- For the slavery abolitionist, see John Clarkson. Lieutenant John Clarkson RN (1764-1828 was the younger brother of Thomas Clarkson, one of the central figures in the abolition of slavery in England and the British Empire
| John Clarkson | ||
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| Pitcher | ||
| Born: July 1, 1861 Cambridge, Massachusetts |
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| Died: February 4, 1909 (aged 47) Belmont, Massachusetts |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| May 2, 1882 for the Worcester Ruby Legs |
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| Final game | ||
| July 12, 1894 for the Cleveland Spiders |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Pitching Record | 328-178 | |
| Earned run average | 2. In Baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the Pitcher's mound toward the Catcher to begin each play with the goal of "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Cambridge Massachusetts is a City in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts, United States. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a Suburb of Boston. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1882 ( MDCCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Year 1894 ( MDCCCXCIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Cleveland Spiders were a Major League Baseball team which played between 1887 and 1899 in Cleveland Ohio. A win is a Statistic in Major League Baseball credited to the Pitcher for the winning team who was in the game when his team last took the lead In Baseball statistics, earned run average ( ERA) is the Mean of Earned runs given up by a Pitcher per nine Innings pitched 81 | |
| Strikeouts | 1978 | |
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| Career highlights and awards | ||
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| Member of the National | ||
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Elected | 1963 | |
| Election Method | Veteran's Committee | |
John Gibson Clarkson (July 1, 1861 – February 4, 1909) was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1882-1894. In Baseball or Softball, a strikeout or strike out (denoted by SO or K) occurs when a batter receives three strikes The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. The Cleveland Spiders were a Major League Baseball team which played between 1887 and 1899 in Cleveland Ohio. For other uses of this term see Triple crown In Baseball, the Triple Crown refers to A batter who (at season's end leads This is a list of the top 500 Major League Baseball winningest pitchers. The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball Major League Baseball recognizes Earned run average champions in the American League and National League each season The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball The following is a list of Major League Baseball wins champions. The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball Major League Baseball recognizes Strikeout champions in the American League and National League each season Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Yankees (4-0 Sandy Koufax, MVP "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting In Baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the Pitcher's mound toward the Catcher to begin each play with the goal of Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Clarkson played for the Worcester Ruby Legs (1882), Chicago White Stockings (1884-1887), Boston Beaneaters (1888-1892), and Cleveland Spiders (1892-1894). Cambridge Massachusetts is a City in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts, United States. The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. The Cleveland Spiders were a Major League Baseball team which played between 1887 and 1899 in Cleveland Ohio.
Contents |
Career overview
Clarkson compiled a career 328-178 record, placing him twelfth on the MLB list of all-time wins. Clarkson pitched over 600 innings in a season twice and won a career-high 53 games in 1885. This is a list of the top 500 Major League Baseball winningest pitchers. Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In MLB history, only Charles Radbourn has won more games in a single season (59 in 1884). Charles Gardner "Old Hoss" Radbourn ( December 11, 1854 – February 5, 1897) was a Pitcher in Major League Baseball In just five seasons from 1885-1889, Clarkson won 209 games.
Clarkson had a wide variety of curve balls and was considered to be a calculating, scientific pitcher who carefully analyzed every hitter's weaknesses. Hall of Fame hitter Sam Thompson said of Clarkson: “I faced him in scores of games and I can truthfully say that never in all that time did I get a pitch that came where I expected it or in the way in which I guessed it was coming. Samuel Luther Thompson ( March 5, 1860 - November 7, 1922) was a 19th century Major League Baseball player ” [1]
At the time Clarkson retired from the game, he was the winningest pitcher in National League history. [2]
Aside from being a great pitcher, Clarkson was also a fair hitter. His 24 career home runs (in the deadball era) ranks 7th on the all-time MLB home run list for pitchers. This is a list of the all-time leaders in Home runs hit by Major League Baseball Pitchers, with the pitcher being defined as a player who pitches He also had 232 career RBIs and 254 runs scored.
