Horace Clarke
Encyclopedia
Horace Meredith Clarke was a Major League Baseball
player for the New York Yankees
and the San Diego Padres
from 1965 to 1974.
He was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1958. He made his Major League Baseball
debut on May 13, 1965. In 1967, he became the Yankees' regular second baseman
upon the retirement of longtime veteran Bobby Richardson
. In 10 seasons, he hit .256, with 27 home run
s and 304 RBI. In the space of one month in 1970, he broke up three possible no-hitter
s in the ninth inning (Jim Rooker
on June 4, Sonny Siebert
on June 19 and Joe Niekro
on July 2). That season, Clarke made 732 plate appearances (batting 686 times officially). As a fielder, though, the knock on Clarke was that he would not turn the double play with runners barreling in. Few ever took him out with a slide, but Clarke would hold the ball after leaping.
Clarke was sold to the San Diego Padres
on May 31, 1974, for $25,000. He retired at the end of the 1974 season. After his retirement, he worked as a baseball
instructor for the Virgin Islands
Department of Recreation and as an assistant scout for the Kansas City Royals
.
", Horace Clarke is referred to occasionally.
In the book "The Wednesday Wars
", the protagonist Holling practices with Clarke through an arrangement by Mrs. Baker. Holling also calls him "One of the best baseball players to wear pinstripes since Babe Ruth
."
As one of the most well-known faces of the Yankees' teams from 1967 to 1973, that period in Yankees' history is commonly referred to as "The Horace Clarke Era."
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player for the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
from 1965 to 1974.
He was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1958. He made his Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
debut on May 13, 1965. In 1967, he became the Yankees' regular second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
upon the retirement of longtime veteran Bobby Richardson
Bobby Richardson
Robert Clinton "Bobby" Richardson is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees from through . Batting and throwing right-handed, he was a superb defensive infielder, as well as something of a clutch hitter, who played no small role in the Yankee baseball...
. In 10 seasons, he hit .256, with 27 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 304 RBI. In the space of one month in 1970, he broke up three possible no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
s in the ninth inning (Jim Rooker
Jim Rooker
James Phillip Rooker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and broadcaster.A left-hander, Rooker pitched for the Detroit Tigers , Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates ....
on June 4, Sonny Siebert
Sonny Siebert
Wilfred Charles Siebert is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from 1964 to 1975. He finished with a record of 140-114 and a 3.21 ERA. He threw a no-hitter on June 10, 1966 against the Washington Senators. He was originally drafted simultaneously by the Cleveland Indians and the St...
on June 19 and Joe Niekro
Joe Niekro
Joseph Franklin Niekro was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of Minor League Baseball pitcher Lance Niekro. A native of Blaine, Ohio, Niekro attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio and attended West...
on July 2). That season, Clarke made 732 plate appearances (batting 686 times officially). As a fielder, though, the knock on Clarke was that he would not turn the double play with runners barreling in. Few ever took him out with a slide, but Clarke would hold the ball after leaping.
Clarke was sold to the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
on May 31, 1974, for $25,000. He retired at the end of the 1974 season. After his retirement, he worked as a baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
instructor for the Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...
Department of Recreation and as an assistant scout for the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
.
In popular culture
In the television show "The JobThe Job (TV series)
The Job was a single-camera television comedy drama about a New York City police officer named Mike McNeil -- who indulges in adultery, alcohol, cigarettes and prescription drug abuse—and his fellow 'bumbling detective' pals...
", Horace Clarke is referred to occasionally.
In the book "The Wednesday Wars
The Wednesday Wars
The Wednesday Wars is a 2007 young adult historical fiction novel written by Gary D. Schmidt, the author of Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. The novel is set in suburban Long Island during the 1967-68 school year. The Vietnam War is an important backdrop for the novel. Holling Hoodhood, the...
", the protagonist Holling practices with Clarke through an arrangement by Mrs. Baker. Holling also calls him "One of the best baseball players to wear pinstripes since Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
."
As one of the most well-known faces of the Yankees' teams from 1967 to 1973, that period in Yankees' history is commonly referred to as "The Horace Clarke Era."