1903
Born January 8, 1903
Richmond, VA, USA
Bob Clarke Marquee
b. January 8, 1903 · Baltimore Black Sox 1923, 1925–1932, New York Black Yankees 1933–1940, 1948, Baltimore Elite Giants 1941–1946, Philadelphia Stars 1943
Bob Clarke caught in the Negro Leagues for twenty-four seasons, from 1923 to 1948, which is longer than almost anyone managed in an era when rosters turned over constantly and a catcher's knees were not treated gently.
He began with the Baltimore Black Sox and stayed with them for a decade, through the Eastern Colored League, the American Negro League and the East-West League as those circuits formed and folded around him. In 1933 he joined the New York Black Yankees for eight years, then the Baltimore Elite Giants for six more, with a brief 1943 appearance for the Philadelphia Stars.
His one All-Star selection came in 1940, when he was named to the East squad at thirty-seven. Born in Richmond, Virginia in 1903, he batted .217 across the 705 games for which records survive, and died on January 1, 1971.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Negro Leagues East-West Classic | 1 | 1940 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | BBS | 21 | 63 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | .222 |
| 1925 | BBS | 35 | 89 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | .157 |
| 1926 | BBS | 44 | 108 | 7 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 3 | .204 |
| 1927 | BBS | 48 | 140 | 15 | 33 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 8 | 0 | 3 | .236 |
| 1928 | BBS | 41 | 124 | 20 | 36 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 11 | 0 | 1 | .290 |
| 1929 | BBS | 72 | 230 | 34 | 61 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 12 | 0 | 2 | .265 |
| 1930* | BBS | 22 | 66 | 8 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 1 | .348 |
| 1931* | BBS | 41 | 128 | 9 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | .180 |
| 1932 | BBS | 45 | 144 | 14 | 29 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 14 | 0 | 2 | .201 |
| 1933* | NBY | 12 | 44 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .273 |
| 1934* | NBY | 22 | 71 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .183 |
| 1935* | NBY | 9 | 31 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .226 |
| 1936 | NBY | 22 | 64 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | .078 |
| 1937 | NBY | 28 | 92 | 10 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .207 |
| 1938 | NBY | 11 | 34 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .147 |
| 1939 | NBY | 23 | 78 | 5 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | .218 |
| 1940 | NBY | 17 | 54 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .204 |
| 1941 | BEG | 30 | 88 | 11 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 0 | .250 |
| 1942 | BEG | 35 | 111 | 8 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 1 | .180 |
| 1943 | BEG/PS | 45 | 136 | 14 | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | .235 |
| 1944 | BEG | 16 | 55 | 8 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .291 |
| 1945 | BEG | 19 | 56 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | .161 |
| 1946 | BEG | 46 | 124 | 11 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 0 | .153 |
| 1948 | NBY | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Major leagues | — | 599 | 1791 | 178 | 384 | 65 | 6 | 6 | 162 | 132 | 11 | 14 | .214 |
| All seasons | — | 705 | 2131 | 210 | 462 | 78 | 7 | 7 | 185 | 156 | 12 | 16 | .217 |
Pitching, season by season
| Year | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | BBS | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 12.27 |
| 1938 | NBY | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
| 1941 | BEG | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1.29 |
| Career | — | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12.1 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 4.38 |
Seasons outside MLB's recognized major leagues appear in All seasons, but not in Major leagues or the leaderboards. For Bob Clarke, that is 1930–1935. Why totals can differ.
On this day & linked events
1971