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.
