John Clarkson was born on Monday, July 1, 1861, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Clarkson was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues on May 2, 1882, with the Worcester Ruby Legs. 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 John Clarkson baseball stats page.
"In knowing what kind of ball a batter could not hit and in his ability to serve up just that kind of ball, I don't think I have ever seen the equal of (John) Clarkson." - Hall of Famer Cap Anson
John Clarkson |
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John ClarksonJohn Clarkson Pitching Stats |
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| 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 |
| 1882 | 21 | Ruby Legs | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 4.50 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24.0 | 127 | 49 | 12 | 31 | 0 | 2 | - | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1884 | 23 | White Stockings | 14 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 3 | .769 | 2.14 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 118.0 | 478 | 94 | 28 | 64 | 10 | 25 | - | 102 | 7 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1885 | 24 | White Stockings | 70 | 70 | 0 | 53 | 16 | .768 | 1.85 | 68 | 10 | 0 | 623.0 | 2,487 | 497 | 128 | 255 | 21 | 97 | - | 308 | 14 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1886 | 25 | White Stockings | 55 | 55 | 0 | 36 | 17 | .679 | 2.41 | 50 | 3 | 0 | 466.2 | 1,914 | 419 | 125 | 248 | 20 | 86 | - | 313 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1887 | 26 | White Stockings | 60 | 59 | 1 | 38 | 21 | .644 | 3.08 | 56 | 2 | 0 | 523.0 | 2,183 | 513 | 179 | 283 | 20 | 92 | - | 237 | 25 | 8 | 0 | - |
| 1888 | 27 | Beaneaters | 54 | 54 | 0 | 33 | 20 | .623 | 2.76 | 53 | 3 | 0 | 483.1 | 2,029 | 448 | 148 | 239 | 17 | 119 | - | 223 | 33 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 1889 | 28 | Beaneaters | 73 | 72 | 1 | 49 | 19 | .721 | 2.73 | 68 | 8 | 1 | 620.0 | 2,736 | 589 | 188 | 280 | 16 | 203 | - | 284 | 16 | 17 | 0 | - |
| 1890 | 29 | Beaneaters | 44 | 44 | 0 | 26 | 18 | .591 | 3.27 | 43 | 2 | 0 | 383.0 | 0 | 370 | 139 | 186 | 14 | 140 | - | 138 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1891 | 30 | Beaneaters | 55 | 51 | 4 | 33 | 19 | .635 | 2.79 | 47 | 3 | 3 | 460.2 | 0 | 435 | 143 | 244 | 18 | 154 | - | 141 | 14 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1892 | 31 | Beaneaters | 16 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 6 | .571 | 2.35 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 145.2 | 0 | 115 | 38 | 65 | 4 | 60 | - | 48 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1892 | 31 | Spiders | 29 | 28 | 1 | 17 | 10 | .630 | 2.55 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 243.1 | 0 | 235 | 69 | 132 | 4 | 72 | - | 91 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1893 | 32 | Spiders | 36 | 35 | 1 | 16 | 17 | .485 | 4.45 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 295.0 | 0 | 358 | 146 | 240 | 11 | 95 | - | 62 | 15 | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1894 | 33 | Spiders | 22 | 18 | 3 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 4.42 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 150.2 | 0 | 173 | 74 | 109 | 6 | 46 | - | 28 | 8 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
| 12 Years | 531 | 518 | 12 | 328 | 178 | .648 | 2.81 | 485 | 37 | 5 | 4,536.1 | 11,954 | 4,295 | 1,417 | 2,376 | 161 | 1,191 | - | 1,978 | 182 | 35 | 0 | 0 | ||
John ClarksonJohn Clarkson Hitting Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1882 | 21 | Ruby Legs | 3 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | - | - | 0 | - | .364 | .364 | .545 |
| 1884 | 23 | White Stockings | 21 | 84 | 16 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 2 | - | 16 | - | - | 0 | - | .262 | .279 | .488 |
| 1885 | 24 | White Stockings | 72 | 283 | 34 | 61 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 32 | 3 | - | 44 | - | - | 0 | - | .216 | .224 | .332 |
| 1886 | 25 | White Stockings | 55 | 210 | 21 | 49 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 38 | - | - | 0 | - | .233 | .233 | .329 |
| 1887 | 26 | White Stockings | 63 | 204 | 40 | 41 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 25 | 11 | - | 25 | - | - | 0 | - | .201 | .242 | .309 |
| 1888 | 27 | Beaneaters | 55 | 205 | 20 | 40 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 7 | - | 48 | - | - | 0 | - | .195 | .222 | .263 |
| 1889 | 28 | Beaneaters | 73 | 262 | 36 | 54 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 11 | - | 59 | - | - | 0 | - | .206 | .238 | .286 |
| 1890 | 29 | Beaneaters | 45 | 173 | 18 | 43 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 8 | - | 31 | - | - | 1 | - | .249 | .286 | .353 |
