John Clarkson
Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1882-1894)
John Clarkson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1894 for 4 teams, including the Worcester Ruby Legs, a span of 13 seasons. Across 531 career appearances, he went 328-178 with a 2.81 ERA and 1,978 strikeouts. He also batted .219 with 24 home runs. John Clarkson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963 and was a Pitching Triple Crown. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 36437.9.
- 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
- 5'10" / 155 lb
- Died
- 2/4/1909 in Belmont, MA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1882-05-02
- Last Game
- 1894-07-12
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 1963 (Veterans)
- Awards
- Pitching Triple Crown
Full name: John Gibson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882 | WOR | NL | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24.0 | 49 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 4.50 | 2.80 (-61%) | 23.7 |
| 1884 | CHN | NL | 10 | 3 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 118.0 | 94 | 28 | 25 | 102 | 2.14 | 3.11 (+31%) | -513.3 |
| 1885 | CHN | NL | 53 | 16 | 70 | 70 | 68 | 10 | 0 | 623.0 | 497 | 128 | 97 | 308 | 1.85 | 3.03 (+39%) | 4197.2 |
| 1886 | CHN | NL | 36 | 17 | 55 | 55 | 50 | 3 | 0 | 466.2 | 419 | 125 | 86 | 313 | 2.41 | 3.37 (+28%) | 6846.8 |
| 1887 | CHN | NL | 38 | 21 | 60 | 59 | 56 | 2 | 0 | 523.0 | 513 | 179 | 92 | 237 | 3.08 | 4.17 (+26%) | 11117.4 |
| 1888 | BSN | NL | 33 | 20 | 54 | 54 | 53 | 3 | 0 | 483.1 | 448 | 148 | 119 | 223 | 2.76 | 2.95 (+6%) | 361.7 |
| 1889 | BSN | NL | 49 | 19 | 73 | 72 | 68 | 8 | 1 | 620.0 | 589 | 188 | 203 | 284 | 2.73 | 3.93 (+31%) | 7881.6 |
| 1890 | BSN | NL | 26 | 18 | 44 | 44 | 43 | 2 | 0 | 383.0 | 370 | 139 | 140 | 138 | 3.27 | 3.88 (+16%) | -88.1 |
| 1891 | BSN | NL | 33 | 19 | 55 | 51 | 47 | 3 | 3 | 460.2 | 435 | 143 | 154 | 141 | 2.79 | 3.52 (+21%) | 16.5 |
| 1892 | BSN | NL | 8 | 6 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 145.2 | 115 | 38 | 60 | 48 | 2.35 | 3.28 (+29%) | -681.5 |
| 1892 | CL4 | NL | 17 | 10 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 243.1 | 235 | 69 | 72 | 91 | 2.55 | 3.28 (+22%) | 2875.0 |
| 1893 | CL4 | NL | 16 | 17 | 36 | 35 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 295.0 | 358 | 146 | 95 | 62 | 4.45 | 4.66 (+4%) | 2647.1 |
| 1894 | CL4 | NL | 8 | 10 | 22 | 18 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 150.2 | 173 | 74 | 46 | 28 | 4.42 | 5.33 (+17%) | 1753.9 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 328 | 178 | 531 | 518 | 485 | 37 | 5 | 4,536.1 | 4,295 | 1,417 | 1,191 | 1,978 | 2.81 | — | 36,438 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 546 | 1,974 | 254 | 432 | 73 | 26 | 24 | 232 | 31 | 81 | 382 | .219 | .250 | .319 | .569 | -4,841 |
Career AVG .219 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 15.0% below league average.
Career OBP .250 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — 21.5% below league average.
Career SLG .319 vs. league average .348 across their career seasons — 8.6% below league average.
Career OPS .569 vs. league average .667 across their career seasons — 14.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882 | WOR | NL | 3 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .364 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1884 | CHN | NL | 21 | 84 | 16 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 16 | .262 | .243 (+8%) | .278 (avg) | .327 (+49%) | .606 (+27%) | 262.2 |
| 1885 | CHN | NL | 72 | 283 | 34 | 61 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 32 | 0 | 3 | 44 | .216 | .244 (-12%) | .287 (-22%) | .325 (+2%) | .613 (-9%) | -465.1 |
| 1886 | CHN | NL | 55 | 210 | 21 | 49 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 38 | .233 | .246 (-5%) | .302 (-23%) | .331 (-1%) | .634 (-11%) | -415.5 |
| 1887 | CHN | NL | 63 | 215 | 40 | 52 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 25 | 6 | 11 | 25 | .242 | .270 (-11%) | .331 (-16%) | .373 (+6%) | .705 (-4%) | -220.2 |
| 1888 | BSN | NL | 55 | 205 | 20 | 40 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 7 | 48 | .195 | .238 (-18%) | .290 (-24%) | .319 (-18%) | .610 (-21%) | -611.3 |
| 1889 | BSN | NL | 73 | 262 | 36 | 54 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 8 | 11 | 59 | .206 | .263 (-22%) | .334 (-29%) | .357 (-20%) | .691 (-24%) | -1052.4 |
| 1890 | BSN | NL | 45 | 173 | 18 | 43 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 26 | 2 | 8 | 31 | .249 | .260 (-4%) | .336 (-15%) | .351 (avg) | .687 (-7%) | -255.1 |
| 1891 | BSN | NL | 55 | 187 | 28 | 42 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 2 | 18 | 50 | .225 | .254 (-12%) | .331 (-12%) | .343 (-11%) | .675 (-11%) | -358.8 |
| 1892 | BSN | NL | 16 | 57 | 7 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 15 | .228 | .244 (-7%) | .316 (-16%) | .327 (+2%) | .644 (-7%) | -74.7 |
| 1892 | CL4 | NL | 29 | 101 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 24 | .139 | .244 (-43%) | .316 (-36%) | .327 (-58%) | .644 (-47%) | -74.7 |
| 1893 | CL4 | NL | 37 | 131 | 18 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 20 | .206 | .279 (-26%) | .356 (-36%) | .379 (-20%) | .735 (-27%) | -638.2 |
