Donn Clendenon was born on Monday, July 15, 1935, in Neosho, Missouri. Clendenon was 26 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 22, 1961, with the Pittsburgh Pirates. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Donn Clendenon baseball stats page.
"When we got him (Donn Clendenon), we became a different team. We never had a three-run homer type of guy. He was always humble, never cocky. We were still young kids in that era. He was a veteran that came in and made us better. When you threw him into the mix with the rest of us, we became a dangerous force. We knew we had a good team (1969 New York Mets ) with him, but we didn't know quite how good. Gil (Hodges) thought we were better than we were. He was the MVP—a very dangerous player." - New York Mets Shortstop Bud Harrelson (Dick Lammers, USA Today, 09/17/2005, 'Former slugger Donn Clendenon dead at 70', Source)
Donn ClendenonDonn Clendenon Autograph on a 1965 Topps Baseball Card (#325 | Checklist) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Donn ClendenonDonn Clendenon Pitching Stats |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
- | - | Did Not Pitch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
Donn ClendenonDonn Clendenon Hitting Stats |
|||||||||||||||||||||
Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1961 | 26 | Pirates | 9 | 35 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .314 | .400 | .400 |
1962 | 27 | Pirates | 80 | 222 | 39 | 67 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 28 | 26 | 3 | 58 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .302 | .376 | .477 |
1963 | 28 | Pirates | 154 | 563 | 65 | 155 | 28 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 57 | 39 | 3 | 136 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 14 | .275 | .326 | .430 |
1964 | 29 | Pirates | 133 | 457 | 53 | 129 | 23 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 64 | 26 | 2 | 96 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 10 | .282 | .321 | .446 |
1965 | 30 | Pirates | 162 | 612 | 89 | 184 | 32 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 96 | 48 | 7 | 128 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 10 | .301 | .351 | .467 |
1966 | 31 | Pirates | 155 | 571 | 80 | 171 | 22 | 10 | 28 | 0 | 98 | 52 | 7 | 142 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 14 | .299 | .358 | .520 |
1967 | 32 | Pirates | 131 | 478 | 46 | 119 | 15 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 56 | 34 | 4 | 107 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 15 | .249 | .298 | .370 |
1968 | 33 | Pirates | 158 | 584 | 63 | 150 | 20 | 6 | 17 | 0 | 87 | 47 | 4 | 163 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 14 | .257 | .309 | .399 |
1969 | 34 | Expos | 38 | 129 | 14 | 31 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | .240 | .272 | .395 |
1969 | 34 | Mets | 72 | 202 | 31 | 51 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 37 | 19 | 4 | 62 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | .252 | .321 | .455 |
1970 | 35 | Mets | 121 | 396 | 65 | 114 | 18 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 97 | 39 | 4 | 91 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 15 | .288 | .348 | .515 |
1971 | 36 | Mets | 88 | 263 | 29 | 65 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 37 | 21 | 3 | 78 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | .247 | .302 | .411 |
1972 | 37 | Cardinals | 61 | 136 | 13 | 26 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 17 | 4 | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | .191 | .279 | .309 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
12 Years | 1,362 | 4,648 | 594 | 1,273 | 192 | 57 | 159 | 1 | 682 | 379 | 46 | 1,140 | 17 | 47 | 21 | 123 | .274 | .328 | .442 |
Donn ClendenonDonn Clendenon Fielding Stats |
||||||||||||||||
Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1961 Pirates | LF | 1 | 1 | 27 | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 4.00 |
1961 Pirates | RF | 7 | 7 | 207 | 13 | 1.9 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.70 |
1962 Pirates | 1B | 52 | 41 | 1,135 | 410 | 7.9 | 406 | 382 | 24 | 4 | 44 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .990 | 9.66 |
1962 Pirates | LF | 17 | 17 | 390 | 34 | 2.0 | 32 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .941 | 2.22 |
1962 Pirates | RF | 2 | 1 | 36 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.75 |
1963 Pirates | 1B | 151 | 146 | 3,972 | 1,583 | 10.5 | 1,568 | 1,450 | 118 | 15 | 154 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .991 | 10.66 |
1964 Pirates | 1B | 119 | 113 | 3,053 | 1,242 | 10.4 | 1,228 | 1,153 | 75 | 14 | 116 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .989 | 10.86 |
1965 Pirates | 1B | 158 | 156 | 4,203 | 1,719 | 10.9 | 1,691 | 1,572 | 119 | 28 | 161 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .984 | 10.86 |
