Always a fiery competitor,
Clark Griffith learned baseball from the returning soldiers of the Civil War. Early on in his career, Griffith starred for the Western Association’s Milwaukee club until he caught the eye of Charles Comiskey, who persuaded him to play for Chicago of the American Association in 1891. Unstable paychecks led him to California in 1893 where he picked up 30 wins as a starter. He later returned to Chicago to play for Cap Anson’s Colts where he won at least 20 games for six consecutive years. Griffith sported a light frame for being 6 foot tall, and so “relied on wiles and control to get batters out, utilizing a variety of breaking balls, trick pitches, and deceptive deliveries to befuddle his opponents.” He often defaced the ball openly with his spikes to impart action on his pitches and was once billed by the Detroit club for eleven new baseballs.
Clark was instrumental in the formation of the American League, working to convince nearly 40 National League stars to jump to the new league. He himself signed with Comiskey’s Chicago team, but failed to return to his 20-win performance, going 14-17 with a 3.02 ERA. Down the stretch, Griffith lost his stuff and three straight games, perhaps costing Chicago the AL pennant. He was quickly traded to Milwaukee, which at the time was already being transferred to St. Louis. No doubt Griffith will help the American League again establish a competitive team in another NL stronghold.
Thrift’s Training Matrix - Not shy of freak pitches, Clark later in life denied throwing the spitball, so for our purposes he will
ignore the Matrix. He (along with Bowerman and Hildebrand in other locales) will be a great coach for anyone willing to learn.