Horace Clarke

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1965-1974)

Horace Clarke was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1974 for the New York Yankees and the San Diego Padres, a span of 10 seasons. In 1,272 career games, he hit .256 with 1,230 hits, 27 home runs, and 304 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

AVG .256
HR 27
RBI 304
H 1,230
OPS .621
PIV -6,051
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 175 lb
Born
6/2/1939 in Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Died
8/5/2020 in Laurel, MD, USA
MLB Debut
1965-05-13
Last Game
1974-09-15

Full name: Horace Meredith Clarke

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Career Batting Statistics

Horace Clarke — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,272 4,813 548 1,230 150 23 27 304 151 365 362 .256 .308 .313 .621 -6,051

Career AVG .256 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .308 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .313 vs. league average .367 across their career seasons — 14.7% below league average.

Career OPS .621 vs. league average .683 across their career seasons — 9.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Horace Clarke Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1965 NYA AL 51 108 13 28 1 0 1 9 2 6 6 .259 .245 (+6%) .310 (-5%) .371 (-20%) .682 (-13%) -210.6
1966 NYA AL 96 312 37 83 10 4 6 28 5 27 24 .266 .248 (+7%) .309 (+5%) .376 (+1%) .685 (+3%) 154.2
1967 NYA AL 143 588 74 160 17 0 3 29 21 42 64 .272 .242 (+12%) .306 (+5%) .357 (-11%) .663 (-4%) -254.4
1968 NYA AL 148 579 52 133 6 1 2 26 20 23 46 .230 .236 (-3%) .298 (-14%) .340 (-25%) .638 (-20%) -1638.8
1969 NYA AL 156 641 82 183 26 7 4 48 33 53 41 .285 .248 (+15%) .320 (+6%) .369 (-1%) .689 (+2%) 289.6
1970 NYA AL 158 686 81 172 24 2 4 46 23 35 35 .251 .253 (-1%) .325 (-12%) .385 (-20%) .711 (-16%) -1836.8
1971 NYA AL 159 625 76 156 23 7 2 41 17 64 43 .250 .249 (avg) .316 (+1%) .365 (-13%) .682 (-6%) -506.1
1972 NYA AL 147 547 65 132 20 2 3 37 18 56 44 .241 .243 (-1%) .310 (+1%) .353 (-15%) .664 (-7%) -477.1
1973 NYA AL 148 590 60 155 21 0 2 35 11 47 48 .263 .256 (+2%) .325 (-3%) .378 (-19%) .703 (-11%) -973.0
1974 NYA AL 24 47 3 11 1 0 0 1 1 4 5 .234 — — — — -140.5
1974 SDN NL 42 90 5 17 1 0 0 4 0 8 6 .189 .256 (-26%) .324 (-21%) .369 (-46%) .693 (-34%) -140.5
Career · 11 seasons 1,272 4,813 548 1,230 150 23 27 304 151 365 362 .256 — — — — -5,734

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 (1272 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Horace Clarke — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home646231327960610160.262
Away626249926962517144.250

Last 10 Games — Batting

Horace Clarke — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1974-09-15 SDPATLL 400000001
1974-09-14 SDPATLL 401000001
1974-09-13 SDPATLL 402000000
1974-09-11 SDPHOUW 400000000
1974-09-08 SDPHOUL 100000000
1974-09-06 SDPHOUL 010000010
1974-09-03 SDPATLL 101000000
1974-09-02 SDPATLL 100000001
1974-09-01 SDPCHCL 101000000
1974-08-30 SDPCHCL 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Horace Clarke — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 1102 1058 2682 3179 104 695
3B 21 20 17 49 6 6
SS 64 59 103 155 8 37

Season-by-Season Fielding

Horace Clarke — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1965 NYA 2B 7 4 5 10 0 1
1965 NYA 3B 17 17 15 45 5 4
1965 NYA SS 1 0 1 1 0 0
1966 NYA 2B 16 14 42 38 3 9
1966 NYA 3B 4 3 2 4 1 2
1966 NYA SS 63 59 102 154 8 37
1967 NYA 2B 140 139 348 410 8 79
1968 NYA 2B 139 137 357 444 13 80
1969 NYA 2B 156 156 373 429 15 112
1970 NYA 2B 157 157 379 478 18 95
1971 NYA 2B 156 153 386 455 16 97
1972 NYA 2B 143 134 347 399 11 104
1973 NYA 2B 147 141 378 442 18 107
1974 NYA 2B 20 9 27 27 0 5
1974 SDN 2B 21 14 40 47 2 6

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Horace Clarke Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 1102
Third Base 21
Shortstop 64
Designated Hitter 2

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Horace Clarke (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Cesar Izturis
    .254 avg, 17 HR
  2. 97
    James Casey
    .258 avg, 9 HR
  3. 95
    Bill Coughlin
    .252 avg, 15 HR
  4. 94
    Jerry Royster
    .249 avg, 40 HR
  5. 94
    Johnny Rawlings
    .250 avg, 14 HR
  6. 92
    Jack Barry
    .243 avg, 10 HR

Horace Clarke: the record in brief

Between the debut on May 13, 1965 and the final game on September 15, 1974, Horace Clarke built the record summarized on this page. Club by club, the record runs the New York Yankees (1965 through 1974) and the San Diego Padres (1974). Clarke, born on June 2, 1939, in Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, is listed as a second baseman and switch-hit and threw right-handed. Size on record: 5 feet, 9 inches and 175 pounds. Clarke's death is recorded on August 5, 2020, in Laurel, MD, USA. The given name on file is Horace Meredith Clarke.

The batting record for Clarke: 1,272 games, 1,230 hits in 4,813 at bats, and a .256 average, plus 27 home runs, 304 RBI, and 151 stolen bases. Clarke's career OPS of .621 combines a .308 on-base mark with .313 slugging. Clarke hit .256 while the league hit .249 over the same span, a figure close to average. In OPS terms, Clarke's .621 stands 9.0% below the league's .683. The highest hit total in a season was 183, in 1969. 1969 brought the most runs batted in, 48.

Frequently Asked Questions about Horace Clarke

What years did Horace Clarke play?
Horace Clarke played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1974.
Was Horace Clarke a pitcher?
No. Horace Clarke was a position player (Second Baseman).
How many home runs did Horace Clarke hit?
Horace Clarke hit 27 career home runs with 1,230 hits.
What teams did Horace Clarke play for?
Horace Clarke played for 2 teams: the New York Yankees (1965–1974) and the San Diego Padres (1974).
What were Horace Clarke's career stats?
In 1,272 games, Horace Clarke had 1,230 hits, 27 home runs, 304 RBI, 548 runs, and 151 stolen bases, with a .256 batting average.
What position did Horace Clarke play?
Horace Clarke played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Horace Clarke and how much did he weigh?
Horace Clarke was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 175 pounds.
How many home runs did Horace Clarke hit each season?
Horace Clarke's home runs by season: 1 in 1965, 6 in 1966, 3 in 1967, 2 in 1968, 4 in 1969, 4 in 1970, 2 in 1971, 3 in 1972, 2 in 1973, and 0 in 1974. His most in one season was 6, in 1966.
What was Horace Clarke's career batting average?
Horace Clarke batted .256 over his career, with 1,230 hits in 4,813 at bats.
How many RBI did Horace Clarke have?
Horace Clarke drove in 304 runs in his career.
Is Horace Clarke in the Hall of Fame?
No. Horace Clarke has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.