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{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{
{{For|the slavery abolitionist|John Clarkson (abolitionist)}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
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|caption = Clarkson in 1905
|birth_date={{Birth date|1861|7|1}}
|birth_place=[[Cambridge, Massachusetts]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1909|2|4|1861|7|1}}
|death_place=[[Belmont, Massachusetts]], U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
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* 3× [[List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders|NL strikeout leader]] (1885, 1887, 1889)
* Pitched a [[no-hitter]] on July 27, 1885
* [[Chicago Cubs#Cubs Hall of Fame|Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame]]
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
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|hofmethod=Veterans Committee
}}
'''John Gibson Clarkson''' (July 1, 1861 – February 4, 1909) was
He was elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1963.
==Career overview==
Clarkson compiled a career
Clarkson had a wide variety of curve balls and was considered to be a calculating, scientific pitcher who carefully analyzed every hitter's weaknesses. Hall of Fame hitter [[Sam Thompson]] said of Clarkson: "I faced him in scores of games and I can truthfully say that never in all that time did I get a pitch that came where I expected it or in the way in which I guessed it was coming."<ref name="baseballhalloffame.org">[http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/detail.jsp?playerId=112369 National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: Hall of Famer detail<!-- bot-generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901191943/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/detail.jsp?playerId=112369 |date=September 1, 2007 }} at www.baseballhalloffame.org</ref>
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At the time Clarkson retired from the game, he was the winningest pitcher in National League history.<ref name="baseballhalloffame.org"/>
Aside from being a great pitcher, Clarkson was also a fair hitter. His 24 career home runs
Total Baseball ranked Clarkson as the fourth best pitcher of all time behind Hall of Famers Cy Young, Christy Mathewson and Lefty Grove,<ref name="19cbaseball.com">[http://www.19cbaseball.com/players-john-clarkson.html Baseball History: 19th Century Baseball: The Players: John Clarkson<!-- bot-generated title -->] at www.19cbaseball.com</ref> though [[Bill James]] ranks him lower at number 42 in his ''[[The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract]]''.
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==Early years==
Born in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]], Clarkson was one of five sons of a prosperous jeweler.<ref name="bleedcubbieblue.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/story/2007/1/30/91847/7000|title=The Top 100 Cubs Of All Time - #20 John Clarkson|
After attending business school and playing semipro ball, Clarkson signed as a free agent with
==Chicago White Stockings (1884–1887)==
Chicago manager [[Cap Anson]] saw Clarkson pitching for [[Saginaw, Michigan|Saginaw]] in the Northwest League in 1884.<ref name="bleedcubbieblue.com"/> On August 24, 1884, the White Stockings purchased him from Saginaw.
The White Stockings finished in fifth place in 1884, but Clarkson put in a strong performance, going
Clarkson was known to be extremely sensitive to criticism. Shortly after his death in 1909, former Chicago player/manager [[Cap Anson]] noted that "not many know what amount of encouragement it took to keep him going." Anson recalled: "Scold him, find fault with him, and he would not pitch at all. Say to him after a game: 'Grand work, John, I will probably use you again tomorrow, for we've got to have that game,' and he would go out the next day and stand all batters on their heads.'" Alfred H. Spink, ''The National Game'' (1910), ''quoted in'' Bill James, ''[[The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract]]'' (2001), p. 873.<ref name="bleedcubbieblue.com"/>
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In 1885, Clarkson became Chicago's principal starting pitcher. In a remarkable feat of durability, Clarkson appeared in 70 games that year, pitched 623 innings and threw 68 complete games. He also won 53 games with an ERA of 1.85 ([[Adjusted ERA+]] of 165).
On July 27, 1885, he pitched the only no-hitter of his career with a
His 50th win of the season occurred on September 19, 1885, a
The White Stockings won the 1885 National League pennant with 83 wins, 53 of which came from Clarkson. Clarkson started three games in the [[1885 World Series]] against the St. Louis Browns, with a record of
Clarkson's performance in 1885 led the National League in wins (53) and strikeouts (308) and ranks as one of the most remarkable in major league history.
