Baseball player, Boileryard Clarke, Washington Senators, facing the camera, outdoors 1904 Photo SUMMARY Half-length portrait of William Boileryard Clarke, baseball player for the Washington Senators, American League, facing the camera, standing at South Side Park which was located at West 37th Street, South Princeton Avenue, West Pershing Road (formerly West 39th Street), and South Wentworth Avenue in the Armour Square community area of Chicago, Illinois. NOTES This photonegative taken by a Chicago Daily News photographer may have been published in the newspaper. SDN-002368, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society. An aggressive playing catcher during baseball’s Dead Ball Era, William Clarke played for one of the best teams in early professional baseball history, the Baltimore Orioles, who were then in the National League. He helped the Orioles win three straight Championships 1894-1896, followed by two back-to-back second place finishes, 1897-98. A noted dangerous clutch-hitter Boileryard Clarke batted over .290 two straight years, 1895-1896, for the Orioles, including a 71 RBI season in ’96. He hit a career-high .315 for Boston, NL, in 1900. Note: Clarke played in the time when the baseball was slightly larger and softer than today’s ‘rabbit ball.’ |