1965 Pirates | 3B | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 9.00 |
1966 Pirates | 1B | 152 | 148 | 3,997 | 1,572 | 10.3 | 1,548 | 1,452 | 96 | 24 | 182 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .985 | 10.46 |
1967 Pirates | 1B | 123 | 119 | 3,223 | 1,303 | 10.6 | 1,288 | 1,199 | 89 | 15 | 122 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .988 | 10.79 |
1968 Pirates | 1B | 155 | 152 | 4,165 | 1,732 | 11.2 | 1,715 | 1,587 | 128 | 17 | 134 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .990 | 11.12 |
1969 Expos | 1B | 24 | 21 | 569 | 237 | 9.9 | 234 | 214 | 20 | 3 | 22 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 11.10 |
1969 Expos | CF | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
1969 Expos | LF | 9 | 9 | 231 | 17 | 1.9 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .882 | 1.75 |
1969 Expos | RF | 1 | 1 | 27 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.00 |
1969 Mets | 1B | 58 | 46 | 1,308 | 450 | 7.8 | 443 | 418 | 25 | 7 | 46 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .984 | 9.14 |
1969 Mets | LF | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
1970 Mets | 1B | 100 | 96 | 2,480 | 791 | 7.9 | 784 | 722 | 62 | 7 | 72 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .991 | 8.54 |
1971 Mets | 1B | 72 | 55 | 1,646 | 550 | 7.6 | 542 | 505 | 37 | 8 | 49 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .985 | 8.89 |
1972 Cardinals | 1B | 36 | 31 | 837 | 289 | 8.0 | 285 | 259 | 26 | 4 | 34 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .986 | 9.19 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1B Totals | 1,200 | 1,124 | 30,588 | 11,878 | 9.9 | 11,732 | 10,913 | 819 | 146 | 1,136 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .988 | 10.36 | |
LF Totals | 28 | 27 | 654 | 55 | 2.0 | 51 | 48 | 3 | 4 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .927 | 2.11 | |
RF Totals | 10 | 9 | 270 | 16 | 1.6 | 16 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.60 | |
3B Totals | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 9.00 | |
CF Totals | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 | |
12 Years | 1,240 | 1,160 | 31,521 | 11,951 | 9.6 | 11,801 | 10,976 | 825 | 150 | 1,138 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 10.11 |
Donn ClendenonDonn Clendenon Miscellaneous Stats |
||||||||||||
Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1961 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 3.5 | 17.5 | - | - | - |
1962 Pirates | 16 | 4 | .800 | 7 | 11 | n/a | 31.7 | 3.8 | 7.9 | - | - | - |
1963 Pirates | 22 | 13 | .629 | 6 | 1 | n/a | 37.5 | 4.1 | 9.9 | - | - | - |
1964 Pirates | 12 | 8 | .600 | 15 | 2 | n/a | 38.1 | 4.8 | 7.1 | - | - | - |
1965 Pirates | 9 | 9 | .500 | 5 | 0 | n/a | 43.7 | 4.8 | 6.4 | - | - | - |
1966 Pirates | 8 | 7 | .533 | 5 | 1 | n/a | 20.4 | 4.0 | 5.8 | - | - | - |
1967 Pirates | 4 | 4 | .500 | 10 | 1 | n/a | 36.8 | 4.5 | 8.5 | - | - | - |
1968 Pirates | 10 | 3 | .769 | 3 | 0 | n/a | 34.4 | 3.6 | 6.7 | - | - | - |
1969 Expos | 0 | 2 | .000 | 6 | 0 | n/a | 32.3 | 4.0 | 9.2 | - | - | - |
1969 Mets | 3 | 2 | .600 | 22 | 1 | n/a | 16.8 | 3.3 | 5.5 | - | - | - |
1970 Mets | 4 | 1 | .800 | 25 | 0 | n/a | 18.0 | 4.4 | 4.1 | - | - | - |
1971 Mets | 1 | 2 | .333 | 30 | 0 | n/a | 23.9 | 3.4 | 7.1 | - | - | - |
1972 Cardinals | 1 | 2 | .333 | 27 | 0 | n/a | 34.0 | 3.7 | 15.1 | - | - | - |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
12 Years | 90 | 57 | .612 | 162 | 17 | n/a | 29.2 | 4.1 | 6.8 | - | - | - |
Donn ClendenonDonn Clendenon Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
||||
Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1961 Pittsburgh Pirates | 35 | Undetermined | - | - |
1962 Pittsburgh Pirates | 17 | Undetermined | - | - |
1963 Pittsburgh Pirates | 17 | Undetermined | - | - |
1964 Pittsburgh Pirates | 17 | $15,000.00 | - | - |
1965 Pittsburgh Pirates | 17 | $25,000.00 | - | - |
1966 Pittsburgh Pirates | 17 | $40,000.00 | - | - |
1967 Pittsburgh Pirates | 17 | $40,000.00 | - | - |
1968 Pittsburgh Pirates | 17 | $34,000.00 | - | - |
1969 Montreal Expos | 17 | $50,000.00 | - | - |
1969 New York Mets | 22 | " " | - | Stats |
1970 New York Mets | 22 | $60,000.00 | - | - |
1971 New York Mets | 22 | Undetermined | - | - |
1972 St. Louis Cardinals | 16 | Undetermined | - | - |
Donn Clendenon Stats by Baseball Almanac |
Did you know that Donn Clendenon was the first New York Mets player to win a World Series Most Valuable Player Award? Too easy? Did you know he was the first Series MVP who was a first baseman? Not too bad for a player who didn't become a member of the Miracle Mets until the Montreal Expos traded him to New York on June 15:
Donn Clendenon | New York Mets Hero Decks Playing CardBaseball Almanac Research Library
Donn Clendenon - The Amazin' Met
The Mets were in second place, nine games back of Leo Durocher's Chicago Cubs in the newly aligned National League East, when they acquired Clendenon.
