"Ex-Card first baseman now ticked for DH role after converting his free agent status into a two-year $3 million-dollar Yankee contract. Clark was on his way to the National League MVP trophy when he suffered torn ligaments in his right ankle on September 9 against the Expos. He was lost for the rest of the year, except for a few pinch-hitting attempts, had only one at-bat in the NLCS and was not on the World Series roster. Clark also missed eight games after a July 29 collision with the Mets' Mookie Wilson.
Until then, he was one of the National League's most dominant players. With all the injuries, he still had a career high 35 homers and had 106 RBI. Clark was frequently pitched around as evidenced by his league leading 136 walks."
-Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1988 Edition
"He'll still be a beast in the east, only now Jack Clark will be housed in the Bronx. In a move that made all New York baseball fans happy, the Yankees went out and signed one of the most feared right-handed sluggers in the game.
'In the past we've signed free agents Goose Gossage, Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson and Dave Winfield, and now we put Clark in that tradition,' praised GM Lou Piniella. 'He's the type of player we want in New York.'
No question about it. Clark will provide some much needed muscle from the right side, while adding power to a team already regarded as one of the most explosive in baseball. Consider that Clark almost single-handedly carried the Cardinals to the NL pennant last year. The Cards averaged 5.3 runs per game with Clark and only 3.6 without him, with eight of his 15 game-winning RBI coming on home runs. Imagine what he can do in the heart of the Yankee lineup. Not to mention how he'll protect the other hitters. And if Clark can stay healthy, he could prove to be an adequate replacement in the outfield and at first base.
'I'm excited and thrilled to be in New York,' he says, 'and now I'm looking forward to a championship season.'"
-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook
"Jack supplied St. Louis with enough offensive punch in 1987 to lead the Cards to their second National League pennant out of his three years there. He got off to a fast start, hitting safely in 36 of his first 44 games through May 29, hitting .344 (53-for-154) with 34 runs, 15 home runs, 48 RBIs and five game-winning RBIs. He hit his 200th career homer on April 28 against San Diego off Andy Hawkins and surpassed his 1986 homer total with his 10th dinger on May 10 against Cincinnati. Jack hit in 10 straight games from May 13 to May 24, batting .412 (14-for-34) with 17 RBIs, raising his overall batting average to a season high of .345. He was named National League Player of the Week for May 18-24, going 9-for-19 (.474) with two homers, 12 RBIs and 10 walks. He had nine homers and 35 RBIs in May.
His average dipped to .301 after he hit .264 (29-for-110) in 31 games from June 1 to July 5, with nine homers and 31 RBIs. The first time his average dipped below .300 since April 21 was on July 26, falling to .298. Jack missed eight games after suffering a contusion on his right arm and shoulder in a collision with the Mets' Mookie Wilson on July 29. After the collision he hit .242 with six homers and 15 RBIs in his final 33 games of '87.
Jack suffered a ligament tear in his right ankle trying to avoid a tag while running to first base on September 9 at Montreal, forcing him to miss 24 games. The injury was first thought to be a sprained ankle. He made a pinch-hit appearance on September 25 at Chicago but removed himself after falling down while attempting to swing. Jack also made pinch-hit appearances on October 3 and October 4, going 0-for-2. The injury limited him to one at-bat in the NLCS and sidelined him for the entire World Series.
In '87 Jack led the National League with a .597 slugging percentage and a .459 on-base percentage. His 106 RBIs ranked fourth in the league, while his 15 game-winning RBIs ranked fifth and his 35 home runs tied for sixth. He established career highs in homers, RBIs, walks (136) and strikeouts (139).
His 35 homers were the most by a Cardinal since Stan Musial hit 35 in 1954, and the last Cardinal to hit more than 35 was Musial in 1949 (36). His six multiple-home run games were the most by a Cardinal since Johnny Mize had six in 1940, and he established a new record for homers hit at Busch Stadium with 17. Jack homered in each National League park except Cincinnati and San Francisco, and his 15 game winning RBIs (eight of which came on homers) led the club.
From July 8 through August 10 Jack walked in 16 straight games (28 walks total), setting a new NL record for consecutive games with a walk; he equalled the NL record with six walks in a doubleheader on July 8 at Los Angeles on his way to a major league high 41 walks in July. He set a Cardinal record with 136 walks [surpassing Miller Huggins' 116 in 1910], and his total of 139 strikeouts is a new Cardinal record, breaking Lou Brock's mark of 134 in 1966. The Cards averaged 5.31 runs in games Jack started and 3.60 runs runs in games he did not start.
He batted .500 (6-for-12) with three homers and seven RBIs in extra innings. His two-home run games came on April 22 against Chicago, May 10 at Los Angeles, May 28 against Atlanta, June 18 against Pittsburgh, July 19 at San Diego and August 16 against Philadelphia. His four-RBI games came on May 24 at Houston, June 18 against Pittsburgh and July 3 at Atlanta.
