Phil Clark (outfielder) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Phil Clark |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Outfielder / Coach | |||
| Born: May 6, 1968 Crockett, Texas, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: May 27, 1992, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| NPB: 1997, for the Kintetsu Buffaloes | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: April 30, 1996, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
| NPB: 2000, for the Kintetsu Buffaloes | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .276 | ||
| Home runs | 17 | ||
| Runs batted in | 65 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .305 | ||
| Home runs | 93 | ||
| Runs batted in | 324 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As coach
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
Phillip Benjamin Clark, born on May 6, 1968, is a former American professional baseball player and coach. He played as an outfielder and later became a coach. He played for teams like the Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, and Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball (MLB). He also spent four seasons playing baseball in Japan for the Kintetsu Buffaloes. Most recently, he was an assistant hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers.
Playing Career
Phil Clark started his baseball journey after being picked by the Detroit Tigers in the 1986 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his big league debut with the Tigers in 1992. The next year, he joined the San Diego Padres. He played well, hitting .313 (meaning he got a hit about 31.3% of the time he tried) and hitting 9 home runs in 102 games.
He continued to play part-time before leaving the Boston Red Sox in 1996. In 1997, he moved to Japan to play for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in the Pacific League. In his first year there, he hit 23 home runs and had a great batting average of .331. This was the second-best in the league! He won the Best Nine Award for his excellent play at first base.
In 1998, Phil hit 48 doubles, which was a new record in Japan at the time. He finished that year with a .320 batting average, 31 home runs, and 114 RBIs. He won his second Best Nine Award in a row. Even though his performance dropped a bit in 1999, he still earned his third Best Nine Award as a designated hitter. In 2000, he missed a lot of the season after getting hit by a pitch. He left the team at the end of that year.
Coaching Career
After his playing days, Phil Clark became a baseball coach.
- On December 9, 2014, he was named the hitting coach for the West Michigan Whitecaps. This is a Class-A team.
- On December 2, 2015, he became the hitting coach for the Erie SeaWolves. This is a Double-A team.
- On November 2, 2017, Phil was named the assistant hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers for the 2018 season.
- On December 20, 2020, he was hired by the Wei Chuan Dragons in Taiwan. He became their hitting coach for the upcoming season.
Personal Life
Phil Clark's brother, Jerald Clark, also played professional baseball. He played in both Major League Baseball and in Japan.
