Bill Clarkson
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1927-1929)
Bill Clarkson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1929 for the New York Giants and the Boston Braves, a span of 3 seasons. Across 51 career appearances, he went 3-12 with a 5.44 ERA and 39 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
- 5'11" / 160 lb
- Died
- 8/27/1971 in Raleigh, NC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1927-05-02
- Last Game
- 1929-10-06
Full name: William Henry Clarkson
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | NY1 | NL | 3 | 9 | 26 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 86.2 | 92 | 42 | 52 | 28 | 4.36 | 4.08 (-7%) | -1399.9 |
| 1928 | NY1 | NL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 7.94 | — | 0.0 |
| 1928 | BSN | NL | 0 | 2 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.2 | 53 | 26 | 22 | 8 | 6.75 | 4.13 (-63%) | -1073.9 |
| 1929 | BSN | NL | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 10.29 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 3 | 12 | 51 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 134.0 | 171 | 81 | 79 | 39 | 5.44 | — | -2,474 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | .080 | .207 | .080 | .287 | 0 |
Career AVG .080 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — 71.8% below league average.
Career OBP .207 vs. league average .347 across their career seasons — 40.3% below league average.
Career SLG .080 vs. league average .401 across their career seasons — 80.1% below league average.
Career OPS .287 vs. league average .748 across their career seasons — 61.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | NY1 | NL | 28 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | .050 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1928 | NY1 | NL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1928 | BSN | NL | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1929 | BSN | NL | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 53 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | .080 | — | — | — | — | 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 (104 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 32 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
| Away | 21 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 32 | 78.1 | 94 | 46 | 49 | 22 | 5.29 |
| Away | 19 | 57.2 | 77 | 35 | 30 | 17 | 5.46 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929-10-06 | BSN | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-09-28 | BSN | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-25 | BSN | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-22 | BSN | CIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-21 | BSN | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-18 | BSN | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-17 | BSN | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-15 | BSN | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-14 | BSN | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-13 | BSN | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929-10-06 | BSN | NY1 | — | 3.0 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-09-28 | BSN | PHI | L | 4.0 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-25 | BSN | PIT | — | 2.0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-22 | BSN | CIN | — | 1.0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-21 | BSN | CIN | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-18 | BSN | CHC | — | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-17 | BSN | CHC | — | 3.0 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 1928-09-15 | BSN | CHC | — | 0.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-14 | BSN | NY1 | — | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-13 | BSN | NY1 | — | 2.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 51 |
Bill Clarkson: the record in brief
Between the debut on May 2, 1927 and the final game on October 6, 1929, Bill Clarkson built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the New York Giants (1927 through 1928) and the Boston Braves (1928 through 1929). Clarkson is listed as a pitcher at 5 feet, 11 inches and 160 pounds. The bio says Clarkson batted and threw right-handed. Clarkson was born on September 27, 1898, in Portsmouth, VA, USA. Clarkson's death is recorded on August 27, 1971, in Raleigh, NC, USA. The bio lists the given name William Henry.
Across 51 games (9 starts), Clarkson recorded 3 wins against 12 losses with a 5.44 ERA. The totals include 39 strikeouts. Against a 4.27 league ERA for the same seasons, the 5.44 mark was 27.4% worse. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 4.36 in 1927, when the league's was 4.08.
Clarkson appears at one position only: pitcher, in 51 games. On the mound, Clarkson's fielding totals are 5 putouts, 37 assists and 2 errors.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Clarkson
- What years did Bill Clarkson play?
- Bill Clarkson played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1929.
- Was Bill Clarkson a pitcher?
- Yes. Bill Clarkson pitched in the major leagues, recording 3 wins and 39 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Bill Clarkson hit?
- Bill Clarkson hit 0 career home runs with 2 hits.
- What teams did Bill Clarkson play for?
- Bill Clarkson played for 2 teams: the New York Giants (1927–1928) and the Boston Braves (1928–1929).
- What were Bill Clarkson's career stats?
- In 51 games, Bill Clarkson went 3-12 with a 5.44 ERA, 39 strikeouts, 134.0 innings pitched, and 2 saves.
- What position did Bill Clarkson play?
- Bill Clarkson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Bill Clarkson and how much did he weigh?
- Bill Clarkson was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 160 pounds.
- What was Bill Clarkson's career ERA?
- Bill Clarkson finished with a 5.44 career ERA, going 3-12 with 39 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Bill Clarkson have?
- Bill Clarkson recorded 39 career strikeouts.
- Is Bill Clarkson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Clarkson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.