Total Baseball ranked Clarkson as the fourth best pitcher of all time behind Hall of Famers Cy Young, Christy Matthewson and Lefty Grove, [3] though Bill James ranks him much lower, at No. George William “Bill” James (born October 5, 1949, in Holton Kansas) is a Baseball writer historian and statistician whose work has been 42, in his The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is a reference-type book written by Bill James featuring an overview of baseball decade by decade along with rankings
Clarkson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame upon election by the Veterans Committee in 1963. Athletics Marathon May 4 &mdash Pan American Games Marathon, Sao Paulo Brazil Men's
Early years
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Clarkson was one of five sons of a prosperous jeweler. Cambridge Massachusetts is a City in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts, United States. [4] Clakson had two brothers who were also major league pitchers: Dad Clarkson and Walter Clarkson. The three Clarkson brothers rank third in wins by brothers behind the Niekro and Perry brothers.
After attending business school and playing semipro ball, Clarkson signed as a free agent with the Worcester Ruby Legs of the National League in 1882. The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball Clarkson played his first major league game at age 20 on May 2, 1882. He played in three games for the Ruby Legs, finishing with a 1-2 record in 24 innings. The Worcester team folded after the 1882 season, and Clarkson pitched in the minors the following two years. [5]
Chicago White Stockings (1884-1887)
Chicago manager Cap Anson saw Clarkson pitching for Saginaw in the Northwest League in 1884. Adrian Constantine Anson ( April 17 1852 &ndash April 14 1922) known by the nicknames "Cap" (for "Captain" and [6] On August 24, 1884, the White Stockings puchased him from Saginaw.
The White Stockings finished in fifth place in 1884, but Clarkson put in a strong performance, going 10-3 in 13 starts after being acquired from Saginaw. His . 769 win percentage was the second best in the league, and his 2. 14 ERA was sixth best.
Clarkson was known to be extremely sensitive to criticism. Shortly after his death in 1909, former Chicago player/manager Cap Anson noted that "not many know what amount amount of encouragement it took to keep him going. Adrian Constantine Anson ( April 17 1852 &ndash April 14 1922) known by the nicknames "Cap" (for "Captain" and " Anson recalled: "Scold him, find fault with him, and he would not pitch at all. Say to him after a game: 'Grand work, John, I will probably use you again tomorrow, for we've got to have that game,' and he would go out the next day and stand all batters on their heads. '" Alfred H. Spink, The National Game (1910), quoted in Bill James, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (2001), p. The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is a reference-type book written by Bill James featuring an overview of baseball decade by decade along with rankings 873. [7]
A 53-win season in 1885
In 1885, Clarkson became Chicago's principal starting pitcher. In a remarkable feat of durability, Clarkson appeared in 70 games that year, pitched 623 innings and threw an astounding 68 complete games. He also won 53 games with an ERA of 1. 85 (Adjusted ERA+ of 165). Adjusted ERA+, often simply abbreviated to ERA+ is a statistic in Baseball.
On July 27, 1885, he pitched the only no-hitter of his career with a 4-0 win over the Providence Grays. [8]
His 50th win of the season occurred on September 19, 1885, a 10-3 victory over Boston. . [9]
The White Stockings won the 1885 National League pennant with 83 wins, 53 of which came from Clarkson. Clarkson started three games in the 1885 World Series agaisnt the St. Louis Browns, with a record of 1-1 and an ERA of 1. 12, allowing only two earned runs in 16 innings.
Clarkson's performance in 1885 led the National League in wins (53) and strikeouts (308) and ranks as one of the most remarkable in major league history.
- His 53 wins is the second highest single season total in MLB history. [10]
- His 68 complete games is the seventh highest single season total in MLB history. [11]
- His 70 games started is the eighth most in MLB history. [12]
- His 632 innings pitched is the eighth most in MLB history. [13]
A 36-win season in 1886
In 1886, Clarkson shared the pitching load with Jim McCormick and Jocko Flynn, each of whom won at least 23 games and pitched over 250 innings. James McCormick ( November 3 1856 - March 10 1918) was a former right-handed Pitcher in Major League Baseball. Clarkson had a record of 36-17, with 50 complete games and an ERA of 2. 41 (Adjusted ERA+ of 150) in 466-2/3 innings pitched. Adjusted ERA+, often simply abbreviated to ERA+ is a statistic in Baseball. He also led the league with a career-high 313 strikeouts. On August 8, 1886, Clarkson struck out a team-record 16 batters against Kansas City.
