Dave Clark (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dave Clark |
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Clark with the Houston Astros
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| Houston Astros – No. 23 | |||
| Outfielder / Coach | |||
| Born: September 3, 1962 Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 3, 1986, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 27, 1998, for the Houston Astros | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .264 | ||
| Home runs | 62 | ||
| Runs batted in | 284 | ||
| Managerial record | 4–9 | ||
| Winning % | .308 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
As coach
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David Earl Clark (born September 3, 1962) is an American former baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). After his playing career, he became a coach. As of 2025, he is the first base coach for the Houston Astros.
Clark also managed minor league teams. He led the Corpus Christi Hooks to a championship in 2006. He was also an interim manager for the Houston Astros in 2009.
Contents
About Dave Clark
Early Life and College
Dave Clark was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. He went to Jackson State University. While there, he was named the team's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in both 1982 and 1983.
Playing Career Highlights
Clark was chosen by the Cleveland Indians in the first round of the 1983 draft. He made his first appearance in Major League Baseball in 1986. During his career, he played for over twelve seasons.
He had a batting average of .264. He also hit 62 home runs and had 284 runs batted in (RBIs). His best season was in 1994 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. That year, he batted .296, hit 10 home runs, and had 46 RBIs.
Transition to Coaching
After his playing days, Clark started coaching. His first coaching job was with the Pirates organization in 2000. He began as a hitting coach for a rookie team. Soon after, he became the hitting coach for their Triple-A team, the Nashville Sounds.
A year later, he was promoted to be the hitting coach for the Pirates' major league team. He held this position for two years.
Managing Minor League Teams
After coaching for the Pirates, Clark became a manager. He managed the Lynchburg Hillcats, an advanced A team. He led them to the playoffs in the Carolina League.
The next season, he managed the Hickory Crawdads. He guided this team to win the South Atlantic League championship.
In 2005, Clark joined the Houston Astros organization. He managed the Corpus Christi Hooks, a Double-A team, for three seasons. In 2006, he led the Hooks to their first-ever Texas League Championship.
Major League Coaching and Managing
On September 21, 2009, Dave Clark became the interim manager for the Houston Astros. He took over this role for the rest of the 2009 season.
After that, he served as the first base coach for the Astros until the end of the 2013 season. He also coached for the Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter League.
In November 2013, Clark was hired by the Detroit Tigers. He worked as their third-base coach and helped players with their outfield skills. Before the 2020 season, he moved to coaching first base for the Tigers.
In December 2023, the Houston Astros announced that Clark would return to their team. He is now their first-base coach for the 2024 season and beyond.
Managerial Record
Here is a summary of Dave Clark's record as a manager in Major League Baseball:
| Team | From | To | Regular season record | Post–season record | ||||||
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| G | W | L | Win % | G | W | L | Win % | |||
| Houston Astros | 2009 | 2009 | 13 | 4 | 9 | .308 | — | |||
| Total | 13 | 4 | 9 | .308 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
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Family Life
Dave Clark has a brother named Louis. Louis was a wide receiver in American football. He played for the Seattle Seahawks. Today, Louis works as the Senior Director of Pro Personnel for the Los Angeles Chargers.
