Jack Clark played 18 seasons of big-league baseball for four teams. Nicknamed "Jack the Ripper" for his aggressive swing, Clark is remembered for both his clutch hitting and his frank, outspoken personality. He spent the majority of his career with the San Francisco Giants. Clark was named to four Major League Baseball All-Star teams and was a strong candidate for the Most Valuable Player award in 1987. He finished third in the voting.
Early Years
Jack Anthony Clark was born on November 14, 1955 in New Brighton, Pennsylvania. His family moved to Covina, California in 1957. Clark was a star baseball and basketball player at Gladstone High School. In 1973, he was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 13th round of the Major League Baseball draft. He spent the majority of the next four seasons in the minor leagues, playing for the Great Falls Giants, Fresno Giants, Lafayette Drillers and Phoenix Giants. Clark made his first appearance in a major league game on September 13, 1975.
Success with the Giants
1977 marked Clark's first full season with the Giants. He played right field and appeared in 138 games. In 1978, Clark batted .306, had 98 RBI and hit 25 home runs. He also made the All-Star team and finished fifth in the voting for the National League's Most Valuable Player award. Clark made two All-Star appearances while with the Giants. His final season in San Francisco was in 1984.
Later Career
Clark was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985, and he became an All-Star in 1985 and 1987. The Cardinals made it to the World Series in both of these years, but lost both times. Clark played one season with the New York Yankees and finished his career after playing two seasons for both the San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox. He ended his career after the 1992 season with a .267 batting average and 340 home runs.
Outspoken Nature
Clark is known for expressing his opinions about teammates, managers, umpires, team executives and other baseball players. Clark had a dispute with two former teammates who are in baseball's Hall of Fame. Clark bristled when Ozzie Smith questioned his work ethic, and Clark criticized Tony Gwynn for being overweight and self-centered. After Mark McGwire was hired as the Cardinals hitting coach in 2010, Clark said McGwire, who admitted to using steroids, "should not be in baseball. He should be banned from baseball more than ever."
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