Griffith, Clark C.
Baseball
b. Nov. 10, 1869, Clear Creek, MO
d. Oct. 27, 1955
One of only two baseball player who became owners, Griffith moved to Bloomington, IL, with his mother as a young teen-ager. He began pitching for a town team in 1887 and turned professional the following year.
Griffith entered the major leagues with the St. Louis team in the American Association, then was sold to Boston. He had a 17-7 combined record but developed a sore arm and was released.
At the end of the 1893 season, Griffith joined the NL's Chicago Cubs, where he became the team's ace, winning 21 or more games 6 consecutive seasons, 1894 through 1899. When the AL was established as a major league in 1901, Griffith went across town to the White Sox, leading the league in winning percentage at .774 on a 24-7 record and in shutouts with 5.
In 1903, Griffith became player-manager of the AL's New York Highlanders. His pitching career effectively ended in 1907, though he made several more appearances over the next few years. Griffith managed the Cincinnati Reds from 1909 through 1911, then bought a 10-percent interest in the Washington Senators, managing the team from 1912 through 1920, when he increased his ownership share to 40 percent and became president of the team.
As a pitcher, the 5-foot-7, 156-pound Griffith achieved his success by doctoring the ball in a variety of ways, which was legal at the time. As an owner, he was a vigorous proponent of banning the spitball and other such pitches in 1920.
Griffith was the first to scout and sign Cuban players, as early as 1911, and he seriously considered signing the great black catcher, Josh Gibson, to a contract in the late 1930s. His family still ran the franchise was it was moved to Minnesota in 1961.