Cliff Blankenship
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1905-1909)
Cliff Blankenship was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1909 for the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Senators, a span of 5 seasons. In 95 career games, he hit .225 with 49 hits and 22 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 165 lb
- Died
- 4/26/1956 in Oakland, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1905-04-17
- Last Game
- 1909-08-18
Full name: Clifford Douglas Blankenship
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95 | 218 | 16 | 49 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 6 | 7 | 13 | .225 | .249 | .252 | .501 | -608 |
Career AVG .225 vs. league average .246 across their career seasons — 8.6% below league average.
Career OBP .249 vs. league average .306 across their career seasons — 18.7% below league average.
Career SLG .252 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 19.8% below league average.
Career OPS .501 vs. league average .621 across their career seasons — 19.3% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1905 | CIN | NL | 19 | 56 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 2 | .196 | .248 (-21%) | .307 (-19%) | .322 (-23%) | .629 (-21%) | -167.1 |
| 1907 | WS1 | AL | 37 | 102 | 4 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 | .225 | .245 (-8%) | .304 (-19%) | .308 (-21%) | .613 (-20%) | -288.3 |
| 1909 | WS1 | AL | 39 | 60 | 4 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 6 | .250 | .244 (+2%) | .306 (-18%) | .312 (-15%) | .618 (-17%) | -152.2 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 95 | 218 | 16 | 49 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 6 | 7 | 13 | .225 | — | — | — | — | -608 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (101 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 60 | 142 | 10 | 36 | 0 | 13 | .254 |
| Away | 41 | 76 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 6 | .184 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909-08-18 | MIN | PHA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-08-13 | MIN | DET | L | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-08-12 | MIN | DET | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-08-10 | MIN | SLA | L | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1909-08-09 | MIN | SLA | L | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1909-08-07 | MIN | SLA | W | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-08-06 | MIN | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-08-03 | MIN | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-07-31 | MIN | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909-07-29 | MIN | CHW | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 41 |
| First Base | 22 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Center Field | 2 |
| Right Field | 2 |
Cliff Blankenship: the record in brief
According to the bio, Cliff Blankenship debuted on April 17, 1905 and played a final game on August 18, 1909. Club by club, the record runs the Cincinnati Reds (1905) and the Washington Senators (1907 to 1909). Blankenship is listed as a catcher at 5'10" and 165 pounds. The bio says Blankenship both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is April 10, 1880, in Columbus, GA, USA. Blankenship's death is recorded on April 26, 1956, in Oakland, CA, USA. The bio lists the given name Clifford Douglas.
In 95 games and 218 at bats, Blankenship batted .225 with 49 hits, adding 22 RBI. The on-base percentage is .249 and the slugging percentage .252, for an OPS of .501. Over the seasons Blankenship played, league hitters batted .246; the .225 career figure is 8.6% below that. The highest hit total in a season was 23, in 1907. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .225 in 1907, did not top the league's .245.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cliff Blankenship
- What years did Cliff Blankenship play?
- Cliff Blankenship played in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1909.
- Was Cliff Blankenship a pitcher?
- No. Cliff Blankenship was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Cliff Blankenship hit?
- Cliff Blankenship hit 0 career home runs with 49 hits.
- What was Cliff Blankenship's career batting average?
- Cliff Blankenship batted .225 over his career, with 49 hits in 218 at bats.
- How many RBI did Cliff Blankenship have?
- Cliff Blankenship drove in 22 runs in his career.
- Is Cliff Blankenship in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Cliff Blankenship has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.