its formative years.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
79	90	192	163	141	8	0	1452.3	1478	654	37	705	575	4.05	0

Career ERA 4.05 vs. league average 3.86 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1888	PIT	NL	1	2	3	3	3	0	26.3	20	11	18	15	3.76	2.95 (-28%)	-1068.3
1890	PHP	PL	22	11	35	31	30	2	286.7	287	122	166	99	3.83	3.88 (+1%)	-6321.6
1891	CL6	AA	28	27	58	52	47	5	462.0	363	150	226	228	2.92	3.52 (+17%)	691.6
1892	WAS	NL	9	13	22	21	17	1	170.0	156	69	76	74	3.65	3.28 (-11%)	-535.6
1892	PHI	NL	5	5	11	9	7	0	80.0	87	36	35	43	4.05	3.28 (-23%)	406.5
1894	PIT	NL	0	0	1	0	0	0	7.0	11	9	6	0	11.57	—	0.0
1894	LS3	NL	7	21	32	28	25	0	247.0	330	146	104	67	5.32	5.33 (avg)	1305.7
1895	LS3	NL	0	6	10	6	3	0	56.7	75	41	21	19	6.51	4.77 (-36%)	-367.4
1895	CL4	NL	7	5	20	13	9	0	116.7	149	70	53	30	5.40	4.77 (-13%)	-1773.6

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
201	657	79	123	11	11	2	63	10	23	115	0.187	0.218	0.247	0.465	-3456.1

Career AVG .187 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 29.2% below league average.

Career OBP .218 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 34.7% below league average.

Career SLG .247 vs. league average .358 across their career seasons — 31.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.465 vs. league average 0.692 across their career seasons — 32.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1888	PIT	NL	3	11	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.091	—	—	—	—	0.0
1890	PHP	PL	36	132	19	29	3	2	1	18	3	7	17	0.220	.260 (-16%)	.336 (-22%)	.351 (-16%)	.687 (-19%)	-441.6
1891	CL6	AA	66	215	25	34	2	3	0	19	4	8	34	0.158	.254 (-38%)	.331 (-43%)	.343 (-43%)	.675 (-43%)	-1656.4
1892	WAS	NL	22	68	8	8	0	0	0	1	0	3	20	0.118	.244 (-52%)	.316 (-47%)	.327 (-64%)	.644 (-56%)	-571.3
1892	PHI	NL	11	34	4	3	0	0	0	1	0	3	13	0.088	—	—	—	—	-571.3
1894	PIT	NL	1	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1894	LS3	NL	32	113	10	31	2	4	1	13	1	0	18	0.274	.309 (-11%)	.379 (-28%)	.435 (-11%)	.814 (-18%)	0.0
1895	LS3	NL	10	26	3	6	2	1	0	6	1	1	4	0.231	—	—	—	—	0.0
1895	CL4	NL	20	55	9	11	2	1	0	5	1	1	9	0.200	.296 (-33%)	.361 (-37%)	.399 (-32%)	.761 (-34%)	0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	PO	A	E	DP
2B	1	0	0	2	0
OF	11	8	1	1	0
P	192	118	310	51	10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1888	PIT	P	3	2	5	2	0
1890	PHP	OF	2	0	0	0	0
1890	PHP	P	35	24	67	10	4
1891	CL6	2B	1	0	0	2	0
1891	CL6	OF	9	8	1	1	0
1891	CL6	P	58	40	119	10	1
1892	WAS	P	22	15	31	5	1
1892	PHI	P	11	6	9	4	0
1894	PIT	P	1	1	3	0	1
1894	LS3	P	32	15	35	13	1
1895	LS3	P	10	3	16	1	1
1895	CL4	P	20	12	25	6	1