Charles Elmer "Punch" Knoll (October 7, 1881 in

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...

, USA – February 8, 1960 in Evansville, Indiana) was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Washington Senators in 1905. He also spent 27 seasons playing in the minor leagues and managed in the minor leagues for 22 seasons.

Major league career

Knoll made his major league debut on April 27, 1905 with the Senators and played in 79 games for them. He hit .213 with no home runs and 29 RBI in 244 at-bats, scoring 24 runs and hitting five triples. He committed eight errors as an outfielder in his only major league season, posting a .927 fielding percentage at that position. He played his final big league game on October 4.

Minor league career

Knoll began his minor league career in 1901 and played every season, except for 1905, 1918 and 1929, until 1930. A .279 hitter, he had 2,455 career hits, 456 doubles, 141 triples and 85 home runs. In seasons in which he had more than 100 at-bats, Knoll hit more than .300 five times. He also exceeded the 10-triple mark four times and the 10-home run mark three times.

Managerial career

Knoll managed the

Evansville River Rats The Evansville River Rats were a professional minor league baseball team based in Evansville, Indiana. They played from 1901 to 1902 in the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League (the "Three-I" League) and from 1903 to 1910 and 1914 to 1915 in the Cen ...

from 1907 to 1909, leading them to a league championship in 1908. He then managed the

Dayton Veterans The Dayton Veterans were a minor league baseball team based in Dayton, Ohio between 1899 and 1917. From 1896 to 1900, the Dayton "Old Soldiers" and "Veterans" teams played as members of the Class B level Interstate League, followed by a single s ...

from 1910 to 1912, leading them to a league championship in 1911. In 1913, he returned to the River Rats and managed them until 1915. They switched their name to the Evansville Evas for the 1916 season, and he managed them until 1917. He next managed the Ludington Mariners in 1920 and the

Bay City Wolves The Bay City Wolves were a minor league baseball team based in Bay City, Michigan. From 1919 to 1926, the Wolves played as members of the Class B level Michigan-Ontario League for the eight-season duration of the league, winning league consecutiv ...

from 1921 to 1924, leading them to successive league championships in 1923 and 1924. In 1925, he returned to the Danville Veterans, whom he managed until 1926. He then managed the Quincy Red Birds for part of 1927 (replacing

Mack Allison Mack Pendleton Allison (January 23, 1887 – March 13, 1964) was a professional baseball player whose career spanned 16 seasons, including three in Major League Baseball with the St. Louis Browns (1911–1913). Allison was a pitcher during his ca ...

), the

Fort Wayne Chiefs The Fort Wayne Chiefs were a minor league baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Between 1917 and 1934, Fort Wayne Chiefs teams played seven total seasons as members of the Class B level Central League (baseball), Central League, winning th ...

in 1928 (leading them to a league championship), the

Wilkes-Barre Barons The Wilkes-Barre Barons were a basketball team from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The Barons played between 1933 and 1980 in different United States, American sports league, leagues. The team won 11 titles during this time, including while playin ...

in 1929 (replacing Don Sykes) and the Fort Wayne Chiefs again in 1930. Following his death, he was interred at

Locust Hill Cemetery Locusts (derived from the Latin ''locusta'', locust or lobster) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a Swarm behaviour, swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circu ...

in Evansville.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knoll, Punch 1881 births 1960 deaths Washington Senators (1901–1960) players 20th-century American sportsmen Minor league baseball managers Evansville River Rats players Memphis Egyptians players Nashville Vols players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players Dayton Veterans players Evansville Evas players Ludington Mariners players Bay City Wolves players Danville Veterans players Quincy Red Birds players Fort Wayne Chiefs players Baseball players from Evansville, Indiana