Harlond Clift

Harlond Clift
Third baseman
Born: (1912-08-12)August 12, 1912 El Reno, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died: April 27, 1992(1992-04-27) (aged 79) Yakima, Washington, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 17, 1934, for the St. Louis Browns
Last MLB appearance
September 20, 1945, for the Washington Senators
MLB statistics
Batting average	.272
Home runs	178
Runs batted in	829
Teams
St. Louis Browns (1934–1943) Washington Senators (1943–1945 )
Career highlights and awards
All-Star (1937)

Harlond Benton "Darkie" Clift (August 12, 1912 – April 27, 1992) was a

in 1937. He threw and batted right-handed, and was listed as 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and 180 pounds (82 kg).

Early life

Clift was born in El Reno, Oklahoma. He tried out for the St. Louis Browns in 1931 and sustained an unusual injury during the tryout. While reaching to field a ball, Clift stepped on his own glove, which caused him to trip and roll forward. He broke his collarbone in the fall. Nonetheless, the Browns signed Clift and he made his major-league debut in 1934.^[1]

Career

Bowman Gum

card

Clift

, with 118.

Clift was traded to the Washington Senators in 1943. A serious case of the

. Clift was one of the first power-hitting third basemen, posting his offensive numbers at a time when players at that position were more valued for their fielding. However, Clift was also regarded as a superb fielder.

Clift's nickname, "Darkie", has what Bill James referred to as "a rather unpleasant derivation":^[1] One of his Browns teammates, Alan Strange, misheard Clift's first name and thought that it was Harlem, a predominantly Black area in New York.^[2]

Clift died in Yakima, Washington, at the age of 79.^[3]

See also

• List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
• Harlond Clift at Find a Grave