Walter Clarkson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1904-1908)

Walter Clarkson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1904 to 1908 for the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 5 seasons. Across 78 career appearances, he went 18-16 with a 3.17 ERA and 178 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

W–L 18–16
ERA 3.17
WHIP 1.26
SO 178
Pitcher PIV -3709.0
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 150 lb
Born
11/3/1878 in Cambridge, MA, USA
Died
10/10/1946 in Cambridge, MA, USA
MLB Debut
1904-07-02
Last Game
1908-04-28

Full name: Walter Hamilton Clarkson

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Career Pitching Statistics

Walter Clarkson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
18 16 78 37 23 4 2 374.2 340 132 12 132 178 3.17 -3709.0

Career ERA 3.17 vs. league average 2.61 across their career seasons — 21.6% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Walter Clarkson — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1904 NYA AL 1 2 13 4 2 0 1 66.1 63 37 25 43 5.02 2.66 (-89%) -1050.6
1905 NYA AL 3 3 9 4 3 0 0 46.0 40 20 13 35 3.91 2.82 (-39%) 645.6
1906 NYA AL 9 4 32 16 9 3 0 151.0 135 39 55 64 2.32 2.68 (+13%) -2118.2
1907 NYA AL 1 1 5 2 0 0 1 17.1 19 12 8 3 6.23 2.50 (-149%) -786.3
1907 CLE AL 4 6 17 10 9 1 0 90.2 77 20 29 32 1.99 2.50 (+21%) -399.5
1908 CLE AL 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 3.1 6 4 2 1 10.80 — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 18 16 78 37 23 4 2 374.2 340 132 132 178 3.17 — -3,709

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

Walter Clarkson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
78 132 9 20 2 4 0 12 0 1 27 .152 .158 .227 .385 -253

Career AVG .152 vs. league average .246 across their career seasons — 38.3% below league average.

Career OBP .158 vs. league average .304 across their career seasons — 48.0% below league average.

Career SLG .227 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 27.8% below league average.

Career OPS .385 vs. league average .619 across their career seasons — 37.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Walter Clarkson — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1904 NYA AL 13 26 3 7 0 2 0 3 0 1 3 .269 — — — — 0.0
1905 NYA AL 9 19 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .053 — — — — 0.0
1906 NYA AL 32 51 3 8 2 2 0 4 0 0 7 .157 .247 (-37%) .307 (-49%) .315 (-13%) .622 (-31%) -252.8
1907 NYA AL 5 7 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 .286 — — — — 0.0
1907 CLE AL 17 28 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 10 .036 — — — — 0.0
1908 CLE AL 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 78 132 9 20 2 4 0 12 0 1 27 .152 — — — — -253

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 (156 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Walter Clarkson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home386551105.169
Away406851002.147

Pitching — Home / Away

Walter Clarkson — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home38181.01752565841.24
Away40194.21741266980.55

Last 10 Games — Batting

Walter Clarkson — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1908-04-28 CLEDETW 101000000
1908-04-22 CLECHWL 000000000
1907-10-06 CLECHWL 300000001
1907-10-03 CLEPHAL 300000003
1907-09-27 CLEMINL 000000000
1907-09-17 CLESLAL 300000000
1907-09-07 CLEDETL 000000000
1907-09-06 CLEDETL 000000000
1907-08-22 CLEMINW 300000000
1907-08-16 CLEPHAL 200000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Walter Clarkson — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1908-04-28 CLEDET — 2.1440200
1908-04-22 CLECHW — 1.0200010
1907-10-06 CLECHW L 8.0940240
1907-10-03 CLEPHA L 8.0640110
1907-09-27 CLEMIN — 1.0000210
1907-09-17 CLESLA L 9.01160250
1907-09-07 CLEDET — 1.0100000
1907-09-06 CLEDET — 1.0000000
1907-08-22 CLEMIN W 9.0810450
1907-08-16 CLEPHA L 6.0970511

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Walter Clarkson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 78 37 16 94 7 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Walter Clarkson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1904 NYA P 13 4 2 14 1 0
1905 NYA P 9 4 1 11 2 0
1906 NYA P 32 16 3 39 1 1
1907 NYA P 5 2 1 6 0 1
1907 CLE P 17 10 9 24 3 2
1908 CLE P 2 1 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Walter Clarkson — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 78

College History

Walter Clarkson — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Harvard University Cambridge MA 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Walter Clarkson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Rube Manning
    22-32, 3.14 ERA
  2. 95
    Bobby Keefe
    16-21, 3.14 ERA
  3. 93
    Gentry Jessup
    24-29, 3.40 ERA
  4. 86
    Slow Joe Doyle
    22-21, 2.85 ERA
  5. 84
    Rankin Johnson
    22-30, 2.92 ERA
  6. 83
    Bill Ricks
    21-15, 3.23 ERA

Walter Clarkson: the record in brief

Walter Clarkson played a first major league game on July 2, 1904 and a last one on April 28, 1908. The season rows list, in order, the New York Highlanders (1904 to 1907) and the Cleveland Naps (1907 through 1908). Clarkson, born on November 3, 1878, in Cambridge, MA, USA, is listed as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 150 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame. The bio records the death on October 10, 1946, in Cambridge, MA, USA. On the record, Walter Clarkson was born Walter Hamilton Clarkson.

Clarkson pitched in 78 games, starting 37, and finished with a 18-16 record and 3.17 ERA. Clarkson had 178 strikeouts and 23 complete games. The league ERA over Clarkson's seasons was 2.61, so the 3.17 figure ran 21.6% worse than average. The best win total was 9, in 1906. 1907 was Clarkson's sharpest full season, a 1.99 ERA against the league's 2.50.

Frequently Asked Questions about Walter Clarkson

What years did Walter Clarkson play?
Walter Clarkson played in Major League Baseball from 1904 to 1908.
Was Walter Clarkson a pitcher?
Yes. Walter Clarkson pitched in the major leagues, recording 18 wins and 178 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Walter Clarkson hit?
Walter Clarkson hit 0 career home runs with 20 hits.
What teams did Walter Clarkson play for?
Walter Clarkson played for 2 teams: the New York Highlanders (1904–1907) and the Cleveland Naps (1907–1908).
What were Walter Clarkson's career stats?
In 78 games, Walter Clarkson went 18-16 with a 3.17 ERA, 178 strikeouts, 374.2 innings pitched, and 2 saves.
What position did Walter Clarkson play?
Walter Clarkson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Walter Clarkson and how much did he weigh?
Walter Clarkson was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 150 pounds.
What was Walter Clarkson's career ERA?
Walter Clarkson finished with a 3.17 career ERA, going 18-16 with 178 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Walter Clarkson have?
Walter Clarkson recorded 178 career strikeouts.
Is Walter Clarkson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Walter Clarkson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.