Clarke, Fred C.
Baseball
b. Oct. 3, 1872, Winterset, IA
d. Aug. 14, 1960
The most successful player-manager in history, Clarke filled both roles for 19 of his 21 seasons in the major leagues and compiled hall of fame numbers in both.
Clarke, who threw right and batted left, was an outstanding hitter and outfielder. He began his major league career in 1894 with the Louisville NL team and went 5 for 5 in his first game, the only player ever to do so. He was named manager of the team during the 1897 season, when he hit .406 and stole 60 bases. The following year, he led the league with 66 stolen bases.
Despite Clarke, the Louisville team wasn't very successful and the franchise was dissolved in 1900. Clarke went to Pittsburgh as player-manager. The team had finished seventh in 1899, but Clarke guided it to second place after an exciting race with Brooklyn.
The Pirates then won pennants from 1901 through 1903, with Clarke batting .316 in 1901 and .351 in 1903, when Pittsburgh lost to the Red Sox in the first modern World Series. After five first-division finishes, Pittsburgh won another pennant in 1909 and beat Detroit in an exciting seven-game World Series.
The strong-armed Clarke had four assists in a game in 1910, one of only eight outfielders to accomplish that, and he had 10 putouts in a 1911 game, tying the major league record.
Although Clarke remained on the Pittsburgh roster through 1915, he played little after 1911. Near the end of the 1915 season, his last as a manager, Pittsburgh fans honored him with "Fred Clarke Day" at Forbes Field.
Clarke retired to his Little Pirate Ranch in Kansas for ten years, then returned to the Pirates as a coach in 1925. He became vice-president and assistant manager the following year. His frequently harsh criticism led to a rebellion that resulted in the release of three players. Clarke returned to Kansas after the 1926 season.
As a manager, Clarke had a 1,602-1,181 record for a .576 winning percentage.