RetroSimba

(Updated March 1, 2022)

In 2000, Will Clark produced four home runs in the first five games he played for the Cardinals.

A first baseman, Clark was acquired by the Cardinals from the Orioles on July 31, 2000, in a trade for minor-league infielder Jose Leon. The first-place Cardinals, seeking to secure the National League Central Division crown, saw Clark, 36, as a replacement for slugger Mark McGwire, who was sidelined because of tendinitis in his right knee. In 79 games with the 2000 Orioles, Clark batted .301 with nine home runs and 28 RBI.

San Francisco treat

With the Giants from 1986-93, Clark batted .299 with 1,278 hits in 1,160 games and an on-base percentage of .373. In the 1987 National League Championship Series versus the Cardinals, Clark batted .360 with nine hits in seven games. Nine months later, in July 1988 at St. Louis, Clark got into a tussle with Cardinals infielders Jose Oquendo and Ozzie Smith, who didn’t like the way he slid into second base.

Asked what he thought about Clark becoming his teammate, Oquendo, a coach with the 2000 Cardinals, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Will is a nice guy. He knows the game, knows how the game should be played.”

Regarding their 1988 altercation, Oquendo said, “That’s all forgotten. We always have joked about it every time we see each other.”

Warm welcome

Clark was delighted to join the Cardinals and play for a contender. In an interview with the Baltimore Sun, Clark said his message to the Cardinals was, “I’ll do whatever you need me to do. That’s what team players do. That’s how you win, by going about things in a team concept. Whatever (manager) Tony La Russa and the Cardinals want me to do, I’ll do.”

La Russa told the Associated Press, “Will Clark is a winning-type of veteran. He should help us … (Clark) knows how to come up and get a base hit in a key situation. He’s a very competitive guy.”

Clark was in the second season of a two-year, $11 million contract. As part of the trade, the Orioles agreed to pay about half of Clark’s remaining salary for the season, the Baltimore Sun reported.

“There was a great deal of interest from Clark’s side to try to come here,” Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said to the Post-Dispatch. “He wanted to play on a winner.”

Columnist Tom Wheatley of the Post-Dispatch concluded, “Clark’s team-first attitude will fit right in.”

Sizzling slugger

In his Cardinals debut, Aug. 1, 2000, at Montreal, Clark entered the game in the sixth inning to play first base, replacing Eduardo Perez. In the seventh, Clark doubled versus Expos reliever Anthony Telford in his first Cardinals at-bat. Boxscore

Clark started at first base in each of the Cardinals’ next four games _ and he hit a home run in each. Here’s a look:

_ Aug. 2, 2000, Cardinals 10, Expos 7, at Montreal: Batting cleanup, Clark went 3-for-4 with a walk, two RBI and two runs scored. He hit a second-inning solo home run against Mike Johnson. Boxscore and video

_ Aug. 4, 2000, Braves 6, Cardinals 4, at St. Louis: In a preview of the NL Division Series matchup, Clark, batting sixth, hit a solo home run against Tom Glavine in the second inning on the first pitch he saw in his first home game as a Cardinal. Clark received a standing ovation from the crowd of 48,901 when he walked to the plate for the first time, and he got a curtain call after hitting the home run. Boxscore and video

“After that first standing ovation, in my heart I bonded with them already before I even stepped to the plate,” Clark said. “The change of scenery, the emotional lift it gave me, means a lot. The batteries have been recharged.”

_ Aug. 5, 2000, Cardinals 5, Braves 0, at St. Louis: Clark hit a two-run home run in the first inning against John Burkett, a former Giants teammate. Clark also drew two walks and scored twice. Boxscore

_ Aug. 6, 2000, Braves 6, Cardinals 4, at St. Louis: Clark’s solo home run against Kevin Millwood in the fourth inning was part of a 3-for-4 performance. Clark’s batting average after five games with the Cardinals was .643. Boxscore

“I’ve got a whole new attitude,” Clark said. “I’m loving life.”

In a profile of Clark after he joined the Cardinals, Sports Illustrated’s Kostya Kennedy described him as “St. Louis’ swaggering shaman, a wise head on the field and a spirited voice in the clubhouse.”

“Sarcastic, cantankerous and quick to carp in his chipmunk-pitched Louisiana drawl, Clark struts through the clubhouse razzing all men equally,” Kennedy noted.

Real deal

In a 2019 interview with Cardinals broadcasters Dan McLaughlin and Rick Horton, Clark recalled when he joined the team he was brought in to see La Russa, who said, “We let the players police themselves and that’s what I want you to do. I want you to run the clubhouse.”

Clark replied, “Sounds great to me.”

“I had a lot of fun doing it,” Clark said. “J.D. Drew and Rick Ankiel took some (verbal) beatings. Rick didn’t mention that in his book, I don’t think.”

McGwire returned to the Cardinals in September, but was limited to 14 at-bats for the month. Clark played in 51 regular-season games for the 2000 Cardinals and batted .345 (59-for-171) with 12 home runs, 42 RBI, a .426 on-base percentage and a .655 slugging percentage.

Sparked by Clark’s hitting, the Cardinals won the division title, finishing 10 games ahead of the second-place Reds.

Clark continued to deliver in the postseason. He hit a three-run home run against Glavine in Game 2 of the NL Division Series at St. Louis on Oct. 5. Boxscore In the NL Championship Series against the Mets, Clark led the Cardinals with a .412 batting average (7-for-17).

The Cardinals offered Clark a chance to return in 2001, but it would have meant being a utility player and learning to play the outfield. He opted instead to retire from playing.