Nig Clarke
Encyclopedia
Jay Justin "Nig" Clarke (December 15, 1882 in Amherstburg, Ontario
– June 15, 1949 in River Rouge, Michigan
) was a professional baseball
player in Major League Baseball
. He is best known for, in 1902 playing for Texas League
's Corsicana Oil Citys, going 8 for 8 with 8 home runs. The success there did not turn into success in MLB, as in his nine-year career he hit a comparatively few 6 home runs and drove in 127 runs. Clarke died on the 47th anniversary of his historic eight-homer game.
, Nig allegedly hit 8 home runs against the Texarkana Casketmakers in a game that Corsicana won by the remarkable score of 51-3. The home runs were said to be helped by the stadium they played in that day because Corsicana's blue laws forbade Sunday baseball in Oil City Park
, the regular home of Corsicana. The game was played in nearby Ennis
, in a facility that years later Nig estimated was only 210 feet to right field. At the time, it was considered the #2 most famous feat in Minor League Baseball history.
Frank X. Tolbert in 1965, Corsicana manager and first baseman Mike O'Connor was alleged to have made the totals much larger than they were. The official account reads:
"The official scorer lost his head, but the foxy manager of the Oil City boys has discovered a tabulated record which goes as the official figures. He realizes the benefits in swelling batting averages ..."
on October 2, 1908 for Addie Joss
. It was just the fourth perfect game in major league history.
(1941-49), Joe Berry
(1921-22), Bobby Bragan
(1940-48), Nig Cuppy
(1892-1901), Nig Fuller
(1902), Johnny Grabowski
(1923-31), Nig Lipscomb
(1937), Charlie Niebergall
(1921-24), Nig Perrine
(1907), and Frank Smith (1904-15).
Amherstburg, Ontario
Amherstburg is a Canadian town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario. It is approximately south of the U.S...
– June 15, 1949 in River Rouge, Michigan
River Rouge, Michigan
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,917 people, 3,640 households, and 2,504 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,713.9 per square mile . There were 4,080 housing units at an average density of 1,528.0 per square mile...
) was a professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. He is best known for, in 1902 playing for Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
's Corsicana Oil Citys, going 8 for 8 with 8 home runs. The success there did not turn into success in MLB, as in his nine-year career he hit a comparatively few 6 home runs and drove in 127 runs. Clarke died on the 47th anniversary of his historic eight-homer game.
Eight-Home run game
On June 15, 1902, while playing for the Corsicana Oil Citys of the Texas LeagueTexas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
, Nig allegedly hit 8 home runs against the Texarkana Casketmakers in a game that Corsicana won by the remarkable score of 51-3. The home runs were said to be helped by the stadium they played in that day because Corsicana's blue laws forbade Sunday baseball in Oil City Park
Oil City Park
Oil City Park was a ballpark located in Ennis, TX and was the venue where the Corsicana Oil Citys beat the Texarkana Casketmakers 51-3 on Sunday June 15, 1902. The Oil Citys had to move the game there due to the blue laws in place in Corsicana at the time...
, the regular home of Corsicana. The game was played in nearby Ennis
Ennis, Texas
Ennis is a city in Ellis County, Texas, United States, and a southeastern suburb of Dallas. The population was 16,045 at the 2000 census.In 1871, the Houston and Texas Central Railroad purchased of land in Ellis County at a price of , establishing the line's northern terminus. On May 8, 1872,...
, in a facility that years later Nig estimated was only 210 feet to right field. At the time, it was considered the #2 most famous feat in Minor League Baseball history.
Dispute
Almost immediately, the home run total was subject to controversy. In a newspaper account, repeated in a column by The Dallas Morning NewsThe Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
Frank X. Tolbert in 1965, Corsicana manager and first baseman Mike O'Connor was alleged to have made the totals much larger than they were. The official account reads:
"The official scorer lost his head, but the foxy manager of the Oil City boys has discovered a tabulated record which goes as the official figures. He realizes the benefits in swelling batting averages ..."
Perfect game
Clarke's other claim to fame was as the catcher of a perfect gamePerfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
on October 2, 1908 for Addie Joss
Addie Joss
Adrian Joss was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched his entire nine-year baseball career for the Cleveland Bronchos/Naps .-Early life:...
. It was just the fourth perfect game in major league history.
The Nickname
In the first half of the 20th Century, before the game was integrated, ball players with a dark complexion were sometimes nicknamed "Nig." http://www.attheyard.com/InRetrospect/printer_699.shtml http://www.rootsweb.com/~txnavarr/biographies/c/clark_jay_justin.htm In addition to Clarke, the following other major league players bore the nickname: Johnny BeazleyJohnny Beazley
John Andrew Beazley was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Braves...
(1941-49), Joe Berry
Joe Berry (second baseman)
Joseph Howard Berry, Jr. was a professional baseball second baseman and pinch runner, and an All-American football halfback....
(1921-22), Bobby Bragan
Bobby Bragan
Robert Randall Bragan was a shortstop, catcher, manager, and coach in American Major League Baseball. He also was an influential executive in minor league baseball...
(1940-48), Nig Cuppy
Nig Cuppy
George Joseph "Nig" Cuppy was an American baseball pitcher during the 1890s. He spent nine years of his 10-year major league career as the number two starter behind Cy Young....
(1892-1901), Nig Fuller
Nig Fuller
Charles F. Fuller , is a former professional baseball player who played catcher for the Brooklyn Superbas in three games during the 1902 baseball season.-External links:...
(1902), Johnny Grabowski
Johnny Grabowski
John Patrick Grabowski , nicknamed "Nig", was a Major League Baseball catcher who played 7 seasons for the Chicago White Sox , New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers .Born in Ware, Massachusetts to a family of Polish descent, Grabowski played 296 major league games—282 of them as a catcher...
(1923-31), Nig Lipscomb
Nig Lipscomb
Gerard "Nig" Lipscomb was a Major League Baseball second baseman who played with the St. Louis Browns in .-External links:...
(1937), Charlie Niebergall
Charlie Niebergall
Charles Arthur Niebergall was a catcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals.-External links:...
(1921-24), Nig Perrine
Nig Perrine
John Grover "Nig" Perrine was an American baseball infielder.Perrine started his professional baseball career in 1902, at the age of 17. In 1906, he hit .308 in the American Association and was purchased by the Washington Senators; however, Perrine was sent back down to the AA after hitting .171...
(1907), and Frank Smith (1904-15).