Jack Clark (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Jack Anthony Clark also known as "Jack the Ripper," is a former 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...

 player. From 1975 through 1992, Clark played for the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

 (1975–84), St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

 (1985–87), 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...

 (1988), 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...

 (1989–90) and Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 (1991–92). He batted and threw right-handed.

Career

Clark started his major league career with the San Francisco Giants in as a right fielder
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...

 and the youngest player in 1975 (19). But Clark hated the Giants' Candlestick Park, a notoriously bad park for power hitters because of the wind coming off of the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...

. He won the first Willie Mac Award
Willie Mac Award
The Willie Mac Award is named in honor of Willie McCovey. It has been presented annually since 1980. It is awarded to the player on the San Francisco Giants who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership consistently shown by McCovey throughout his long career, voted upon by the players and...

 in 1980 for his spirit and leadership.

On February 1, , Clark was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

 for shortstop José Uribe
Jose Uribe
José Altagracia González Uribe was a Dominican Major League Baseball shortstop from until . Most of his ten-year career was spent with the San Francisco Giants...

, pitcher Dave LaPoint
Dave LaPoint
David Jeffrey LaPoint was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently the manager of the Rockland Boulders, an American professional baseball team based in Pomona, New York and member of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball known as the Can-Am League.-Early life and...

, and first basemen-outfielders David Green and Gary Rajsich
Gary Rajsich
Gary Louis Rajsich is an American Major League Baseball scout and a former professional baseball outfielder. He played all or part of four seasons in the Majors from until , then played three additional seasons for the Chunichi Dragons from until...

. He switched to first base to reduce risk of injury. His three- run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

 in game 6 of the 1985 NLCS was the pennant-clinching hit for the Cardinals. Clark's fielding, never his specialty, played a pivotal role in the 1985 World Series
1985 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 19, 1985 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri-Game 2:Sunday, October 20, 1985 at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri...

. Umpire Don Denkinger
Don Denkinger
Donald Anton Denkinger is a former Major League Baseball umpire who worked in the American League from 1969 to 1998. Denkinger wore uniform number 11, when the AL adopted uniform numbers in 1980. He is best remembered for an incorrect call he made at first base in Game 6 of the 1985 World...

's notorious controversial call in Game 6 came from Clark's throw to Todd Worrell
Todd Worrell
Todd Roland Worrell is a retired Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers from to ....

 at first. Clark would later misplay a foul popup that, while not ruled an error, should have been caught. Darrell Porter
Darrell Porter
Darrell Ray Porter was a former American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers. He was known for his excellent defensive skills and power hitting...

 later admitted that he called off Clark but hesitated at the last minute when he thought Clark had called for the catch, which Clark had not. This opened the door 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...

 to score two runs in the bottom of the 9th to win Game 6, and go on to capture the World Series in Game 7 the following night.

In 1987, Clark had probably his best season. He hit .286 with 35 home runs, 106 RBI, and led the league in on-base percentage (.459) and slugging percentage (.597). He accomplished all this despite missing 31 games due to nagging injuries and finished 3rd in the MVP vote. Clark again led the Cardinals to the World Series that year, although an ankle injury limited him to one at-bat in the postseason.

Clark signed a two-year contract with the New York Yankees prior to the 1988 season. He was primarily a designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...

, because of the presence of Don Mattingly
Don Mattingly
Donald Arthur "Don" Mattingly is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed "The Hit Man" and "Donnie Baseball", he played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...

 at first base. At the end of the season, he requested a trade.

Clark was traded 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...

 with Pat Clements
Pat Clements
Patrick Brian Clements is a retired professional baseball player who played eight seasons for the California Angels, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, and Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball.-External links:...

 for Lance McCullers
Lance McCullers
Lance Graye McCullers is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers. He was known as "Baby Goose" for his similarity to former big league pitcher Rich "Goose"...

, Jimmy Jones, and Stan Jefferson
Stan Jefferson
Stanley Jefferson is a former center and left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds from to ....

. He played for the Padres for two seasons. He then returned to the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 as a DH with the Boston Red Sox. He was waived by Boston in February 1993 and was signed by the Montreal Expos during 1993 spring training. He was released later that year and never made an official at bat with the Expos. He retired shortly after. A four-time All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...

, Clark also won the Silver Slugger Award in and .

In an 18-season career, Clark was a .267 hitter
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 with 340 home runs and 1180 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

 in 1994 games. He also collected 1118 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...

, 332 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

, 77 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...

s, and 1826 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....

 in 6847 at-bats.

In October 2008, Clark was named manager of the Springfield Sliders
Springfield Sliders
The Springfield Sliders are a collegiate summer league baseball team in the Prospect League. They play at Robin Roberts Field at Lanphier Park and are based in the city of Springfield, Illinois. The Sliders formed in November 2007 and were an expansion franchise for the 2008 season...

 (Springfield Illinois) of the Central Illinois Collegiate League
Central Illinois Collegiate League
The CICL was a collegiate wooden bat summer baseball league. It was composed of five teams from Illinois and Indiana.The CICL was founded in 1963 as a charter member of National Collegiate Athletic Association certified summer baseball...

 (renamed Prospect League in 2009).

Clark is second all-time with 18 extra-inning home runs.

Bankruptcy

Clark was driven into bankruptcy in 1992 by his appetite for luxury cars. According to his bankruptcy filing, he owned 18 luxury automobiles, including a $700,000 Ferrari and a Rolls Royce. Clark was trying to pay 17 car notes simultaneously, and whenever he got bored with a car he would get rid of it and just buy another one. He ended up losing his 2.4 million-dollar home and his drag-racing business because of his extravagant spending habits. Despite one of the most publicized bankruptcies in baseball, Clark reportedly got back on his feet in the late 1990s.

See also


External links

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