# Rickey Clark

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{{short description|American baseball player (born 1946)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Rickey Clark
|position=[Pitcher](/source/Pitcher)
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1946|3|21}}
|birth_place=[Mount Clemens, Michigan](/source/Mount_Clemens%2C_Michigan), U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 22
|debutyear=1967
|debutteam=California Angels
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 7
|finalyear=1972
|finalteam=California Angels
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[Win–loss record](/source/Win%E2%80%93loss_record_(pitching))
|stat1value=19–32
|stat3label=[Strikeout](/source/Strikeout)s
|stat3value=236
|stat2label=[Earned run average](/source/Earned_run_average)
|stat2value=3.38
|teams=
*[California Angels](/source/California_Angels) (1967–1969, 1971–1972)
}}

'''Rickey Charles Clark''' (born March 21, 1946) is a retired American professional [baseball](/source/baseball) player and right-handed [pitcher](/source/pitcher) who appeared in all or parts of five seasons in [Major League Baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball) for the [California Angels](/source/California_Angels). At 21, Clark had a highly promising [rookie](/source/rookie) season for the [pennant-contending](/source/pennant_(sports)) {{mlby|1967}} [Angels](/source/1967_California_Angels_season), but struggled thereafter during his big league career.

Born in [Mount Clemens, Michigan](/source/Mount_Clemens%2C_Michigan), Clark was signed by his hometown [Detroit Tigers](/source/Detroit_Tigers) in 1965, after graduating from [Redford Union High School](/source/Redford_Union_High_School) and just prior to the institution of the [Major League Baseball draft](/source/Major_League_Baseball_draft). After two seasons in the Tiger [farm system](/source/farm_system), the Angels selected the {{convert|6|ft|2|in|abbr=on}}, {{convert|170|lb|abbr=on}} pitcher in the 1966 [Rule 5 draft](/source/Rule_5_draft).

==Sparkling rookie season==
Rule 5's terms (then as now) dictated that the Angels keep Clark on their 25-man big-league roster for the entire 1967 season or offer him back to the Detroit organization, but Clark would earn his place in the Angels' [starting rotation](/source/starting_pitcher) on merit.

After he won his MLB debut on April 22 with four scoreless [innings](/source/inning_(baseball)) in [relief](/source/relief_pitcher) against the [Cleveland Indians](/source/Cleveland_Indians), Clark made his first start eight days later against the [New York Yankees](/source/New_York_Yankees); he went seven innings, allowed only four [hits](/source/hit_(baseball)) and two [earned run](/source/earned_run)s, and collected his second big-league triumph.  [Manager](/source/Manager_(baseball)) [Bill Rigney](/source/Bill_Rigney) then kept Clark as a regular member of the Angel starting staff through the remainder of the season, in which the Angels battled for the [American League](/source/American_League) pennant before fading in September. Clark won 12 games, tying him with staff ace [Jim McGlothlin](/source/Jim_McGlothlin) and [closer](/source/closer_(baseball)) [Minnie Rojas](/source/Minnie_Rojas) for the team lead in victories. His 2.59 [earned run average](/source/earned_run_average) also was best among Angel starters. He threw a two-hit, [complete game](/source/complete_game) [shutout](/source/shutout_(baseball)) against the [Washington Senators](/source/Texas_Rangers_(baseball)) on September 8 at [D.C. Stadium](/source/D.C._Stadium).<ref>[https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1967/B09080WS21967.htm "California Angels 4, Washington Senators 0"] [Retrosheet](/source/Retrosheet) [box score](/source/box_score): 1967-09-08</ref> It was his only complete game and shutout of the season.

==Later MLB career==
The following year, {{mlby|1968}}, saw Clark lose nine of his first ten [decisions](/source/decision_(baseball)) (despite a respectable 3.27 earned run average) and drop out of the Angel starting rotation in early July. He worked in only 94<small>{{fraction|1|3}}</small> [innings pitched](/source/innings_pitched), half of his 1967 workload, and finished the year with a 1–11 [record](/source/win%E2%80%93loss_record_(pitching)). He then spent most of {{mlby|1969}}, all of {{mlby|1970}}, and the early weeks of {{mlby|1971}} in the [minor leagues](/source/minor_league_baseball). But the Angels recalled him in June 1971, and in his third appearance and second starting assignment, Clark tossed another two-hit shutout, this time against the eventual [division champion](/source/AL_West) [Oakland Athletics](/source/Oakland_Athletics) at [Anaheim Stadium](/source/Anaheim_Stadium) on July 2.<ref>[https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1971/B07020CAL1971.htm "California Angels 1, Oakland Athletics 0"] Retrosheet box score: 1971-07-02</ref> Those two-hitters, almost four years apart, would be the only shutouts of his MLB career.

Clark spent the entire {{mlby|1972}} season with the Angels, working in 26 games (with 15 starts) and hurling two more complete games. But he posted a 4–9 record and a 4.51 earned run average and during the offseason his contract was sold to the [Philadelphia Phillies](/source/Philadelphia_Phillies)' organization, where he spent 1973 at [Triple-A](/source/Triple-A_(baseball)) before leaving baseball.

In 96 major league [games pitched](/source/games_pitched) (70 starts), Clark won 19 games and lost 32 ([.373](/source/winning_percentage)) with a 3.38 career earned run average. In 431<small>{{fraction|2|3}}</small> innings pitched, he allowed 371 hits and 213 [bases on balls](/source/bases_on_balls), [striking out](/source/strikeout) 236.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Baseballstats|br=c/clarkri01}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Rickey}}
Category:1946 births
Category:Living people
Category:Baseball players from Macomb County, Michigan
Category:California Angels players
Category:El Paso Sun Kings players
Category:Eugene Emeralds players
Category:Hawaii Islanders players
Category:Jamestown Tigers players
Category:Major League Baseball pitchers
Category:Montgomery Rebels players
Category:Sportspeople from Mount Clemens, Michigan
Category:Salt Lake City Angels players
Category:Toledo Mud Hens players
Category:20th-century American sportsmen

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Rickey Clark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickey_Clark) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickey_Clark?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.