clarke december june canadian professional baseball player catcher clarke played major_league_baseball mlb seasons detroit_tigers philadelphia_phillies pittsburgh pirates career games clarke recorded batting average accumulated triples home runs runs batted rbi born canada raised michigan clarke began baseball career reportedly hit home runs playing spent seasons minor leagues signed contract aside loan detroit_tigers played seasons clarke traded played season years minor leagues clarke joined united states marine corps returned major leagues played continued playing minor league teams clarke retired game rejoined marines moved michigan lived death early life clarke born canada moved detroit michigan child april began playing semi pro baseball adrian michigan studying canada early career given nickname newspapers dark professional baseball early career clarke began professional career july hit home runs bats victory blue laws forbade sunday baseball according poor attendance game played texas facility right field fence estimated feet home plate foul line cast doubt clarke home run game feat later attested official scorer oath observed game interview sporting news clarke teammates claimed right field fence wasn feet base pulled short flies wall taking away old batting prowess way hit day didn send ball feet clarke played batting average games clashed owner refused trade season despite clarke demands trade offers teams season ended traded atlanta league atlanta clarke started half season batting average cooling second half finished season average games end season purchased clarke atlanta plan clarke catcher roster result played games half season august clarke briefly joined detroit_tigers cleveland team traveled boston loaned detroit understanding reclaim day notice clarke appeared games detroit compiling batting average home run recalled games teams season batting average clarke began season string catcher month season manager changed roster partially clarke hitting improved greatly season end year clarke compiled career high batting average tying american_league batting championship stone recognized batting champion clarke appeared games plate appearances clarke began wear guards early career adopt layer protection spending offseason playing winter baseball florida major clarke everyday catcher season started hitting batting average month league second american_league started nearly game finger hit foul ball game june causing miss weeks end season stopped playing finishing season batting average triples games league leading passed balls offseason clarke played winter baseball cuba returned cleveland march clarke spent season splitting time catcher position struggled spring practice september clarke sustained injury game detroit bone finger right hand split unable grow nail october caught perfect game thrown fourth perfect game mlb history finished year batting average triples games thanksgiving night clarke married home bride parents sandwich ontario canada wife like nickname sports reporters wanted simply jay newspapers signing land gave entering spring training easterly starting catcher backup clarke lack ambition led speculation traded season finished season batting average games offseason player manager connor attempted trade clarke deal clarke saw little playing time bout fever landed hospital season played games season batting minor leagues december cleveland traded clarke exchange clarke split time catcher appeared games team compiling batting average season released senators interest tried acceptance overruled american_league president shortly sold played hit games following year hit games season clarke sold played san_francisco hit respectively played parts season playing total games teams clarke traded houston mobile sea season batted games released later career august clarke enlisted serving attained rank corporal served brest france serving marine_corps clarke filed military petition united_states citizen year later discharged serving marines clarke stated wished joined marine corps years ago played ball returned mid season major leagues philadelphia_phillies appeared games compiling batting average led national_league caught stealing percentage prior major league history compiled higher caught stealing percentage november clarke selected pittsburgh_pirates phillies appeared games pirates hits seven bats appeared final major league game april brief stay pittsburgh pirates sent clarke played reading aces international_league seasons played reading played salisbury indians spring wrote led league bat arm picture baseball player suspect away corn juice man days greatness couple morning breakfast hurt end season given valuable player honors performance salisbury clarke concluded professional baseball career later life time clarke wife living detroit june clarke rejoined marine_corps serving august time clarke stationed virginia discharged marine_corps clarke built house suburb detroit lived mother june clarke found dead home
Nig Clarke