Rufe Clarke
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1923-1924)
Rufe Clarke was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1924 for the Detroit Tigers, a span of 2 seasons. Across 7 career appearances, he went 1-1 with a 3.97 ERA and 3 strikeouts.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 203 lb
- Died
- 2/8/1983 in Columbia, SC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1923-09-03
- Last Game
- 1924-05-19
Full name: Rufus Rivers Clarke
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | DET | AL | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 4.50 | — | 0.0 |
| 1924 | DET | AL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3.38 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 3.97 | — | 0 | ||
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.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
Career AVG .000 vs. league average .283 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career OBP .000 vs. league average .345 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career SLG .000 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.
Career OPS .000 vs. league average .735 across their career seasons — 100.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | DET | AL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1924 | DET | AL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
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 (14 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Away | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 2 | 3.2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Away | 5 | 8.0 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 5.62 |
Last 7 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924-05-19 | DET | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1924-05-14 | DET | PHA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923-10-04 | DET | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923-09-30 | DET | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923-09-25 | DET | NYY | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923-09-18 | DET | PHA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923-09-03 | DET | CHW | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 7 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924-05-19 | DET | BOS | — | 4.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1924-05-14 | DET | PHA | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923-10-04 | DET | CHW | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923-09-30 | DET | CLE | — | 2.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1923-09-25 | DET | NYY | — | 1.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1923-09-18 | DET | PHA | L | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923-09-03 | DET | CHW | W | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 7 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson College | Davidson | NC | 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919 |
Rufe Clarke: the record in brief
Rufe Clarke's major league career runs from a debut on September 3, 1923 to a final game on May 19, 1924. Clarke's only club in the season tables is the Detroit Tigers. Clarke played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Born on April 13, 1900, in Estill, SC, USA, Clarke was listed at 6'1" and 203 pounds. The bio records the death on February 8, 1983, in Columbia, SC, USA. Clarke's full given name, per the bio, is Rufus Rivers Clarke.
The pitching table credits Clarke with a 1-1 record and a 3.97 ERA in 7 games. Also on Clarke's record: 3 strikeouts. Clarke's 3.97 ERA was close to the 4.08 league figure for those seasons.
Every defensive appearance on record for Clarke, 7 games, came at pitcher.
Clarke's college years, 1916, 1917, 1918, and 1919, were spent at Davidson College. The game-log section draws on 14 games of Retrosheet box scores for Clarke.
Frequently Asked Questions about Rufe Clarke
- What years did Rufe Clarke play?
- Rufe Clarke played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1924.
- Was Rufe Clarke a pitcher?
- Yes. Rufe Clarke pitched in the major leagues, recording 1 wins and 3 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Rufe Clarke hit?
- Rufe Clarke hit 0 career home runs.
- What teams did Rufe Clarke play for?
- Rufe Clarke played for one team, the Detroit Tigers (1923–1924).
- What were Rufe Clarke's career stats?
- In 7 games, Rufe Clarke went 1-1 with a 3.97 ERA, 3 strikeouts, and 11.1 innings pitched.
- What position did Rufe Clarke play?
- Rufe Clarke played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Rufe Clarke and how much did he weigh?
- Rufe Clarke was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 203 pounds.
- What was Rufe Clarke's career ERA?
- Rufe Clarke finished with a 3.97 career ERA, going 1-1 with 3 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Rufe Clarke have?
- Rufe Clarke recorded 3 career strikeouts.
- Is Rufe Clarke in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Rufe Clarke has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.