Jack Clifton

Harry Repard Clifton

• Born January 26, 1918 in Lyons, GA USA
• Died January 9, 2007 in Blakely, GA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Jack Clifton spent five years in the minor leagues and had success both as an outfielder and a starting pitcher.

He began his career in 1940, playing in 17 games for the Goldsboro Goldbugs and hitting .234 with no home runs. The next year, again with Goldsboro, he hit .359 with 134 hits in 94 games, finishing second behind Earl Carnahan among qualifying batsmen in batting average. He was 0-1 in two games on the mound. He split 1942 between the Burlington Bees (97 G, 6 HR, .311 BA) and Richmond Colts (25 G, 1 HR, .304 BA) and hit a combined .309 with seven home runs in 122 games. He was 5-0 with a 3.20 ERA in six games as a pitcher. With Richmond again in 1943, Clifton hit .340 with 54 hits in 46 games. He pitched six innings that year as well.

Clifton did not play from 1944 to 1950. He returned to professional baseball in 1951 and went 22-6 in 31 games (27 starts) as a pitcher for the Headland Dixie Runners, leading the Alabama-Florida League in walks (195, 40 more than the next closest pitcher), finishing second in wins (behind Thomas Stone), placing third in innings pitched (237) and tying for third in games started. At the plate, he hit .296 in 63 games. In June of that year, he hit Ottis Johnson in the head in what would become the last fatal beaning in a regular season minor league game. Johnson died eight days after being beaned.

Overall, Clifton hit .321 with 418 hits in 342 games. On the mound, he was 27-7 in 40 appearances.