John Clarkson
| Birthdate | 7/1/1861 |
| Death Date | 2/4/1909 |
| Debut Year | 1882 |
| Year of Induction | 1963 |
| Teams | Beaneaters, Ruby Legs, Spiders, White Stockings |
| Position | Pitcher |
John Clarkson won 328 games from 1882-1894. His best season came in 1885 when he won 53 games and posted a 1.85 earned run average.
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John Clarkson won 304 games before the mound was moved back to 60'6"
John Clarkson won 304 games before the mound was moved back to 60'6"
John Clarkson was one of baseball’s best hurlers in the early stages of the game. Pitching from a distance 4 feet, 3 1/2 inches shorter than today’s 60’6″, Clarkson was a beast.
From 1885-1892 he won 293 games, an average of 37 per season. During that time he topped the 30-win plateau 6 times. Only fellow Cooperstown man Kid Nichols did it more in baseball history.
Clarkson’s high point came in the ’85 season when he started 70 games and completed 68 of them. His 623 innings pitched, 308 strikeouts, and 10 shutouts led the league.
Before the distance changed to it’s present-day mark in his age-30 season, Clarkson went 304-151 with a 2.63 games.
He had trouble adjusting to the change.
His final two seasons at 60’6″ produced a 24-27 record and 4.44 ERA. Clarkson retired 11 days after his 33rd birthday.
He retired in 1894 and moved to Bay City, Michigan. Clarkson ran a cigar store there until 1906. The 328-game winner died in 1909 at age of 47.
John Clarkson is 1 of 5 pitchers to earn the pitching Triple Crown in the 19th century
John Clarkson is 1 of 5 pitchers to earn the pitching Triple Crown in the 19th century
John Clarkson had six seasons with a WAR over 7.0. Three of those campaigns included double-digit WAR totals. His highest WAR total of 16.7 came in 1889.
That season he captured the fourth pitching Triple Crown in baseball history. Not only did he lead the Senior Circuit in wins (49), ERA (2.73), and strikeouts (284), he also topped the league in shutouts (8), complete games (68), innings (620), and WHIP (1.277).
Clarkson is one of five hurlers to earn the Triple Crown during the 19th century. Tommy Bond earned the first NL crown in 1877 followed by Old Hoss Radbourn (1884), Tim Keefe (1888), Clarkson (1889),and Amos Rusie (1894).
Shown here is the sterling silver lifetime pass issued to Bond.
Elmer Flick, Eppa Rixey, and Sam Rice joined Clarkson as Veterans Committee inductees in 1963
Elmer Flick, Eppa Rixey, and Sam Rice joined Clarkson as Veterans Committee inductees in 1963
John Clarkson capped a brilliant career with baseball’s highest honor in 1963 at Cooperstown. The Hall of Fame welcomed Clarkson and three peers, expanding membership to ninety four. Elmer Flick, Sam Rice, and Eppa Rixey completed the celebrated quartet.
The Veterans Committee selected every honoree during a quiet election year. The baseball writers voted only every other year and skipped the 1963 ballot. That absence shifted the spotlight squarely onto baseball’s elder statesmen.
Rice and Flick traveled to Cooperstown on August 4, 1963, to accept their plaques. Clarkson and Rixey joined them in spirit posthumously as the Hall honored their legacies. Rixey’s death in February, five months earlier, lent the ceremony added weight.
In the collection is this signed photo that shows Clarkson’s class of ’63 Cooperstown mate Flick. The caption reads, “Elmer Flick in 1906 was valued more highly than Ty Cobb.” Just below that, Flick adds his signature.
Flick never really gained the stardom that Cleveland management hoped for though he did win the American League batting crown in 1905.
Sometimes the best trades are the ones that never happen. Just ask the Detroit Tigers.
Interestingly, when Cobb died in 1961, the story of the possible trade of The Georgia Peach for Flick reemerged. The renewed interest in Flick’s career ultimately resulted in his unanimous election to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee, 65 years after his MLB debut in 1898.