Splitting time with Ed Kranepool at first base, Clendenon's numbers with the Mets, did not improve immediately over those he put up with the Expos. Slowly, however, Clendenon's batting average began to rise; as did his contributions:
On August 30, 1969, Clendenon hit a tenth-inning home run against the San Francisco Giants to give the Mets the 3–2 win.
The Mets were 2½ games back of Chicago when the Cubs came to Shea Stadium for a two-game set on September 8, 1969. The Mets swept the set to move within ½ game of first place, with Clendenon hitting a two-run home run in the Mets' 7-1 victory on the ninth.
The Mets won their next six in a row (ten total) to move 3½ games over the Cubs. On September 24, 1969, Clendenon single handedly beat the St. Louis Cardinals with a three run home run and a solo shot to help clinch the National League East.
Overall, the Miracle Mets won 39 of their last 50 games, and finished with 100 wins against 62 losses, eight games over the second-place Cubs.
Donn Clendenon - The World Series MVP
Clendenon did not appear in the 1969 National League Championship Series three-game Mets' sweep of the Atlanta Braves to reach the 1969 World Series.
In the 1969 World Series; however, Clendenon appeared in four of the five games, missing only Game 3. Clendenon went 2 for 4 in Game 1, scoring the Mets' only run in their 4–1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. He hit a fourth-inning home run in Game 2 and a second-inning home run in Game 4 to give the Mets early 1-0 leads in both games.
The Orioles were ahead 3–0 in Game 5 when Cleon Jones led off the sixth inning. Dave McNally struck Jones in the foot with a pitch; however, home plate umpire Lou DiMuro ruled that the ball had missed Jones. Mets manager Gil Hodges emerged from the dugout to argue, and showed DiMuro a shoe-polish smudge on the ball. DiMuro reversed his call, and awarded Jones first base. Clendenon, the following batter, hit a two-run home run to pull the Mets within one run. The Mets eventually won the game, 5–3, to complete their improbable World Series victory over the heavily favored Orioles.
For the series, Clendenon batted .357 with three home runs and four RBIs, and was named World Series MVP. His three home runs remain tied for most home runs in a five-game Series, with Ryan Howard equaling it in the 2008 World Series.
Pittsburgh Pirates teammate (1964-1968) Steve Blass said this about Donn Clendenon, "The one thing I remember was hearing that he could have been a pro athlete in three different sports—baseball, football or basketball. He was that gifted of an athlete. He was a prototypical first baseman. He was big with a big reach and gave you a big target." The USA Today article (link) doesn't mention it, but when Clendenon was at Morehouse College he earned twelve letters in the sports Blass mentions (as well as track) and Donn received offers from the Cleveland Browns (NFL) and the New York Knicks (NBA) - as well as the Harlem Globetrotters!
Donn Clendenon | Miracle In New York | Book CoverBaseball Almanac Research Library
After Donn Clendenon retired, he recounted in great detail the Miracle Mets season in his book, Miracle In New York, a great clubhouse view of baseball. Some comments by teammates:
"Donn Clendenon was a tower of strength for me. I love the man. He made me feel very capable with his performance and leadership, and when you read his book, you'll understand why. I couldn't put the book down as it evoked wonderful memories for me of that fabulous year." - Tug McGraw
"The 1969 Mets had great pitching, defense, and timley hitting. The team was like a puzzle that was being put together by Gil Hodges, and when Gil acquired Donn Clendenon in June of 1969, he was the final piece of the puzzle that set us in motion to pursue our World Series Championship." - Tommie Agee
"The 1969 Mets were known for the great pitching of Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, Nolan Ryan, and Tug McGraw. But until Donn Clendenon showed up with his big bat, we had no chance of winning anything!" - Ron Swoboda
"The Mets really got lucky when Gil Hodges and Johnny Murphy brought Donn Clendenon to New York in June of 1969. Although they traded for Donn to help strengthen the Mets against left-handed pitchers, he really helped us in hitting against both left-handed and right-handed pitchers and with his excellen defense. Donn was a great asset to the team because he was a team leader on the field, off the field, and especially in the clubhouse." - Cleon Jones
Donn Clendenon also earned a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University in 1978, then practiced law in Dayton, Ohio. He also talked about (in Miracle In New York) growing up in Atlanta, earning that law degree and battling drug addiction.