Jack Clark (baseball)

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Jack Clark watches helplessly as the Minnesota Twins defeat the Clark's St. Louis Cardinals in seven games in the 1987 World Series.

Jack Anthony Clark (born November 10, 1955 in New Brighton, Pennsylvania), also known as “Jack the Ripper”, is a former Major League Baseball player. From 1975 through 1992, Clark played for the San Francisco Giants (1975-84), St. Louis Cardinals (1985-87), New York Yankees (1988), San Diego Padres (1989-90) and Boston Red Sox (1991-92). He batted and threw right handed.

A clutch hitter and consistent slugger, Clark was injury-prone for the first 13 years of his career. He started his major league career with the San Francisco Giants in 1975 as a right fielder. But Clark hated the Giants' Candlestick Park, a notoriously bad park for power hitters because of the wind coming off of the San Francisco Bay.

On February 1, 1985, Clark was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for shortstop Jose Uribe, pitcher Dave LaPoint, and first basemen-outfielders David Green and Gary Rajsich. He switched to first base to reduce risk of injury. He became the hero of the 1985 National League Championship Series with a dramatic Game Six ninth-inning three-run home run off Dodgers pitcher Tom Niedenfuer. Ironically, he would later join the Dodgers as their hitting coach in 2003.

Jack Clark (1970s)

In 1988 Clark played with the New York Yankees, basically as a designated hitter, because of the presence of Don Mattingly at first base. Clark also played for the San Diego Padres in two seasons, returning to the American League as a DH with the Boston Red Sox. He retired at the end of the 1992 season.

A four-time All-Star, Clark also won the Silver Slugger Award in 1985 and 1987.

In an 18-season career, Clark was a .267 hitter with 340 home runs and 1180 RBI in 1994 games. He also collected 1118 runs, 332 doubles, 77 stolen bases, and 1826 hits in 6847 at bats.