1969 Profile: Horace Clarke

"An eager beaver at the plate who likes to swing at the first pitch, Horace Clarke is the type of lead-off batter who prefers to hit his way on rather than draw a walk. In 1968 Horace had a time of it, though. He had led the Yankees with a .272 average the year before, but last season the defenses got a book on him and too often there was a fielder waiting wherever he placed the ball. The hits simply weren't dropping in. Still, the muscular little native of the Virgin Islands connected for 133 hits and stole 18 bases.
Now in his fourth year as a Yankee regular, he is showing more confidence in his infield play, and he has the speed and agility to get to some balls that other second basemen wouldn't dream of touching."

-Jack Zanger, Major League Baseball 1969

"Compared with his first full year as a Yankee regular, Clarke's record last season was disappointing. He hit .230 as against .272 in '67 when he led the team. That same year he led American League second basemen with a .990 fielding record.
In Ralph Houk's opinion, Horace's setback could have been caused by the fatigue resulting from five unbroken years of summer and winter ball. Whatever the cause, he is not making excuses. Ball players have years like that and Clarke, 28, is now rested and in top physical shape. Now in his fourth season with the Yankees, Horace has his sights set on a mark that will be even better than '67 when his 21 stolen bases led the club. That year he was thrown out only four times while attempting to steal, and he grounded into only five double plays.
The superb athlete from Frederiksted, St. Croix, Virgin Islands starred in basketball, volleyball, track and baseball. He took over the second base spot when Bobby Richardson retired. Clarke has the speed that's now a big factor in the Yankee offense. While his specialty is getting on base and taking it from there, Horace still rates as his biggest thrill his first two home runs as a Yankee - both grand slams."

-The New York Yankees Official 1969 Yearbook

"Ten years of continuous professional baseball (summer in the U.S. and winter in Puerto Rico) finally took its toll on Hoss as he slumped from [being] the club's leading hitter in 1967, with a .272 mark, to .230 last year. Horace pinpointed his problems to just being plain tired. As a result, for the first time he played no baseball this past off-season.
A return to his form of '67 will put the Yanks in good stead around the keystone sack as he not only led the club in hitting but also led the AL in fielding among second basemen, with a .990 mark, committing just eight errors in 143 games. Horace played 63 games at shortstop in 1966, then took over the second base spot in 1967 with the retirement of Bobby Richardson.
He has hit two grand slam home runs- the first two home runs he hit in the major leagues."

-1969 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide