Fred Clarke

Fred Clifford "Cap" Clarke (1872–1960) was the Pittsburgh Pirates' playing manager through the dead-ball era — the rare man to hold both jobs for nearly two decades. Born October 3, 1872 in Winterset, Iowa, he debuted in 1894 and played twenty-two MLB seasons in left field through 1915, managing the entire stretch from 1897 to 1915. In 1911, age 38, he hit .324 while still steering the Pirates from the dugout. A 165-pound left-handed hitter who threw right, Clarke appears in our 1909-era card holdings on E90-2 Pittsburgh American Caramel and E93 Standard Caramel. He died August 14, 1960 in Winfield, Kansas and is buried at St. Mary Cemetery there. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1945.