Tony Clark
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 Clark with the Padres in 2008 |
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|---|---|
| San Diego Padres — No. 7 | |
| First Baseman | |
| Born: June 15, 1972 | |
| Bats: Switch | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| September 3, 1995 for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2008) |
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| Batting average | .264 |
| Home runs | 245 |
| Runs batted in | 790 |
| Teams | |
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Anthony Christopher "Tony" Clark (born June 15, 1972, in Newton, Kansas) is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the San Diego Padres.
Contents |
[edit] Pro Career
Previously, he played with the Detroit Tigers (1995-2001), Boston Red Sox (2002), New York Mets (2003), New York Yankees (2004) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2005-2006). Clark is a switch hitter and throws right-handed. In a 13-year career, Clark is a .265 hitter with 244 home runs and 789 RBI in 1415 games. His most productive season came in 1998, when he hit .291 and 34 home runs. He also enjoyed good seasons in 1997, with 32 homers and 117 RBI, and 1999, with 31 and 99 respectively.
Clark was selected an All-Star in 2001.
On June 29, 2004, at Yankee Stadium, Clark hit a deep center field two-run homer off Derek Lowe, to help his team to an 11-3 win over the Red Sox. Clark joined Bernie Williams and Danny Tartabull as the only players to reach the center field bleachers more than once since the remodeled Yankee Stadium opened in 1976.
Clark signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks after the 2004 season.
In 2005, he enjoyed monstrous success with the D-Backs. In a limited role (349 at-bats), he hit .307, belted 30 home runs and knocked in 87 runs.[1]
In 2006, Clark was injured for a vast majority of the season, which rendered him ineffective.
In 2007, Clark shared the first baseman position with Conor Jackson. He played in 113 games, and batted .249. Though not with the best batting average, Clark would go on to lead the Diamondbacks into the playoffs. He lead the young team with the slogan "Anybody, Anytime" which he came up with to describe the Arizona team. After the season, his contract was up and he did not resign with the Diamondbacks.
On February 10, 2008, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Clark agreed to a one-year contract worth $900,000 with the San Diego Padres.[2]
[edit] College Career
He also played college basketball at the University of Arizona and San Diego State.
[edit] High School Career
Clark prepped at Christian High School and Valhalla High School in El Cajon, CA.
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- Clark was born on the same day as fellow major leaguers Andy Pettitte and Ramiro Mendoza.
- Clark has filled in a variety of capacities with the Major League Baseball Players' Association, serving as the club player representative for the Boston Red Sox in 2002 and Arizona Diamondbacks as recently as 2006. Clark, along with Mark Loretta, was re-elected as Associate Player Representative on the MLBPA Executive Board upon the ratification of the new collective bargaining agreement on December 8, 2006. [3]
- Clark played for the Trenton Thunder in their first season in New Jersey, 1994. He hit a home run over the right-field fence at Mercer County Waterfront Park and into the Delaware River. Through the 2006 season, he remains the only player to have done so. The Thunder honored him with the team's retirement of a uniform number, 33.
[edit] See also
- Top 500 home run hitters of all time
- Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game
- Arizona Diamondbacks all-time roster
