Otey Clark

William Otis Clark

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1½", Weight 190 lb.
• High School Boscobel High School
• Debut April 17, 1945
• Final Game September 30, 1945
• Born May 22, 1915 in Boscobel, WI USA
• Died October 20, 2010 in Boscobel, WI USA

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Biographical Information

Otey Clark pitched 11 years in the minors and a dozen games for the Boston Red Sox in 1945.

Clark began his career in 1940 and played for the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association in 1943 and part of 1944. Beginning in 1944, he spent at least part of the next four years with the Louisville Colonels. He got his only taste of the majors in 1945, going 4-4 with a 3.07 ERA. In his final big league start, on September 19, he shutout the Philadelphia Athletics, 3-0. As a comparison, the star pitcher on the team was Dave Ferriss, who went 21-10 with a similar ERA of 2.96.

Clark played against Jackie Robinson with the Louisville Colonels in 1946, and stated: "Everything he did, they booed him. I remember our pitcher Jim Wilson knocked him down, and the fans cheered. Robinson didn't seem to pay any attention to any of it." Clark went 11-7 that summer, and his club met Robinson's Montreal Royals in the 1946 Junior World Series. He pitched for the Millers again in 1948 and 1949 and ended his playing career with the Toledo Mud Hens in 1949 and 1950.

Following his baseball days, Clark worked in sales. He died in 2010 at age 95. There was another William Otis Clark who played in the majors, remembered as Willie Clark, but apparently no relation. Otey's first name is commonly misspelled "Otie".

Related Sites

• Otey Clark at the SABR Bio Project