Tony Clark

Infobox MLB player
name=Tony Clark

---

width=300
position=First baseman
team=Arizona Diamondbacks
number=13
bats=Switch
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1972|6|15
birthplace=city-state|Newton|Kansas
debutdate=September 3
debutyear=1995
debutteam=Detroit Tigers
statyear=September 12, 2008
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.263
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=247
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=813
teams=
*Detroit Tigers (by|1995-by|2001)
*Boston Red Sox (by|2002)
*New York Mets (by|2003)
*New York Yankees (by|2004)
*Arizona Diamondbacks (by|2005-by|2007)
*San Diego Padres (by|2008)
*Arizona Diamondbacks (by|2008-present)
awards=
* All-Star selection (2001)

Anthony Christopher Clark (born June 15, 1972 in Newton, Kansas) is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Previously, Clark has played with the Detroit Tigers (mlby|1995-mlby|2001), Boston Red Sox (mlby|2002), New York Mets (mlby|2003), New York Yankees (mlby|2004), Arizona Diamondbacks (mlby|2005-mlby|2007), San Diego Padres (mlby|2008), and again with the Diamondbacks starting in July, 2008. He is a switch hitter and throws right-handed.

High School career

Clark prepped at Christian High School and Valhalla High School in El Cajon, California.

College career

Clark played college basketball at the University of Arizona and San Diego State.

Professional career

In a 13-year career through 2007, Clark is a .265 hitter with 244 home runs and 789 RBI in 1415 games. His most productive season came in mlby|1998, when he hit .291 and 34 home runs. He also enjoyed good seasons in mlby|1997, with 32 homers and 117 RBI, and mlby|1999, with 31 and 99 respectively.

Clark was selected an All-Star in 2001.

On June 29, 2004, at Yankee Stadium, Clark hit a deep center field two-run homer off Derek Lowe, to help his team to an 11-3 win over the Red Sox. Clark joined Bernie Williams and Danny Tartabull as the only players to reach the center field bleachers more than once since the remodeled Yankee Stadium opened in mlby|1976.Fact|date=July 2008

Clark signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks after the 2004 season. In 2005, he enjoyed monstrous success with the D-Backs. In a limited role (349 at-bats), he hit .307, belted 30 home runs and knocked in 87 runs. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/clarkto02.shtml] ] In by|2006, Clark was injured for a vast majority of the season, which rendered him ineffective.

In 2007, Clark shared the first baseman position with Conor Jackson. He played in 113 games, and batted .249. Though not with the best batting average, Clark would go on to lead the Diamondbacks into the playoffs. He led the young team with the slogan "Anybody, Anytime" which he came up with to describe the Arizona team. After the season, his contract was up and he did not re-sign with the Diamondbacks.

On February 10, 2008, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Clark agreed to a one-year contract worth $900,000 with the San Diego Padres. [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/padres/20080210-9999-1s10bbnotes.html] ] On June 8, 2008, Clark hit a game-winning three-run pinch-hit home run off Mets closer Billy Wagner in the eighth inning to give the Padres an 8-6 win over the Mets at PETCO Park.

On July 17, 2008, he was traded back to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a minor league pitcher Evan Scribner. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3493542] ]

Clark has filled in a variety of capacities with the Major League Baseball Players' Association, serving as the club player representative for the Boston Red Sox in 2002 and Arizona Diamondbacks as recently as 2006. Clark, along with Mark Loretta, was re-elected as Associate Player Representative on the MLBPA Executive Board upon the ratification of the new collective bargaining agreement on December 8, 2006. [ [http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061208&content_id=1754554&vkey=mlbpa_news&fext=.jsp] ]

ee also

* Top 500 home run hitters of all time
* Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

References

External links

*Baseballstats |mlb=112316 |espn=5513 |br=c/clarkto02 |fangraphs=182 |cube=C/tony-clark