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John Clarkson rose to prominence with the Chicago White Stockings, winning 53 games with a 1.85 ERA for the club in 1885 while making 70 starts with a league leading 68 complete games, 10 shutouts, 308 strikeouts and 623 innings, all totals for a starter (except the strikeouts) that are completely unfathomable in this day and age. Of course, such a season would not have been complete without at least one no-hitter, Clarkson spinning his lone career gem against the Providence Grays on July 27. His arm did not give out from such a workload; far from it. Following a "mere" 466 2/3 innings and 36 wins in 1886, he led the N
John Clarkson rose to prominence with the Chicago White Stockings, winning 53 games with a 1.85 ERA for the club in 1885 while making 70 starts with a league leading 68 complete games, 10 shutouts, 308 strikeouts and 623 innings, all totals for a starter (except the strikeouts) that are completely unfathomable in this day and age. Of course, such a season would not have been complete without at least one no-hitter, Clarkson spinning his lone career gem against the Providence Grays on July 27. His arm did not give out from such a workload; far from it. Following a "mere" 466 2/3 innings and 36 wins in 1886, he led the NL with 60 games (56 complete), 523 innings, 237 strikeouts and 38 wins in 1887.
Clarkson was sold by the White Stockings, skippered by Cap Anson, to the Boston Beaneaters in 1888 for $10,000. He formed the $20,000 Battery with another sound Boston purchase, Mike "King" Kelly, winning 33 games in 54 starts and a league leading 483 1/3 innings in year one of his new arrangement. In 1889, leading the league in games (73), starts (72), complete games (68), shutouts (8), innings pitched (620!), strikeouts (284) victories (the 49 in a 49-19 record) and ERA (2.73). Clarkson was the fourth man to win a pitching triple crown, following Tommy Bond, Guy Hecker and Old Hoss Radbourn. He also became the first man in history to pitch an immaculate inning, retiring Jim Fogarty, Sam Thompson, and Sid Farrar of the Philadelphia Quakers in quick succession on June 4.
He was still able to rack up wins over the next few seasons, but John would never be as dominating as 1889 again. He initially joined, then backtracked, on the Players Rebellion of 1890, sticking with the Beaneaters for a 26 win season with a ballooning 3.27 ERA (his largest since a 3 game debut stint with Worcester in 1882). He aided Boston's pennant in 1891 with his final 50 start season, also leading the NL (albeit retroactively) with 3 saves to couple with a 33-19, 2.79 record. The Beaneaters released him in 1892 and Clarkson moved to the Cleveland Spiders for the remainder of his career, moved out of his usual ace role by a young man who would prove to be the ultimate ace, Cy Young. He retired in the midst of a tough 8-10, 4.42 season in 1894, finishing his career with a then National League record record 328 victories plus 1,978 strikeouts in just twelve seasons.
In addition to a good fastball, Clarkson was known for his outstanding sidearm curveball which had tremendous breaking action, mystifying opposing batters. He also developed an overhand sinker when the rules about pitching overhand were relaxed. Additionally, he was a strong hitter for a pitcher, batting .219 with 24 home runs, still good for 7th best all-time. It was therefore surprising it took Clarkson such a long time to make it to the Hall of Fame, even though his career numbers are almost equal to those of Charley Radbourn, who was among the first inductees by the Veterans Committee. No other pitcher from the 1880s and 1890s was inducted until the early 1960s, including fellow 300-game winners like Pud Galvin, Mickey Welch, and Tim Keefe. It took Early Wynn's well-publicized chase of 300 wins in 1962 and 1963 to bring attention to previous pitchers who had accomplished the feat, including Clarkson. He was the first of that group to be admitted, in 1963.
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Tags: Baseball (1), Cambridge (1), Pitcher (1), Born 1861 (1), Baseball Hall Of Fame (1), Right-Handed Pitcher (1), Pitching Triple Crown (1), Boston Beaneaters (1), Chicago White Stockings (1), Webster School (MA) (1), Died 1909 (1)
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