Fred Clarke

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This article is for the baseball player. For the actor, see Fred Clark.
Fred Clarke of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the West Side Grounds in 1903.
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Fred Clarke of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the West Side Grounds in 1903.

Fred Clifford Clarke (October 3, 1872 - August 14, 1960) was a Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player from 1894 to 1915 and manager from 1897 to 1915. Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a left fielder and left-handed batter.

Clarke was a player-manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates for four National League pennants. He and fellow Hall of Famers, Honus Wagner and Vic Willis, led Pittsburgh to a victory over Ty Cobb and the Detroit Tigers in the 1909 World Series. Clarke batted over .300 in 11 different seasons. His 35-game hitting streak in 1895 was the second-longest in Major League history at the time and is still tied for tenth-longest.

In 1912, Clarke passed Cap Anson and Frank Selee, giving him the Major League record for wins by a manager. Clarke's record was broken by John McGraw in 1918.

Contents

[edit] Early life and career

Baseball Hall of Fame
Fred Clarke
is a member of
the Baseball
Hall of Fame

Clarke was born in Winterset, Iowa. He was discovered in the minor leagues by Louisville owner, Barney Dreyfuss, and joined the Colonels in 1894.[1] In his first game, he collected five hits in five at bats which is still a Major League record.[1][2] In his second season, he asserted himself with a batting average of .347, 191 hits and 96 runs which were all best on the team by far. In 1897, Clarke took over managerial duties while only 24 years old. As a player, he hit a career high .390. Only the best average of Willie Keeler's career stopped Clarke from winning his only batting title. (For many years, Clarke's 1897 average was listed as .406 but further research led most official sources, including MLB.com, to list it at .390.[3]) Despite Clarke's excellent hitting, the team struggled under his managerial guidance for several years.

[edit] Pittsburgh

In 1900, Clarke joined the Pittsburgh Pirates as a player and manager, roles he would embrace until his retirement in 1915. 1903 was arguably the best hitting season of Clarke's career as he led the Major Leagues in slugging average and OPS and led the National League in doubles. He finished his career with a .312 batting average and having led his team to four National League pennants (1901, 1902, 1903 and 1909) and one World Series championship (in 1909). The 1902 Pirates lost only 36 games under his guidance, a modern-era record.

[edit] After his playing days

Fred Clarke was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945. He was one of 24 original inductees into his native Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1951.[4] He died in Winfield, Kansas, at the age of 87.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Eckhouse, Morris A.. Fred Clarke. BaseballLibrary.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
  2. ^ Fred Clarke at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
  3. ^ Schwarz, Alan (2004-07-21). The Numbers Game. Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 0312322224.
  4. ^ Iowa Sports Hall of Fame. Des Moines Register. Retrieved on 2006-11-03.

[edit] External links

Preceded by:
Patsy Donovan		 Pittsburgh Pirates Manager
1900-1915		 Succeeded by:
Nixey Callahan
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