This Day in Reds History: Cincinnati nabs Knight in the draft

On this day in 1911, 13 different Reds scored as Cincinnati defeated the Boston Rustlers, 26-3.

On this day in 1965, former Red Kurt Stillwell was born in Glendale, CA.

On this day in 1970, the Reds drafted Ray Knight in the 10th round of the first year player draft. Knight appeared in nearly 600 games with Cincinnati, predominantly at third base. He slashed .277/.325/.410 (102 OPS+) with the Reds, even representing the club in the All-Star game in 1980. While with the Mets in 1986, Knight started a brouhaha at Riverfront Stadium when he aggressively tagged Eric Davis on the head. Knight then proceeded to sock Davis, which caused both benches to clear. He returned to Cincinnati as a manager in 1996, though Knight found little success in the dugout as the Reds went 124-137 under his watch. In 2003, Knight managed one last game with the Reds.

On this day in 2002, the Reds selected Joey Votto and Chris Denorfia in the amateur draft.

On this day in 2012, Reds Hall of Famer Pedro Borbon passed away at the age of 65. From 1972 to 1978, Borbon averaged 122 innings per year with 3.24 ERA (109 ERA+). The changes in workload for relievers since that era have been staggering. Another sign of changing times? Borbon managed a successful career as a shutdown reliever with a K/BB of 1.61.

Also on this day in 2012, the Reds released Jeff Francis.