Mark Richard Knudson (born October 28, 1960) is an American former right-handed

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. He played all or part of eight seasons in

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(MLB), between 1985 and 1993, primarily for the

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Professional career

Houston Astros

Knudson was drafted by the

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in the third round of the 1982 amateur draft out of

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. He made his debut with the club on July 8, 1985, and took a 7–4 loss to the

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. He won his first major league game on July 10 of the following season, also against the Phillies. On August 15, 1986, he and fellow pitcher Don August were traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Danny Darwin.

Milwaukee Brewers

Knudson pitched as both a starter and long reliever for Milwaukee over the next five seasons, and in

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compiled an 8–5 record with a 3.35

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. In 1990, he earned a career-best 10 wins. After starting and gaining the victory on Opening Day 1991 against the Texas Rangers, Knudson contracted a virus that seriously affected his performance. He came down with a 103-degree fever and lost 10 pounds. He missed most of that season and was sent to Triple-A Denver to finish the year, where he helped the Zephyrs win the American Association championship. He was designated for assignment at the end of the year; when he refused, the club released him outright.

Colorado Rockies

Knudson spent the 1992 season in the San Diego Padres organization before signing with the expansion

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

in 1993. He only pitched briefly for the team, however. After struggling and posting a 22.24 ERA in just four appearances, he permanently retired from the game.

Personal life

One week after he officially retired, Knudson's wife gave birth to triplets. A native of Denver, Knudson was the first hometown product to play for the Rockies. During his career, Knudson posted wins over three of the four members of the 4,000 strikeout club, Nolan Ryan,

Roger Clemens William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Boston Red Sox. Clemens was one of the most dominant pi ...

and Randy Johnson. Since retiring, Knudson has worked for the Rockies in Community Relations, and began a career in sports media. He has written a syndicated newspaper column since 1994, and is also a radio and television broadcaster.

References

External links

Mark Knudson at Baseball Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knudson, Mark 1960 births Living people American people of Norwegian descent American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Denver Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Colorado State Rams baseball players Columbus Astros players Daytona Beach Astros players Denver Zephyrs players Houston Astros players Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Tucson Toros players Vancouver Canadians players