Luther Clifford
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Luther Clifford was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Homestead Grays. In 17 career games, he hit .222 with 10 hits, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.
- 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
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 200 lb
- Died
- 5/4/1990 in Brantford, ON, CAN
Full name: Luther Franklin Clifford
Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 45 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .222 | .271 | .422 | .693 | 0 |
Career AVG .222 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 15.7% below league average.
Career OBP .271 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — 20.4% below league average.
Career SLG .422 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — +11.3% above league average.
Career OPS .693 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | HG | NN2 | 17 | 45 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 1 season | 17 | 45 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 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 (22 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 13 | 34 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 5 | .294 |
| Away | 9 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .120 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-09-05 | KCM | NY6 | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-04 | KCM | NY6 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-04 | KCM | NY6 | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-30 | KCM | BLG | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-28 | KCM | BLG | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-06 | HOM | BLG | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-08-30 | HOM | PH5 | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-08-27 | HOM | PH5 | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-08-23 | HOM | PH5 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-08-12 | HOM | NY6 | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 17 |
Luther Clifford: the record in brief
The season rows for Luther Clifford begin in 1948. Clifford spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Homestead Grays. Clifford played primarily as a catcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on January 16, 1924, in Clairton, PA, USA and a listed size of 6-foot-0 and 200 pounds. The bio records the death on May 4, 1990, in Brantford, ON, CAN. On the record, Luther Clifford was born Luther Franklin Clifford.
Clifford finished with 10 hits from 45 at bats in 17 games, which works out to .222; the totals also include 2 homers and 7 RBI. Clifford's career OPS of .693 combines a .271 on-base mark with .422 slugging. Set against a .264 league average for the same years, Clifford's .222 average sits 15.7% below it. The season table holds a single row: 1948 with the Homestead Grays, 17 games, 45 at bats and 10 hits.
Frequently Asked Questions about Luther Clifford
- Was Luther Clifford a pitcher?
- No. Luther Clifford was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Luther Clifford hit?
- Luther Clifford hit 2 career home runs with 10 hits.
- What teams did Luther Clifford play for?
- Luther Clifford played for one team, the Homestead Grays (1948).
- What were Luther Clifford's career stats?
- In 17 games, Luther Clifford had 10 hits, 2 home runs, 7 RBI, and 3 runs, with a .222 batting average.
- What position did Luther Clifford play?
- Luther Clifford played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Luther Clifford and how much did he weigh?
- Luther Clifford was listed at 6 feet and 200 pounds.
- What was Luther Clifford's career batting average?
- Luther Clifford batted .222 over his career, with 10 hits in 45 at bats.
- How many RBI did Luther Clifford have?
- Luther Clifford drove in 7 runs in his career.
- Is Luther Clifford in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Luther Clifford has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.