Fred Clarke

Fred Clarke

Birthdate	10/3/1872
Death Date	8/14/1960
Debut Year	1894
Year of Induction	1945
Teams	Colonels, Pirates
Positions	Left Field, Manager

Fred Clarke, HoF class of ’45, had 2,672 career hits & won 1,422 games, 4 pennants and a World Series championship as a manager.

Ball signed by Fred Clarke and others from 1st World Series reunion

The inaugural World Series in 1903 featured the Boston Americans — renamed the Red Sox in 1907 — and the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1953 baseball decided to have a Golden Jubilee in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Series. In the collection is a baseball signed at that reunion with

Second autographed panel of the Golden Jubilee ball with Cy Young

On this panel is the pair of pitchers who secured the title for the Boston club. Bill Dinneen claimed three of the necessary five victories while Denton True “Cy” Young pitched his way to the other two. A four-time 20-game winner, Dinneen won 170 games over the course of his 12-year play

Fred Clarke 1915 Cracker Jack baseball card

Fred Clarke is a Hall of Fame player who very well might have gained induction on the strength of his managerial career. As an outfielder, Clarke compiled 2,672 career hits and a .312 lifetime average; for good measure, he also had over 500 stolen bases. During the course of his 19-year career as a

Letter to Ford Frick thanking him for the lifetime pass

When the NL and AL got together to award Lifetime Passes, men who played 20 or more years received solid gold passes. Only 17 were initially issued. Upon receiving his gold pass Fred Clarke, a veteran of 21 Major League seasons was so pleased that he was compelled to write this thank-you note to NL

Lengthy 1908 Barney Dreyfuss handwritten with Clarke mention

All of Fred Clarke’s 21 years in the big leagues as a player and as a manager were spent with owner Barney Dreyfuss. Clarke spent three years as a player for the Louisville Colonels before being entrusted with player-manager duties. Clarke and Dreyfuss worked together

Stories about Fred Clarke

Living on America’s frontier cost Deadball Era star Charles “Deacon” Phillippe a chance at Cooperstown

March 29th, 2021 Leave a comment

A career worthy of Cooperstown review Deadball Era star Charles “Deacon” Phillippe pitched in more than 450 professional games in a career that almost never happened. Born less than a decade after the end of the US Civil War, Phillippe grew up on the outskirts of the American frontier, beyond the reach of pro baseball. His big league talent undiscovered, Phillippe had to wait until just before his 27th birthday to throw his first pitch in the majors. Once he reached baseball’s highest level, Phillippe made an immediate impact, topping the 20-win plateau in each of his first five seasons. A control artist, Phillippe’s career walk-per-nine-innings rate is the lowest since the pitching distance moved to 60’6″. Phillippe’s glove work was also top-tier. His career fielding percentage was 23 points above the league average. As a hitter, he topped the .200 mark 8 of his 13 seasons. In 1910 the 39-year old Phillippe became the first pitcher to hit an inside-the-park grand slam. More than a century later Mel Stottlemeyre is the only moundsman to match the feat. The forgotten Deadball Era star also has an impressive postseason pedigree. The winner of baseball’s first World Series game, his performance in […]

Lifetime passes were the brainchild of NL President Ford Frick; here’s a pictorial history

June 18th, 2016 Leave a comment

A newspaper man turned league publicist turned league president came up with a brilliant idea in 1934 — reward longtime National League players with a lifetime pass to all NL games. Senior Circuit owners approved Ford Frick’s proposal at the league meeting in December of ’34. A few months later, Frick sent out ornately decorated paper Lifetime Passes to the NL’s greatest players. He even sent one to Babe Ruth who appeared in all of 28 games for the Boston Braves in 1935. A 21-year veteran of the American League, the Babe was grateful if not surprised when he remarked, “At least the National League has a heart”. An image of the original paper pass presented to Hall of Fame outfielder Sliding Billy Hamilton can be seen below. A similar pass curiously issued to Stan Coveleski, a lifetime American Leaguer is also shown. Perhaps shamed by Ruth’s remarks, the American League joined forces in 1936 to issue a pass to all Major League contests. Players with twenty or more years of service received a solid gold pass. Seventeen men qualified for the true “golden ticket” — Ruth, Fred Clarke, Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Bill Dahlen, Harry Davis, Red Faber, Walter Johnson, […]