Bob Clear: Difference between revisions

Clear began a long playing career with the 1945 [[1945Batavia inClippers]] of the [[Class D (baseball)|1945Class D]] [[BataviaPennsylvania–Ontario–New ClippersYork League]] (PONY League), [[batting average (baseball)|hitting]] .222 at age 17. BobHe movedreturned to [[California]] as a member of the Class C [[Bakersfield Indians]] in [[1946 in baseball|1946]], playing [[third base]] and only posting an .838 [[fielding percentage]] while batting .266. The next year, he joined the [[St. Louis Cardinals]]' minor-league organization and hit .200 for the [[Lynchburg Cardinals|Lynchburg]] and .208 for the [[Decatur Commodores|Decatur]], both in Class B leagues.

Clear then attempted a pitching career. He wentposted a 17–12 [[win–loss record (pitching)|record]] with a 3.45 [[Earned run average|ERA]] for the 1948 [[1948Willows in baseball|1948Cardinals]] in the Class D [[WillowsFar CardinalsWest League (1948–1951)|Far West League]]; he was second in the league in games won to [[Larry Shepard]] inof wins[[Medford Nuggets|Medford]], a future colleague as a manager in the [[FarPittsburgh WestPirates]]' League[[farm system]] of the 1960s. He also was 0–1 with theClass C [[Fresno Cardinals|Fresno]] of the [[California League]].

HeClear spent most of [[1949 in baseball|1949]] with the [[Pocatello Cardinals]] (11–6, 5.84) and also was back in Lynchburg for one loss. By his 21st birthday, he had been with seven teams. [[The 1950 in baseball|1950]]season brought Clearhim to the Class A [[Western League (defunct minor league1900–1958)|Western League]] and he went 16–7 with a 3.38 ERA. He was tied for fourth in the circuit in wins, was fourth with 119 walks and the [[Omaha Cardinals]] pitcher led the league with four [[shutout]]s. He struggled with the Cardinals' three top minor league affiliates in 1951, going 1–2, 8.13 for the [[Houston Buffaloes]], 0–4 with a 9.82 ERA for the [[Columbus Red Birds]] and 0–1 for the [[Rochester Red Wings]]. After playing on 11 teams by age 24, Clear's career then settled down. He went 9–12, with a 3.44 ERA for Houston in 1952 and 4–6, with a 3.35 ERA for the 1953 Buffaloes.

In [[1956 in baseball|1956]], Clear finally left the Cardinals' chain andin was1957, withjoining the [[Sioux City Soos]] in the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] [[farm system]]. He went 5–4 with a 6.00 ERA foras the Soos and took over as player-manager onof Maythe 15.[[Douglas AsCopper player-managerKings]] of the [[1957Class in baseball|1957]]C [[DouglasArizona–Mexico Copper KingsLeague]],. BobHe hitbatted .313 and, on the mound, went 20–11 with a 3.63 ERA. He was second in the [[Arizona-Texas League|Arizona-Mexico League]]league in ERA behind [[Don Bruns]], tied [[Candido Andrade]] for the win lead, and led with 28 complete games (in 31 starts). Still just 29 years old, he had now played for 13 clubs.

FallingHe towon 1–1018 of 26 [[decision (baseball)|decisions]], with a 4.42 ERA, for Douglas in [[1958 in baseball|1958]], heand helped make history on August 19 when he was hitting fifth for Douglas in a game in which all nine starters homered against the [[Chihuahua Dorados]] in a 22–6 rout. Presumably, thisIt was hisClear's onefourth victory1958 ofhome run as a hitter; he batted .303 that season and led the yearCopper Kings to the A–ML championship.<ref name="ERC49">"[http://web.milb.com/gen/articles/printer_friendly/milb/y2008/m05/d16/c399596.jsp Czerwinski, Kevin T. (28 May 2008): "Copper Kings Delivered Unmatched Clout,"] [[MLB.com]]</ref>

He went 13–8, with a 2.81 ERA for the [[Idaho Falls Russets]] the next year. He then had arguably his best year yet, going 21–6, with a 2.50 ERA for the [[Grand Forks Chiefs]], leading the [[Northern League (baseball, 1902-711902–71)|Northern League]] in wins and finishing in the top three in ERA. In [[1961 in baseball|1961]], he fell to 4–5, with a 5.05 ERA for Grand Forks. Retiring more or less from pitching, he appeared briefly for the [[1965 in baseball|1965]] [[Kinston Expos|Kinston Eagles]] and [[1967 in baseball|1967]] [[Clinton PilotsPirates]] (1–0, 1.64), wrapping up his pitching career with a 144–117 record for seventeen17 teams.

He managedcontinued to manage in the Pirates chain until' [[1969farm insystem]] until baseball|1969]], making stops at Batavia in 1962, [[1962Gastonia in baseballPirates|1962Gastonia]], Gastoniain [[19631963–1964, in baseball|1963]]–[[1964Asheville in baseballTourists|1964Asheville]], Asheville in 1964, Kinston in 1965, back to Gastonia in [[1966 in baseball|1966]], Clinton in 1967–[[1968 in baseball|1968]]1967–1968, and Geneva in 1969. Moving to the California Angels chain, he managed the [[IdahoGeneva Falls Angels]] from [[1970 in baseballPirates|1970Geneva]] to [[1973 in baseball|1973]]1969.

ClearAfter 1987, Clear continued in the uncleAngel ofsystem formeras MLBa [[reliefspecial-assignments pitcher]]scout [[Markand instructor through Clear]],{{Citation neededmlby|date=May 20082000}}, his 56th year in professional baseball. He died in [[Carson, California]], at the age of 82.

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