Bill Clarkson
From BR Bullpen
William Henry Clarkson (Blackie)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 160 lb.
- Debut May 2, 1927
- Final Game October 6, 1929
- Born September 27, 1898 in Portsmouth, VA USA
- Died August 27, 1971 in Raleigh, NC USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Virginia native Bill Clarkson spent nine seasons in professional baseball from 1922 to 1930. He spent five of those seasons in the minor leagues (1922-26) before making his Major League debut with the New York Giants on May 22, 1927. Bill put together a 3-9 record for the Polo Grounds crew before being traded along with Virgil Barnes, Ben Cantwell and Al Spohrer for Joe Genewich to the Boston Braves on June 15, 1928. Clarkson spent the remainder of the 1928 season with the Braves, going 0-2 and appeared in two late season games in 1929 for the Braves, before pitching his final game in the big leagues on October 6, 1929. The righthander's final big league stats show he appeared in 22 games, pitching 134 innings and ended with a 3-12 record and a 5.44 ERA.
Bill spent seven seasons in the minor leagues with six teams in five leagues. He had four double-digit win seasons with two of them in the very good category. Bill pitched for a 16-9 record and a 3.23 ERA in 40 games for the Norfolk Tars of the class B Virginia League in 1925. He followed this up in 1926 with a 12-5 record and a .407 ERA for the Toledo Mud Hens of the AA American Association. Bill finished out his minor league career in 1930 with 68 wins and 62 losses and a 3.84 ERA in 198 games.
William Henry Clarkson died on August 27, 1971 in Raleigh, NC and was Interred at Montlawn Memorial Park, Raleigh, North Carolina. He was 72 years of age.