| 1894 | CL4 | NL | 22 | 55 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 9 | .200 | .309 (-35%) | .379 (-26%) | .435 (-42%) | .814 (-35%) | -334.3 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 546 | 1,974 | 254 | 432 | 73 | 26 | 24 | 232 | 31 | 81 | 382 | .219 | — | — | — | — | -4,238 | ||
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.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892 | CS | CL4 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .250 |
| 1886 | WS | CHN | 4 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .067 |
| 1885 | WS | CHN | 4 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .154 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 64.0 | 64 | 19 | 18 | 52 | 2.67 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| OF | 27 | 0 | 15 | 5 | 11 | 1 |
| P | 531 | 0 | 221 | 1143 | 162 | 44 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882 | WOR | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1882 | WOR | P | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 1884 | CHN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1884 | CHN | 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1884 | CHN | OF | 8 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 1884 | CHN | P | 14 | 0 | 6 | 38 | 11 | 5 |
| 1885 | CHN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1885 | CHN | OF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1885 | CHN | P | 70 | 0 | 26 | 174 | 20 | 8 |
| 1886 | CHN | OF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1886 | CHN | P | 55 | 0 | 19 | 114 | 19 | 3 |
| 1887 | CHN | OF | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1887 | CHN | P | 60 | 0 | 34 | 125 | 7 | 5 |
| 1888 | BSN | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1888 | BSN | P | 54 | 0 | 22 | 117 | 19 | 3 |
| 1889 | BSN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1889 | BSN | OF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1889 | BSN | P | 73 | 0 | 36 | 172 | 27 | 8 |
| 1890 | BSN | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1890 | BSN | P | 44 | 0 | 21 | 72 | 14 | 3 |
| 1891 | BSN | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1891 | BSN | P | 55 | 0 | 27 | 114 | 13 | 2 |
| 1892 | BSN | P | 16 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 5 | 3 |
| 1892 | CL4 | P | 29 | 0 | 9 | 51 | 10 | 1 |
| 1893 | CL4 | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1893 | CL4 | P | 36 | 0 | 15 | 82 | 7 | 1 |
| 1894 | CL4 | P | 22 | 0 | 3 | 42 | 9 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 531 |
| First Base | 2 |
| Third Base | 4 |
| Left Field | 4 |
| Center Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 20 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1889 | Pitching Triple Crown |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Clarkson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare John Clarkson
John Clarkson: the record in brief
John Clarkson played a first major league game on May 2, 1882 and a last one on July 12, 1894. The season rows list, in order, the Worcester Ruby Legs (1882), the Chicago White Stockings (1884 through 1887), the Boston Beaneaters (1888 through 1892), and the Cleveland Spiders (1892 through 1894). Clarkson played primarily as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. Born on July 1, 1861, in Cambridge, MA, USA, Clarkson was listed at 5-foot-10 and 155 pounds. Clarkson died on February 4, 1909, in Belmont, MA, USA. The bio lists the given name John Gibson.
Across 531 games (518 starts), Clarkson recorded 328 wins against 178 losses with a 2.81 ERA. The same table counts 1,978 strikeouts, 485 complete games, and 37 shutouts. Against a 3.64 league ERA for the same years, Clarkson was 22.9% better. 1885 brought Clarkson a season-high 53 wins. Clarkson struck out 313 batters in 1886, a career high.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Clarkson
- What years did John Clarkson play?
- John Clarkson played in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1894.
- Was John Clarkson a pitcher?
- Yes. John Clarkson pitched in the major leagues, recording 328 wins and 1978 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did John Clarkson hit?
- John Clarkson hit 24 career home runs with 432 hits.
- Is John Clarkson in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. John Clarkson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963.
- What teams did John Clarkson play for?
- John Clarkson played for 4 teams: the Worcester Ruby Legs (1882), the Chicago White Stockings (1884–1887), the Boston Beaneaters (1888–1892), and the Cleveland Spiders (1892–1894).
- What awards did John Clarkson win?
- John Clarkson won the pitching Triple Crown (1889).
- What were John Clarkson's career stats?
- In 531 games, John Clarkson went 328-178 with a 2.81 ERA, 1,978 strikeouts, 4,536.1 innings pitched, and 5 saves. At the plate he had 432 hits and 24 home runs.
- What position did John Clarkson play?
- John Clarkson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was John Clarkson and how much did he weigh?
- John Clarkson was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 155 pounds.
- What was John Clarkson's career ERA?
- John Clarkson finished with a 2.81 career ERA, going 328-178 with 1,978 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did John Clarkson have?
- John Clarkson recorded 1,978 career strikeouts.