| 1891 | 30 | Beaneaters | 55 | 187 | 28 | 42 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 18 | - | 50 | - | - | 0 | - | .225 | .293 | .305 |
| 1892 | 31 | Beaneaters | 16 | 57 | 7 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 3 | - | 15 | - | - | 0 | - | .228 | .267 | .333 |
| 1892 | 31 | Spiders | 29 | 101 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | - | 24 | - | - | 0 | - | .139 | .202 | .139 |
| 1893 | 32 | Spiders | 37 | 131 | 18 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 4 | - | 20 | - | - | 0 | - | .206 | .230 | .305 |
| 1894 | 33 | Spiders | 22 | 55 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 6 | - | 9 | 4 | - | 0 | - | .200 | .279 | .255 |
| Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
| 12 Years | 546 | 1,963 | 254 | 421 | 73 | 26 | 24 | 0 | 232 | 81 | 0 | 382 | 4 | - | 1 | - | .214 | .246 | .315 | ||
John ClarksonJohn Clarkson Fielding Stats |
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| Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| 1882 Ruby Legs | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
| 1882 Ruby Legs | P | 3 | 3 | 72 | 8 | 2.7 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .875 | 2.63 |
| 1884 White Stockings | 1B | 1 | - | 9 | 6 | 6.0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .500 | 9.00 |
| 1884 White Stockings | 3B | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .500 | 9.00 |
| 1884 White Stockings | P | 14 | 13 | 354 | 55 | 3.9 | 44 | 6 | 38 | 11 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .800 | 3.36 |
| 1884 White Stockings | RF | 8 | - | - | 14 | 1.8 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .714 | 0.00 |
| 1885 White Stockings | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| 1885 White Stockings | P | 70 | 70 | 1,869 | 220 | 3.1 | 200 | 26 | 174 | 20 | 8 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .909 | 2.89 |
| 1885 White Stockings | RF | 3 | - | - | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| 1886 White Stockings | OF | 5 | - | - | 1 | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| 1886 White Stockings | P | 55 | 55 | 1,400 | 152 | 2.8 | 133 | 19 | 114 | 19 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .875 | 2.57 |
| 1887 White Stockings | OF | 5 | - | - | 6 | 1.2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .833 | 0.00 |
| 1887 White Stockings | P | 60 | 59 | 1,569 | 166 | 2.8 | 159 | 34 | 125 | 7 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .958 | 2.74 |
| 1888 Beaneaters | P | 54 | 54 | 1,450 | 158 | 2.9 | 139 | 22 | 117 | 19 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .880 | 2.59 |
| 1888 Beaneaters | RF | 1 | - | - | 3 | 3.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .333 | 0.00 |
| 1889 Beaneaters | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
| 1889 Beaneaters | P | 73 | 72 | 1,860 | 235 | 3.2 | 208 | 36 | 172 | 27 | 8 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .885 | 3.02 |
| 1889 Beaneaters | RF | 2 | - | - | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| 1890 Beaneaters | OF | 1 | - | - | 4 | 4.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .250 | 0.00 |
| 1890 Beaneaters | P | 44 | 44 | 1,149 | 107 | 2.4 | 93 | 21 | 72 | 14 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .869 | 2.19 |
| 1891 Beaneaters | CF | 1 | - | - | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
| 1891 Beaneaters | P | 55 | 51 | 1,382 | 154 | 2.8 | 141 | 27 | 114 | 13 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .916 | 2.75 |
| 1892 Beaneaters | P | 16 | 16 | 437 | 43 | 2.7 | 38 | 2 | 36 | 5 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .884 | 2.35 |
| 1892 Spiders | P | 29 | 28 | 730 | 70 | 2.4 | 60 | 9 | 51 | 10 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .857 | 2.22 |
| 1893 Spiders | P | 36 | 35 | 885 | 104 | 2.9 | 97 | 15 | 82 | 7 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .933 | 2.96 |
| 1893 Spiders | RF | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
| 1894 Spiders | P | 22 | 18 | 452 | 54 | 2.5 | 45 | 3 | 42 | 9 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .833 | 2.69 |
| Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| P Totals | 531 | 518 | 13,609 | 1,526 | 2.9 | 1,364 | 221 | 1,143 | 162 | 44 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .894 | 2.71 | |
| RF Totals | 15 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1.3 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .650 | 0.00 | |
| OF Totals | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1.0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .636 | 0.00 | |
| 3B Totals | 4 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 1.3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .600 | 13.50 | |