In 1985 St. Louis built a speedy starting lineup around their newly acquired power hitter. Jack homered off Dwight Gooden in his first Cardinal at-bat on April 9 at New York. Named to the National League All-Star team for the third time, and first time since 1979, he started the first 106 games of '85 before sitting out the second game of a doubleheader on August 10 at Philadelphia.
Jack was living up to expectations with 21 home runs (fifth in the NL), 84 RBIs (third in the NL), 26 doubles (sixth in the NL) and a .281 batting average when he went down with strained muscles near his lower rib cage while swinging on August 23 at Atlanta. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 24 and remained there until September 8 and did not return to the starting lineup until September 19.
He reached base safely in all six National League Championship Series games. Jack's dramatic ninth-inning, two-out, three-run homer off Tom Niedenfuer rallied the Cardinals to a 7-5 comeback victory at Los Angeles in the sixth game of the NLCS, sending St. Louis to the World Series. In the World Series, he hit in six of seven games.
Jack homered in every NL park in '85 except Philadelphia and Cincinnati. 51 of his 124 hits (41%) went for extra bases and his .393 on-base percentage was fourth best in the NL. He named first baseman on the Sporting News Silver Slugger team.
The Cardinals experienced a tremendous loss of power in their lineup in 1986 when Jack tore ligaments of the first metacarpal in his right hand sliding into third base in the fifth inning of a June 24 game against Pittsburgh. He was placed on the 21-day disabled list on June 25 and had corrective surgery on June 28. He was transferred to the emergency 60-day disabled list on June 30 to allow his hand to remain immobile for the necessary six weeks, and remained on the DL for the rest of the season.
At the time of his injury, Jack was leading the NL with 45 walks and was on pace for a then career high 108. He was leading the team with 34 runs and nine homers and had reached safely in 54 of 65 games. He recorded his 500th career walk on April 23 against Chicago and had an eight-game hitting streak from May 2-13, hitting .424 (14-for-33). 42% (23 of 55) of Jack's hits were for extra bases and he committed just three errors in 661 total chances (.995 fielding percentage) at first base.
In 1973 Jack was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 13th round of the June free agent draft as a pitcher. He pitched in five games, compiling an 0-2 mark with a 6.00 ERA, but was converted from pitching to the outfield in order to utilize his obvious hitting potential. In 1974, Jack led the California League with 117 RBIs and 254 total bases while placing second with a .315 batting average.
After tying for the 1975 Texas League home run title with 23 and leading the league's third basemen with 102 putouts, 278 assists and 29 double plays, Jack made his major league debut with San Francisco that September. Named Topps Pacific Coast League Player of the Year in 1976, he was called up to the Giants in September and hit his first major league home run on September 11 against Cincinnati off Jack Billingham.
In 1977 Jack spent his first full season in the majors and was named to Baseball Digest's Rookie All-Star team. He put together a fine all-around season in 1978, earning a place on the Sporting News and AP All-Star teams and tying for the National League outfielders lead with five double plays. After driving in 25 runs in June of 1979, Jack was named to his second consecutive All-Star Game, and for the second straight year tied for the league lead among outfielders with seven double plays.
Jack led the NL with 18 game-winning RBIs in 1980 despite being disabled for over a month after his hand was broken by a Mark Bomback pitch at New York on August 20. He collected his 100th career home run on September 3, 1981 off Bill Caudill, and that year tied for the NL with 14 assists and four double plays. In 1982, Jack posted then-career highs and led the Giants with 27 homers and 90 runs, and shared the league lead with 21 game-winning RBIs.
He hit his fifth career grand slam in 1983 at Philadelphia on May 18, went 5-for-5 at Pittsburgh on July 22 and hit his 150th career homer at Philadelphia off Willie Hernandez on September 4. That year he was second among outfielders with 17 assists. Jack was named San Francisco's team captain in 1984 and registered his 1,000th career hit in St. Louis off Bob Forsch on May 5. He was off to his best start ever when a cartilage tear in his right knee put him out for the season on June 26.
Jack played baseball and basketball at Gladstone High School in Azusa, California. As a senior in '73 he was 11-3 with a 1.25 ERA and batted .517 in leading his team to the Hacienda League title. Signed by Giants' scout George Geneovese, Lou Brock and Roberto Clemente were his boyhood idols.
Jack was named the right fielder on the San Francisco Giants 'All-Dream Team' in 1982, commemorating the top players in the Giant's first 25 years in San Francisco. He enjoys fresh and salt water fishing, exotic aquariums, contemporary music and sports cars."
-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide
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