The 1886 White Stockings finished with a record of 90-34 with a winning percentage of . 726 that ranks as one of the highest in baseball history. After winning the National League pennant by 2-1/2 games over the Detroit Wolverines, the White Stockings faced the St. The 1886 Detroit Wolverines had the best winning percentage of any major league baseball team to play in Detroit Louis Browns in the World Series for the second consecutive year.
Clarkson pitched four games (three of which were complete games) in the 1886 World Series. He had a record of 2-2 with 28 strikeouts and an ERA of 2. 04 in 31 innings pitched.
The sixth game, at St. Louis, was considered one of the greatest games ever played to that time. With the Browns ahead three games to two, Anson called on Clarkson to start his fourth game in six days. Clarkson responded with seven shutout innings, but gave up three runs in the eighth inning, and the game went to extra innings. In the bottom of the tenth inning, the Browns' center fielder Curt Welch singled (only the fourth hit off Clarkson) and moved to third on a sacrifice. Curtis Benton Welch ( February 11, 1862 - August 29, 1896) born in East Liverpool Ohio was an Outfielder for the Toledo Welch and Browns’ third base coach Arlie Latham tried to distract Clarkson with heckling and faking moves toward home. Walter Arlington Latham ( March 15 1860 &ndash November 29 1952) was an American Third baseman in Major League Baseball When Welch finally attempted the steal, Chicago's catcher, King Kelly, had called for a pitchout, but Clarkson threw a wild pitch, and Welch scored the World Series winning run. For the unrelated fictitious baseball character King Kelly see It Happens Every Spring. [14] [15]
A 38-win season in 1887
In 1887, Clarkson was 38-21 for Chicago with 56 complete games and a 3. 08 ERA. However, King Kelly was sold to Boston before the season began, and the team began a decline, dropping to third place in 1887. For the unrelated fictitious baseball character King Kelly see It Happens Every Spring. Clarkson, always a touchy temperament, reportedly became more difficult to handle after Kelly's departure. [16]
Boston Beaneaters (1888-1892)
A 33-win season in 1888
On April 3, 1888, the White Stockings sold Clarkson to the Boston Beaneaters for $10,000 -- a huge sum at the time. Clarkson followed teammate King Kelly, who had been sold from Chicago to Boston the previous year. For the unrelated fictitious baseball character King Kelly see It Happens Every Spring. Boston had paid $10,000 apiece for Kelly and Clarkson, and they became known as the “$20,000 Battery. ”
Clarkson pitched five great seasons for Boston. He was 33-20 in 1888, starting 54 games and pitching 53 complete games with an ERA of 2. 76.
A 49-win season in 1889
The 1889 season was Clarkson’s best for Boston. He started a career-high 72 games and had an astounding record of 49-19 with 68 complete games, 284 strikeouts, and a 2. 70 ERA in 620 innings pitched.
While Clarkson’s 1889 numbers are comparable to those he posted in 1885, the game and distance to the plate had changed, and no other pitcher pitched nearly as many games or innings as Clarkson in 1889. As a measure of his dominance, Clarkson’s 49 wins were 11 more than any other pitcher; his 620 innings were 200 more than any other pitcher; and his 68 complete games were 22 more than any other pitcher. He also had twice as many shutouts as the next best pitcher. He was only the fourth pitcher to win the pitching Triple Crown, by leading the National League in wins, ERA and strikeouts. For other uses of this term see Triple crown In Baseball, the Triple Crown refers to A batter who (at season's end leads
On June 4, 1889, Clarkson became the first pitcher in major league history to strike out three batters on nine pitches, in the third inning of a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Quakers. Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 1889 ( MDCCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In Major League Baseball, 38 pitchers have thrown a nine-pitch three-strikeout half-inning literally throwing nothing but strikes a total of 41 times The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
Later years in Boston
Clarkson became involved in the players' rebellion in 1890, but then opted to remain with the Beaneaters. [17]
In 1891, Clarkson helped lead the Beaneaters to the National League pennant. Clarkson led the team with a 33-19 record, 47 complete games, and 460-2/3 innings pitched.