| 1B Totals | 2 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 3.0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .500 | 9.00 | |
| CF Totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 | |
| 12 Years | 564 | 518 | 13,624 | 1,568 | 2.8 | 1,390 | 239 | 1,151 | 178 | 45 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .886 | 2.75 | |
John ClarksonJohn Clarkson Miscellaneous Stats |
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| 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 |
| 1882 Ruby Legs | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 3.7 | 5.5 | 1.50 | 1.13 | 0.75 |
| 1884 White Stockings | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 28.0 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 4.08 | 7.78 | 1.91 |
| 1885 White Stockings | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 70.8 | 6.4 | 8.8 | 3.18 | 4.45 | 1.40 |
| 1886 White Stockings | 2 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 70.0 | 5.5 | 9.1 | 3.64 | 6.04 | 1.66 |
| 1887 White Stockings | 6 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 34.0 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 2.58 | 4.08 | 1.58 |
| 1888 Beaneaters | 5 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 205.0 | 4.3 | 12.1 | 1.87 | 4.15 | 2.22 |
| 1889 Beaneaters | 8 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 131.0 | 4.4 | 11.4 | 1.40 | 4.12 | 2.95 |
| 1890 Beaneaters | 2 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 86.5 | 5.6 | 6.7 | 0.99 | 3.24 | 3.29 |
| 1891 Beaneaters | 2 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 3.7 | 7.2 | 0.92 | 2.75 | 3.01 |
| 1892 Beaneaters | 1 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 57.0 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 0.80 | 2.97 | 3.71 |
| 1892 Spiders | 2 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 4.2 | 25.3 | 1.26 | 3.37 | 2.66 |
| 1893 Spiders | 2 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 131.0 | 6.6 | 7.7 | 0.65 | 1.89 | 2.90 |
| 1894 Spiders | 1 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 55.0 | 6.1 | 7.9 | 0.61 | 1.67 | 2.75 |
| Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 12 Years | 31 | - | - | 0 | 0 | n/a | 81.8 | 5.1 | 8.5 | 1.66 | 3.92 | 2.36 |
John ClarksonJohn Clarkson Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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| Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
| 1882 Worcester Ruby Legs | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1884 Chicago White Stockings | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1885 Chicago White Stockings | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1886 Chicago White Stockings | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1887 Chicago White Stockings | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1888 Boston Beaneaters | n/a | $3,500.00 | n/a | n/a |
| 1889 Boston Beaneaters | n/a | $2,000.00 | n/a | n/a |
| 1890 Boston Beaneaters | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1891 Boston Beaneaters | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1892 Boston Beaneaters | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1892 Cleveland Spiders | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1893 Cleveland Spiders | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| 1894 Cleveland Spiders | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | n/a |
| John Clarkson Stats by Baseball Almanac | ||||

John Gibson Clarkson was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Worcester Ruby Legs (1882), Chicago White Stockings (1884-1887), Boston Beaneaters (1888-1892), and Cleveland Spiders (1892-1894). John led the league in wins and strikeouts in 1885, 1998, and 1889. When he added an ERA Title in 1889, it earned Clarkson a Triple Crown!
On July 27, 1885, John Clarkson pitched a no-hitter, the nineteenth no-no in baseball history!
On September 21, 1892, John Clarkson defeated Pittsburgh 3-2, earning his 300th career victory!

John Clarkson 300th Win | The Pittsburgh Post | September 22, 1892 | Page 6
In 1883, Francis Richter founded The Sporting Life, a weekly magazine devoted to coverage of all sports, with an emphasis on baseball. In 1887, Richter, and other baseball journalists, formed the Base Ball Reporters Association of America, also referred to as the National Base Ball Reporters' Association. And in 1914, Richter wrote the History and Records of Baseball: the American Nation's Chief Sport (Philadelphia: Sporting Life Publishing Co., 1914). In that historic book, Richter selected the greatest players in each position in each decade:
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