Here is one of only three Baseball subjects that I have in my Allen & Ginter set. There are a total of 10 Baseball players in the vintage set, so I still have a long way to go before completing it. This card looks nice, but don't be fooled. It has been peeled from its' cardboard backing.John Clarkson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1963. He was one of the games best pitchers in the late 1880's. Clarkson pitched only 12 seasons, but compiled some incredible numbers. Lifetime he won 328 games while recording a 2.81 ERA, 485 complete games and 37 shutouts. In 1885 he won 53 games for the Chicago White Stockings while throwing 68 complete games. I'd like to see a modern player do that today. In 1888 Chicago sold Clarkson for $10,000.00 to the Boston Beaneaters where he went on to win 33 games. A year later he won 49 games and the National League Triple Crown for Boston. That year he also had the special distinction of being the first pitcher in Major League history to strike out three batters on 9 straight pitches.
