Phil Clark (clarkph01)

Philip James Clark

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 210 lb.
• School Georgia Southern University, University of Georgia
• High School Albany (GA) High School
• Debut April 15, 1958
• Final Game April 29, 1959
• Born October 3, 1932 in Albany, GA USA
• Died September 14, 2018 in Nashville, TN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Tall righty Phil Clark signed with the St. Louis Cardinals at 18 in 1951. He was assigned to the Class D Albany Cardinals, in his hometown, and was 18-7 with a 2.96 ERA. After losing nearly two full years (1952-1953) to military service during the Korean War, he returned to Albany at the end of 1953, going 1-3. Phil spent the next four years in the minors, becoming the bullpen ace for the Houston Buffaloes in 1957 with a 16-6 record and 1.83 ERA in 63 games.

Phil got his chances with the Cardinals in 1958 and 1959, pitching 14 times with an 0-2, 7.98 record and a save. In pitcher-turned-author Jim Brosnan's 1960 best-selling book The Long Season, Phil is featured prominently as Brosnan's roommate and pal with the Card. During 1958, while in the minors, he went 10-6 for the Omaha Cardinals, part of the same staff as Bob Gibson (3-4) and Bob Blaylock, who led the American Association in strikeouts with 193. Clark hung around through 1961, finishing his career with the Omaha Dodgers and the Macon Peaches. In 355 games, he was 77-56 with a 3.27 ERA.

Phil left baseball in 1961 to pursue a degree in education at the University of Georgia and retired after thirty years as a high school teacher in Albany. He passed away in 2018 at 85.

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Players of the 1950s
SABR MILB Database:page