Clarke Pittenger
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1921-1929)
Clarke Pittenger was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1921 to 1929 for the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago Cubs, and the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 9 seasons. In 373 career games, he hit .263 with 252 hits, 1 home runs, and 83 RBI.
- 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
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 160 lb
- Died
- 11/4/1977 in Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1921-04-15
- Last Game
- 1929-09-22
Full name: Clarke Alonzo Pittenger
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 373 | 959 | 118 | 252 | 32 | 3 | 1 | 83 | 27 | 37 | 50 | .263 | .294 | .306 | .600 | -2,952 |
Career AVG .263 vs. league average .285 across their career seasons — 7.8% below league average.
Career OBP .294 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — 15.0% below league average.
Career SLG .306 vs. league average .399 across their career seasons — 23.4% below league average.
Career OPS .600 vs. league average .746 across their career seasons — 19.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | BOS | AL | 40 | 91 | 6 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 13 | .198 | .286 (-31%) | .344 (-33%) | .395 (-47%) | .739 (-40%) | -593.1 |
| 1922 | BOS | AL | 66 | 186 | 16 | 48 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 10 | .258 | .285 (-10%) | .345 (-13%) | .397 (-31%) | .743 (-23%) | -664.9 |
| 1923 | BOS | AL | 60 | 177 | 15 | 38 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 10 | .215 | .282 (-24%) | .344 (-31%) | .390 (-38%) | .734 (-35%) | -1006.0 |
| 1925 | CHN | NL | 59 | 173 | 21 | 54 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 5 | 12 | 7 | .312 | .288 (+8%) | .349 (+4%) | .407 (-8%) | .756 (-2%) | -44.2 |
| 1927 | CIN | NL | 31 | 84 | 17 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 5 | .274 | .282 (-3%) | .344 (-16%) | .392 (-6%) | .736 (-10%) | -161.7 |
| 1928 | CIN | NL | 40 | 38 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .237 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1929 | CIN | NL | 77 | 210 | 31 | 62 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 8 | 5 | 4 | .295 | .289 (+2%) | .353 (-10%) | .415 (-16%) | .769 (-13%) | -482.2 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 373 | 959 | 118 | 252 | 32 | 3 | 1 | 83 | 27 | 37 | 50 | .263 | — | — | — | — | -2,952 | ||
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 (375 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 197 | 472 | 68 | 117 | 1 | 40 | .248 |
| Away | 178 | 489 | 50 | 135 | 0 | 38 | .276 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929-09-22 | CIN | PHI | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-09-09 | CIN | NY1 | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-09-05 | CIN | PIT | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-09-01 | CIN | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-08-27 | CIN | CHC | L | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-08-26 | CIN | CHC | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-08-18 | CIN | BSN | L | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-08-17 | CIN | PHI | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-08-16 | CIN | PHI | W | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1929-08-15 | CIN | PHI | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 71 | 0 | 120 | 167 | 12 | 29 |
| 3B | 77 | 0 | 84 | 146 | 14 | 14 |
| OF | 27 | 0 | 60 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| SS | 136 | 0 | 245 | 378 | 41 | 70 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | BOS | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921 | BOS | 3B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 1921 | BOS | OF | 27 | 0 | 60 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1921 | BOS | SS | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922 | BOS | 3B | 33 | 0 | 41 | 62 | 9 | 8 |
| 1922 | BOS | SS | 29 | 0 | 47 | 86 | 13 | 11 |
| 1923 | BOS | 2B | 42 | 0 | 77 | 86 | 7 | 12 |
| 1923 | BOS | 3B | 3 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923 | BOS | SS | 10 | 0 | 12 | 20 | 1 | 1 |
| 1925 | CHN | 3B | 24 | 0 | 23 | 50 | 3 | 4 |
| 1925 | CHN | SS | 24 | 0 | 48 | 77 | 8 | 10 |
| 1927 | CIN | 2B | 20 | 0 | 37 | 66 | 4 | 15 |
| 1927 | CIN | 3B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1927 | CIN | SS | 9 | 0 | 17 | 17 | 3 | 4 |
| 1928 | CIN | 2B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928 | CIN | 3B | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928 | CIN | SS | 12 | 0 | 9 | 24 | 4 | 7 |
| 1929 | CIN | 2B | 4 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 2 |
| 1929 | CIN | 3B | 8 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| 1929 | CIN | SS | 50 | 0 | 107 | 153 | 12 | 37 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 69 |
| Third Base | 77 |
| Shortstop | 137 |
| Left Field | 20 |
| Center Field | 4 |
| Right Field | 4 |
Clarke Pittenger: the record in brief
The profile opens with Clarke Pittenger's first major league game on April 15, 1921; the last one listed came on September 22, 1929. The season rows list, in order, the Boston Red Sox (1921 to 1923), the Chicago Cubs (1925), and the Cincinnati Reds (1927 to 1929). Listed as a shortstop, Pittenger threw and hit right-handed. The recorded size is 160 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame. Pittenger was born on February 24, 1899, in Hudson, MI, USA. Pittenger's death is recorded on November 4, 1977, in Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA. Pittenger's full given name, per the bio, is Clarke Alonzo Pittenger.
Pittenger collected 252 hits in 959 at bats across 373 games, good for a .263 batting average; the totals also include 1 home run, 83 runs batted in, and 27 stolen bases. Pittenger got on base at a .294 rate and slugged .306 (.600 OPS). Pittenger's .263 average ran 7.8% below the .285 that the league posted over the same seasons. The OPS comparison is .600 to a league .746, 19.5% below average. 1929 produced Pittenger's most hits, 62 of them for the Cincinnati Reds.
Frequently Asked Questions about Clarke Pittenger
- What years did Clarke Pittenger play?
- Clarke Pittenger played in Major League Baseball from 1921 to 1929.
- Was Clarke Pittenger a pitcher?
- No. Clarke Pittenger was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Clarke Pittenger hit?
- Clarke Pittenger hit 1 career home run with 252 hits.
- What teams did Clarke Pittenger play for?
- Clarke Pittenger played for 3 teams: the Boston Red Sox (1921–1923), the Chicago Cubs (1925), and the Cincinnati Reds (1927–1929).
- What were Clarke Pittenger's career stats?
- In 373 games, Clarke Pittenger had 252 hits, 1 home runs, 83 RBI, 118 runs, and 27 stolen bases, with a .263 batting average.
- What position did Clarke Pittenger play?
- Clarke Pittenger played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Clarke Pittenger and how much did he weigh?
- Clarke Pittenger was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 160 pounds.
- How many home runs did Clarke Pittenger hit each season?
- Clarke Pittenger's home runs by season: 0 in 1921, 0 in 1922, 0 in 1923, 0 in 1925, 1 in 1927, 0 in 1928, and 0 in 1929. His most in one season was 1, in 1927.
- What was Clarke Pittenger's career batting average?
- Clarke Pittenger batted .263 over his career, with 252 hits in 959 at bats.
- How many RBI did Clarke Pittenger have?
- Clarke Pittenger drove in 83 runs in his career.
- Is Clarke Pittenger in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Clarke Pittenger has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.