Clyde King facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Clyde King |
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King with the Hollywood Stars c. 1957
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| Pitcher / Coach / Manager / General Manager | |||
| Born: May 23, 1924 Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Died: November 2, 2010 (aged 86) Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| June 21, 1944, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 27, 1953, for the Cincinnati Redlegs | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 32–25 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.14 | ||
| Strikeouts | 150 | ||
| Managerial record | 234–229 | ||
| Winning % | .505 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
As coach
As general manager
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Clyde Edward King (May 23, 1924 – November 2, 2010) was an important person in Major League Baseball. He was a pitcher, a coach, a manager, and even a general manager.
Clyde King spent an amazing 67 years working in baseball! He spent 35 of those years with the New York Yankees. He worked for them as a coach, a manager, and even as their general manager. He also managed the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves.
Contents
Clyde King's Baseball Journey
Playing as a Pitcher
Clyde King was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a right-handed pitcher.
He started playing in the Major Leagues at age 20 in 1944. His first team was the Brooklyn Dodgers. This was during World War II, when many players were away.
Clyde played for the Dodgers for parts of six seasons. He won 14 games for them in 1951. He was also part of the Dodgers teams that won their league in 1947 and 1952.
He finished his playing career with the Cincinnati Redlegs in 1953. Overall, he played in 200 games. He won 32 games and lost 25.
From Player to Manager
After his playing days, Clyde King became a coach and manager. He managed several minor league teams. These included the Atlanta Crackers and Hollywood Stars.
He also worked as a pitching coach for Major League teams. He coached for the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates.
In 1969, King became the manager for the San Francisco Giants. His team won 90 games in his first year. They finished second in their division.
In 1974, he became the manager of the Atlanta Braves. The team played very well under him. They won 88 games that year.
Working with the Yankees
Clyde King joined the New York Yankees in 1976. He had many important jobs there. He was a scout, a pitching coach, and even the general manager.
In 1982, he also managed the Yankees for part of the season. He stayed with the Yankees for the rest of his life. He was a special advisor to the team's owner, George Steinbrenner.
Managerial Record
Clyde King managed three different Major League teams. Here is a summary of his time as a manager:
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
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| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| SF | 1969 | 162 | 90 | 72 | .556 | 2nd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| SF | 1970 | 42 | 19 | 23 | .452 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| SF total | 204 | 109 | 95 | .534 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| ATL | 1974 | 63 | 38 | 25 | .603 | 3rd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
| ATL | 1975 | 144 | 58 | 76 | .433 | fired | – | – | – | – |
| ATL total | 197 | 96 | 101 | .487 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| NYY | 1982 | 62 | 29 | 33 | .468 | 5th in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| NYY total | 62 | 29 | 33 | .468 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| Total | 463 | 234 | 229 | .505 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
About His Life
Clyde King passed away in his hometown of Goldsboro at age 86. He was survived by his wife, Norma, their three daughters, eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
He wrote a book about his life called A King's Legacy, The Clyde King Story. It was published in 1999.
In 1999, Clyde King was honored. He was added to the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame. His brother, Claude, also played baseball in the minor leagues.