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===A 36-win season in 1886===
In 1886, Clarkson shared the pitching load with [[Jim McCormick (pitcher)|Jim McCormick]] and [[Jocko Flynn]], each of whom won at least 23 games and pitched over 250 innings. Clarkson had a record of
The 1886 White Stockings finished with a record of
Clarkson pitched four games (three of which were complete games) in the [[1886 World Series]]. He had a record of
The sixth game, at St. Louis, was considered one of the greatest games ever played to that time. With the Browns ahead three games to two, Anson called on Clarkson to start his fourth game in six days. Clarkson responded with seven shutout innings, but gave up three runs in the eighth inning, and the game went to extra innings. In the bottom of the tenth inning, the Browns' center fielder [[Curt Welch]] singled (only the fourth hit off Clarkson) and moved to third on a sacrifice. Welch and Browns’ third base coach [[Arlie Latham]] tried to distract Clarkson with heckling and faking moves toward home. When Welch finally attempted the steal, Chicago's catcher, [[King Kelly]], had called for a pitchout, but Clarkson threw a wild pitch, and Welch scored the World Series winning run.<ref name="19cbaseball.com"/><ref name="bleedcubbieblue.com"/>
===A 38-win season in 1887===
In 1887, Clarkson was
==Boston Beaneaters (1888–1892)==
[[Image:JohnClarkson.jpg|thumb|150px|left|John Clarkson]]
On April 3, 1888, the White Stockings sold Clarkson to the [[Boston Beaneaters]] for $10,000—a huge sum at the time. Clarkson followed teammate [[King Kelly]], who had been sold from Chicago to Boston the previous year
▲On April 3, 1888, the White Stockings sold Clarkson to the [[Boston Beaneaters]] for $10,000—a huge sum at the time. Clarkson followed teammate [[King Kelly]], who had been sold from Chicago to Boston the previous year. Boston had paid $10,000 apiece for Kelly and Clarkson, and they became known as the "$20,000 Battery."
Clarkson pitched five
===A 49-win season in 1889===
The 1889 season was Clarkson's best for Boston. He started a career-high 72 games and had an astounding record of
While Clarkson's 1889 numbers are comparable to those he posted in 1885, the game and distance to the plate had changed, and no other pitcher pitched nearly as many games or innings as Clarkson in 1889. As a measure of his dominance, Clarkson's 49 wins were 11 more than any other pitcher; his 620 innings were 200 more than any other pitcher; and his 68 complete games were 22 more than any other pitcher. He also had twice as many shutouts as the next best pitcher. He was only the fourth pitcher to win the pitching [[Major League Baseball Triple Crown|Triple Crown]], by leading the National League in wins, ERA and strikeouts.
On June 4, 1889, Clarkson became the first pitcher in major league history to throw an [[
===Later years in Boston===
Clarkson became involved in the players' rebellion in 1890, but then opted to remain with the Beaneaters.<ref name="bleedcubbieblue.com"/>
In 1891, Clarkson helped lead the Beaneaters to the National League pennant. Clarkson led the team with a
During a game that carried into the dusk hours, Clarkson once pitched a lemon to the plate to persuade the umpire, [[Jack Kerins]] to call the game due to darkness. Kerins called the lemon a strike, and when shown by Boston's catcher that he had called a lemon a strike, Kerins finally called the game.<ref name="bleedcubbieblue.com"/><ref>[
==Cleveland Spiders (1892–1893)==
On June 30, 1892, after 16 starts and an 8–6 record, Clarkson was released by Boston's new manager, [[Frank Selee]]
In 1893, Clarkson had the first losing record of his career, finishing
After the 1893 season, Clarkson went on a hunting trip with his close friend [[Charlie Bennett]], who had been his catcher from 1888 to 1890.
▲In 1893, Clarkson had the first losing record of his career, finishing 16-17 with a career-high ERA of 4.45.
In 1894, his final year in the major leagues, Clarkson went 8–10 in 18 starts for the Spiders. He played his last major league game on July 12, 1894.
▲After the 1893 season, Clarkson went on a hunting trip with his close friend [[Charlie Bennett]], who had been his catcher from 1888 to 1890. Bennett got off the train in [[Wellsville, Kansas]] and when he tried to reboard, Bennett slipped and fell under the train's wheels. Bennett lost both of his legs in the accident. Clarkson witnessed the incident, and it was said to have severely affected his already unstable nature.
==Life after baseball==
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* [[300 win club]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders]]
* [[Major League Baseball Triple Crown]]▼
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual saves leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball all-time leaders in home runs by pitchers]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball no-hitters]]
{{div col end}}
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*{{bbhof|clarkson-john}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071210013821/http://thedeadballera.com/Obits/Clarkson.John.Obit.html ''New York Times'' Obituary for Clarkson]
* {{Find a Grave}}
{{s-start}}
{{S-ach|ach}}
{{succession box | title=[[
{{succession box | title=[[
▲{{succession box | title=[[National League]] [[Major League Baseball Triple Crown|Pitching Triple Crown]] | before= [[Tim Keefe]] | years=1889 | after= [[Amos Rusie]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Chicago Cubs Opening Day starting pitchers}}
{{Atlanta Braves Opening Day starting pitchers}}
{{1885 Chicago White Stockings}}
{{1886 Chicago White Stockings}}
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{{1963 Baseball HOF}}
{{Baseball Hall of Fame members}}
{{Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarkson, John}}
[[Category:1861 births]]
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[[Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Cambridge, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:19th-century baseball players]]
[[Category:Worcester
[[Category:Chicago White Stockings players]]
[[Category:Boston Beaneaters players]]
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[[Category:National League wins champions]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Bay City, Michigan]]
[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:East Saginaw Grays players]]
[[Category:Saginaw Greys players]]
[[Category:McLean Hospital patients]]
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