During a game that carried into the dusk hours, Clarkson once pitched a lemon to the plate to persuade the umpire, Jack Kerins to call the game due to darkness. Kerins called the lemon a strike, and when shown by Boston’s catcher that he had called a lemon a strike, Kerins finally called the game. [18][19]
Cleveland Spiders (1892-1893)
On June 30, 1892, after 16 starts and a 8–6 record, Boston's new manager, Frank Selee, released Clarkson. Frank Gibson Selee ( He was signed as a free agent by the Cleveland Spiders. The Cleveland Spiders were a Major League Baseball team which played between 1887 and 1899 in Cleveland Ohio. Clarkson went 17-10 for the remainder of the 1892 season, for a season record of 25-16.
Clarkson was no longer the ace with the Spiders. The Spiders’ pitching staff included Cy Young, who won 36 games in 1892 and 34 games in 1893. Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29 1867 – November 4 1955 was an American Baseball player who pitched for five different major league
In 1893, Clarkson had the first losing record of his career, finishing 16-17 with a career-high ERA of 4. 45.
After the 1893 season, Clarkson went on a hunting trip with his close friend Charlie Bennett, who had been his catcher from 1888-1890. Charles Wesley Bennett ( November 21, 1854 – February 24, 1927) was a Catcher in Major League Baseball. Bennett got off the train in Wellsville, Kansas and when he tried to reboard, Bennett slipped and fell under the train’s wheels. Wellsville is a city in Franklin County, Kansas, United States. Bennett lost both of his legs in the accident. Clarkson witnessed the incident, and it was said to have severely affected his already unstable nature.
In 1894, Clarkson pitched his final year in the major leagues, playing his last game on July 12, 1894 and finishing 8-10 in 18 starts for the Spiders.
Life after baseball
After his baseball career ended, Clarkson moved to Bay City, Michigan and ran a cigar store there until 1906. Bay City is a city in the US state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. [20] [21]
In either 1905 [22] or 1906 [23], Clarkson suffered a breakdown, was declared insane, and was committed to an insane asylum. Clarkson spent much of the next three years in mental hospitals.
During a visit with family in 1909, Clarkson fell seriously ill, and was admitted to the McLean Hospital in Waltham, Massachusetts, a well-known psychiatric clinic. One of the early centers of the Industrial Revolution in northern America Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States He died there, of pneumonia, February 4, 1909, aged 47. [24] [25]
Notable Achievements
- National League pitching Triple Crown (1889)
- National League ERA leader (1889)
- National League wins leader (1885, 1887 and 1889)
- National League winning percentage leader (1889)
- National League innings pitched leader (1885 and 1887-1889)
- National League strikeouts leader (1885, 1887 and 1889)
- National League complete games leader (1885, 1887 and 1889)
- Six 30-win seasons (1885-1889 and 1891)
- Two 40-win seasons (1885 and 1889)
- 53 wins in 1885 is second most in MLB history
- Two seasons with 600 innings pitched (1885 and 1889)
- Two 300 strikeout seasons (1885 and 1886)
See also
- 300 win club
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- Triple Crown
- List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
- List of Major League Baseball saves champions
- List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
- List of Major League Baseball wins champions
- Pitchers who have struck out three batters on nine pitches
- Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time
- MLB all-time leaders in home runs by pitchers
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- baseballhalloffame.org – Hall of Fame biography page
- New York Times Obituary for Clarkson
- BaseballLibrary.com Profile
- Top 100 Cubbies Site Profile of Clarkson
- 19th Century Baseball Site Profile of Clarkson
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