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Nolan Ryan is baseball’s all-time strikeout leader with 5,714 Ks. Armed with a fastball that reached triple digits on the radar gun, he was an uncomfortable at bat. One of the few men who actually enjoyed hitting off of the fearsome hurler was Will Clark.

The first time Clark played in a big league game was on April 8, 1986, the season opener for his Giants. Hitting second in manager Roger Craig’s lineup, the 22-year old Clark faced Ryan in his initial major league at bat.

In the top of the first at Houston’s Astrodome, Clark stepped into the box. On his first swing, Clark connected off Ryan, driving the pitch over the wall in right-center with a 420-foot blast.

After the homer Clark went hitless against Ryan for the rest of 1986, an 0-for-10 run. In ’87 Clark changed the momentum. That year the pair squared off twice in June. Clark went 3-for-6 with a homer and three runs batted.

The lineup card shown here is from a June 28th contest between Clark’s Giants and Ryan’s Astros. In that Sunday afternoon game at Candlestick Park, Clark went 2-for-3 with an RBI single and a two-run bomb.

After his late-June home run Clark hit another long ball off of Ryan on August 3rd of ’87, his third off of the pitcher. The following season Clark slammed long balls off of the Express on June 24th, August 1st, and again on August 11th.

Clark homered off of Ryan in his first and last at bats against him, and four times in between. The sweet-swinging lefty’s 6 career homers off of Ryan are the most the Express surrendered to any batter in his 27-year big league career.

Likewise those six big flies are the most Clark hit off of any pitcher in his 15-year big league career. In the three seasons they faced each other there were plenty of fireworks.

Overall, Clark went 12-for-36 off of Ryan with a pair of doubles, six homers, and 11 runs batted in.

Not many men can say they owned Nolan Ryan. Will Clark can because he did.

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The Giants drafted Will Clark with the second overall pick in the 1985 amateur draft. The following season he was in the big leagues to stay.

In 111 games the first baseman hit .287 with a 120 OPS+ as a 22-year old first-year player. His performance earned a fifth-place finish in 1986 Rookie of the Year balloting. One spot behind him in the voting was home run king Barry Bonds.

Shown here is a pair of Will Clark autographed baseball cards. On the left is a 1986 Donruss Rookies example; on the right is an ’86 Topps traded card.

 

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William Nuschler Clark debuted on April 8, 1986 as a member of the San Francisco Giants. Four days later he recorded the first three-hit game of his career at Dodger Stadium in his team’s 7-6 extra-inning win over the Dodgers before 43,945 fans. Clark went 3-for-6 in the 11-inning contest, hitting the second double of his young career.

Clark’s hits came in his first three at bats of the game, all against Dodger lefty starter Fernando Valenzuela. The left-handed swinging Clark hit the Dodger star well in his career going 16-for-49 (.327) with 6 doubles, 7 walks, and a .404 on-base percentage.

In the collection is this ticket stub from Clark’s first three-hit game in the majors. The first baseman has neatly signed his name on the center of the right side. It’s interesting to note that a seat just 12 rows from the field cost only $6 in 1986.

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“The Thrill” was one of the finest players of his era. From 1987 through 1995, Clark averaged 22 homers and 93 RBI while hitting .303. During that run he appeared in six All Star games, won a Gold Glove, and two Silver Sluggers. Five times he garnered votes in MVP balloting.

The #2 overall pick out of Mississippi State, Clark hit .300 or better in 11 of his 15 big league campaigns. By the time he hung up his spikes, Clark amassed 2,176 hits, 284 homers, 1,285 runs batted in. His lifetime average stands at .303 while his career on-base percentage is .384.

Though many many feel he has a case for Cooperstown, Clark fell off of the Hall ballot in 2006 when he received just 4.4% of the vote. Clark did make the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006, the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

Shown here is an advance scouting report from Opening Day, 1988. Clark had three hits – including his third career triple. It was a great start to one of Clark’s finest seasons. At season’s end he had 29 homers, and a league leading 109 runs batted in.

The scouting report reads, “First ball hitter! Geared up for fastball, especially first pitch. Careful on first pitch. Low ball hitter with sock especially on pitch down. Swinging the bat very well at present time….up and in is great otherwise in at the hands if possible. Will swing at bad baseballs up, out. Left handers can curve him away if possible. An aggressive hitter.”