Cincinnati Reds
Knight made his major league debut with Cincinnati as a September call-up in 1974. He spent all of 1975 and 1976 with the triple A Indianapolis Indians before returning to the majors in 1977. During that time, the Reds won both World Series titles.
Knight was a .232 hitter with two home runs and 19 runs batted in when he assumed the role of starting third baseman for the "Big Red Machine" following Rose's defection to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1979. Knight responded with a .318 Batting average, ten home runs 79 RBIs and 64 runs scored to finish fifth in National League Most Valuable Player balloting.
On May 13, 1980, Knight broke out of an 0-for-15 slump by homering twice in the fifth inning of a 15-4 win over the Mets. He was the first Red to ever hit two home runs in one inning. Aaron Boone matched the feat August 9, 2002. He made his first All-star appearance in 1980, hitting a single off Tommy John in his first at-bat.
In 1981, Knight batted .259 with six home runs and 34 RBIs. Following the season, he was traded to the Houston Astros for César Cedeño to accommodate Johnny Bench's move from behind the plate to third.
Read more about this topic: Ray Knight
Famous quotes containing the word reds:
“Holly Golightly: You know those days when you’ve got the mean reds?
Paul: The mean reds? You mean like the blues?
Holly Golightly: No, the blues are because you’re getting fat or maybe it’s been raining too long. You’re just sad, that’s all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you’re afraid and you don’t know what you’re afraid of.”
—George Axelrod (b. 1922)