Donn Clendenon made magic with the Mets, but the wizardry waned when he joined the Cardinals.
In December 1971, Clendenon connected with the Cardinals. Released by the Mets, the slugging first baseman worked out a deal to play for St. Louis.
The Cardinals had two left-handed batters, Matty Alou and Joe Hague, at first base. Clendenon, an experienced run producer, figured to provide power from the right side.
Making his mark
In 1935, a pregnant Helen Clendenon was expecting a daughter and planned to name her Donna, Bob Broeg of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. When instead she gave birth to a boy, she added a second “n” to his name, Donn.
Donn Clendenon was born in Neosho, Mo., about 25 miles from Joplin. His father, Claude, a professor of mathematics and psychology at Langston University in Oklahoma, had moved back to his hometown of Neosho when diagnosed with leukemia.
Claude Clendenon died about six months after Donn’s birth, and Helen moved from Neosho to her hometown, Atlanta.
Donn Clendenon developed into a top athlete in multiple sports. He enrolled at Morehouse College and excelled in football and basketball. The NFL Cleveland Browns and basketball’s Harlem Globetrotters and New York Knicks wanted him, but his stepfather, Nish Williams, a former Negro League baseball player, encouraged Donn to attend a Pittsburgh Pirates tryout camp.
The Pirates signed Clendenon and he reached the big leagues with them in September 1961.
Big swinger
A rangy 6 feet 4, Clendenon was a significant contributor to a lineup that included future Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Bill Mazeroski.
In 1965, Clendenon hit .301 with 32 doubles, 14 triples, 14 home runs and 96 RBI. On June 15, he belted two home runs in a game against the Cardinals, one each versus Tracy Stallard and Barney Schultz. Boxscore The next day, he hit another home run against the Cardinals’ Bob Purkey. Boxscore
Clendenon batted .299 with 28 home runs and 98 RBI for the 1966 Pirates.
He also twice led the National League in most times striking out: 136 in 1963 and 163 in 1968.
Dick Young of the New York Daily News wrote, “Against a left-handed pitcher, Donn Clendenon has a good home run swing. Against a right-handed pitcher, he has a good strikeout swing.”
After the 1968 season, the Expos chose Clendenon in the National League expansion draft, then traded him and Jesus Alou to the Astros for Rusty Staub.
When Clendenon told the Astros he was retiring, baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn interceded. He got the Expos to send two pitchers, Jack Billingham and Skip Guinn, plus cash, to the Astros as compensation for the loss of Clendenon. Then the Expos enticed Clendenon to stay by giving him a two-year contract, unusual for the time, with a hefty raise.
Amazing season
In need of right-handed power, the Mets had been pursuing Clendenon for a while. When they offered the Expos a package of prospects, including pitcher Steve Renko, a deal was done in June 1969.
Clendenon developed a knack for getting important hits for the Mets. Two of the most prominent were a pair of home runs against the Cardinals on Sept. 24 when the Mets clinched their first division title. Clendenon hit a three-run home run against Steve Carlton in the first inning, sending the Shea Stadium crowd into a frenzy, and followed with a solo shot versus Dave Giusti in the fifth. Boxscore
“I never hit a bigger home run than the one I got in the first inning tonight,” Clendenon told the Post-Dispatch. “I was keyed up for the game.”
A month later, Clendenon was named Most Valuable Player of the World Series when he hit .357 and slugged three home runs against the Orioles. Video
In 1970, Clendenon set a Mets single-season record for RBI (97). He achieved the total in fewer than 400 at-bats.
Platooned at first base with Ed Kranepool in 1971, Clendenon went into a funk, finishing the season with 37 RBI. Manager Gil Hodges said “one of the reasons he stopped playing Clendenon was that pitchers were throwing fastballs right by him,” The Sporting News reported.
In October 1971, the Mets released Clendenon. “He more or less asked for it,” The Sporting News reported.
The Mets suggested to Clendenon he could make a lot of money playing in Japan, but he wanted to stay in the big leagues.
High hopes
In December 1971, Cardinals general manager Bing Devine told the Post-Dispatch he got a call from Clendenon, 36, who said he could help the club. “We then indicated that we were interested in him,” Devine said.
The signing was announced Jan. 6, 1972. Clendenon “was acquired primarily to lend some balance to an offense that is much too lefthanded-hitting,” The Sporting News noted.
Clendenon hit .292 against left-handers in his big-league career.
In a spring training game at St. Petersburg, Fla., in March 1972, Clendenon hit two home runs for the Cardinals against Mets left-hander Jon Matlack. Clendenon told the Post-Dispatch, “It’s nice to hit against a club that releases you _ even when the game doesn’t count. I think I can hit, and also hit home runs, if I play more than I did in New York.”
According to columnist Dick Young, Clendenon switched from using a 38-ounce bat to a 35-ounce model.
Running on empty
Clendenon made the Cardinals’ 1972 Opening Day roster as a role player, but he went hitless in his first 18 at-bats.
A highlight came on June 8 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco when Clendenon hit a game-winning home run against Don McMahon, the Giants’ 42-year-old reliever who also served as their pitching coach. Boxscore
“That’s the swing Clendenon has been trying for all season,” teammate Lou Brock told the Post-Dispatch.
On July 11, Brock got five hits, using Clendenon’s bat, in a game versus the Braves. Boxscore
The bat worked better for Brock than it did for his teammate. Clendenon hit .191 with four home runs for Cardinals.
In August, with the Cardinals out of contention and preparing to call up prospects from the minors, Devine informed Clendenon he wouldn’t play much. According to the Post-Dispatch, Devine “offered him the option of staying with the club or obtaining his release.”
Clendenon chose to be released, ending his playing career.
“I am disappointed I was unable to perform as expected and I realize the present conditions would further limit my playing time,” Clendenon said.
In 1978, Clendenon earned a law degree from Duquesne University and practiced criminal law.
An amazing player and individual. Without his play on the field and leadership in the clubhouse the Mets would have come up short against Baltimore. His 97 rbi’s with less than 400 at bats is very impressive if you consider that Mike Piazza and David Wright who both hold the Mets single season record for most rbi’s with 124 had well over 400 at bats before they reached 97 rbi’s.
Well-stated, Phillip. I’m glad you have an appreciation for what he achieved. Those 97 RBI in 1970 came in a season when he had a mere 114 hits. Though he batted .338 vs. left-handers that year and .259 against right-handers, 61 of his 97 RBI came against right-handed pitching.
To me the ’69 Mets, and the key trade for Donn, are still the greatest story in sports, but mention of Bob Purkey sparks a memory. On opening day 2000, first game in the new stadium, Willie Mays did a rare radio interview. He was asked about the toughest pitchers he faced. So the first name he listed was – Koufax? Gibson? – Bob Purkey! I hear he threw a knuckle-curve.
Thanks for a fun story about Willie Mays and Bob Purkey. It prompted me to go to baseball-reference.com and dig around a little. Mays indeed had some tough seasons vs. Purkey, especially 1958 and 1962. According to baseball-reference, Mays hit .125 (3-for-24) vs. Purkey in 1958 and .167 (2-for-12) in 1962.
For his career, Mays hit .276 with 6 home runs in 121 plate appearances vs. Purkey, according to baseball-reference. (Retrosheet.org says Mays’ batting average against was .269) Most of the damage came in 1961 and 1964, according to baseball-reference. Mays hit .571 vs Purkey both years: (8-for-14 in 1961 and 4-for-7 in 1964).
In 1965, the year Purkey pitched for the Cardinals, Mays was 1-for-6 against him. The hit was a home run.