Ginger Clark

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Harvey Daniel Clark

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 165 lb.

• Debut August 11, 1902
• Final Game August 11, 1902
• Born March 7, 1879 in Wooster, OH USA
• Died May 10, 1943 in Lake Charles, LA USA

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Biographical Information

Ginger Clark was signed by the Cleveland Bronchos in August 1902 when the team suddenly found its pitching staff depleted by injuries. Otto Hess and Charlie Smith were both also added at that time, and both went on to long and successful major league careers. For Clark, it was not to be.

Ginger pitched once on August 11th, when he relieved an ineffective Gene Wright after three innings against the Baltimore Orioles. Entering with his team trailing 5-4, he finished the game and contributed a key single in the 7th inning as the Bronchos rallied to win, 17-11. But he failed to impress, despite gaining the win, as his pitches were considered too slow for the American League. He did not accompany the team as it left on a road trip the next day and never played again in the majors.

Before joining Cleveland, Clark had been pitching for the Birmingham Barons of the Southern Association. He played for a semipro team in Wooster, OH before joining Birmingham and again after his single game career. He was back with Birmingham in 1903, going 11-8, then bolted the team in 1904 and returned to Wooster after objecting to being fined for lack of hustle. The Barons offered him a salary increase and he returned, finishing the year 14-13 as their best pitcher. He led the league with 22 wins in 1905, tied with teammate Kaiser Wilhelm. In 1908, he was released early in the year after fighting arm troubles and joined the New Orleans Pelicans, finishing 17-15. In 1909, he moved down to the South Atlantic League with the Chattanooga Lookouts. He pitched a no-hitter against the Knoxville Smokies on September 1 and finished the year 17-10 as his team won the league championship. Chattanooga moved up to the Southern Association in 1910, but a worn-out Clark was unable to make the team. He was sold to the Harrisburg Senators of the Tri-State League and pitched briefly before being released on July 2nd. He joined the Mansfield Brownies of the Class C Ohio-Pennsylvania League in 1911, going 14-12 in his last season.

During offseasons, he worked as a painter in his hometown. He later owned a billiard room. He moved to Akron in the 1920s, and then to Lake Charles, LA in the 1940s, where his sons had found work. He died there in 1943.

Related Sites

• Ginger Clark at the SABR Bio Project