Prior to his arrival in Boston, John Clarkson was considered one of the best Pitchers in the National League. With the Chicago White Stockings (which would later be named the Chicago Cubs), he finished first in Wins twice (1885 & 1887) and was considered an elite Pitcher. The Boston Beaneaters sure thought so, and they purchased him from Chicago for $10,000, which was a fortune in 1888! This proved to be a decent choice, and Clarkson had a good 1888 with a 33 Win season (2nd overall), but exploded the following season with what has to be considered one of the greatest seasons in franchise history.
In 1889, John Clarkson finished first in Wins (49), Earned Run Average (2.73), Games Pitched (73), Innings Pitched (620), Strikeouts (284), WHIP (1.277) and bWAR for Pitchers (16.7). That 16.7 is the fifth-highest EVER by Pitchers in any season. Clarkson would have won an award for a Pitcher had there been one in existence back then. He would have two more good seasons for Boston before he was surprisingly released midway through the 1892 season.
His overall resume with the Beaneaters included a 149-82 record and a 2.82 ERA.
Clarkson would be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963 by the Veterans Committee.
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