Donn Clendenon Had (East) Hills to Climb
And no interest in an Astro-nomical transition
Note: When you click on links to various merchants in this newsletter and make a purchase, this can result in this newsletter earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network and Amazon Associates.
1966 East Hills Donn Clendenon (#17) - Card of the Day
(affiliate link)
Donn Clendenon was at the peak of his game in the summer of 1966.
But by then, he had already climbed other baseball hills, and there were still summits — on the diamond and off — on his horizon.
Originally signed out of Morehead College by the Pirates in 1957, Clendenon spent most of the next five years in the Pittsburgh minor league system. Almost from the very beginning, he was a standout at the plate and on the bases, eventually developing into a .300 hitter with 20-homer power and 20-steal speed.
The problem for Clendenon, though, was two-fold.
First, he was a first baseman who made his share of errors. And second, the Pirates seemed to have first covered, first with Ted Kluszewski, then with the younger (than Klu) Dick Stuart — the infamous Dr. Strangeglove who was a ball-mangler of the first order, but who also developed into a 35-homer monster by 1961.
Even so, Clendenon finally got his first look at the majors that September (1961) and claimed the first base job as his own by the end of 1962. The Bucs traded Stuart to the Red Sox that offseason, and Clendenon entered 1963 with a clear place in Pittsburgh’s future.
Over the next three seasons, he established himself as a consistent high-.200s hitter with double-digit power and good wheels. The glove was still a concern, but Clendenon showed solid range at first, especially for such a big man (6’4”, 200+ pounds).
Then, at age 30 (and 31), the right-handed hitter found another power gear in 1966. That summer, he hit .299 with a career-high 28 home runs and 98 RBI. Add in 22 doubles, 10 triples, and 52 walks, and Clendenon’s OPS landed at a hefty .858 on the season.
At the same time, collectors were starting to get an eyeful of the star first sacker, who appeared on his own base cards and on “specials” like the 1966 Topps Buc Busters (#99) he shared with Willie Stargell, along with several oddball issues (1964 Topps Stand Ups, 1965 Topps Embossed, etc.).
Pittsburgh collectors got an extra shot of Clendenon, and several other Pirates, courtesy of the 25-card set issued by the East Hills Shopping Center, a local outdoor mall. You can see Clendenon’s card above, and he was joined in the unnumbered, blank-backed set by future Hall of Famers Stargell, Roberto Clemente (“Bob” in the set), and Bill Mazeroski.
All that star power helped the Bucs win 92 games, but they finished in third place in the National League, three games out of first and behind both the Dodgers and Giants. Any hopes Clendenon had of flashing some October heroics would have to wait.
The next two seasons were a mixed bag for Clendenon, as his batting average tumbled and his power receded, though still in double-digit territory. And then, with young Al Oliver pushing hard toward the majors, the Bucs left Clendenon unprotected in the expansion draft.
The Expos bit, and a soap opera ensued, leaving us with this 1969 card and a story…
Suffice it to say that Clendenon never suited up for the Astros (or, again, you can read the story), and Montreal became the first of his two personal “East Hills” to climb in 1969. The second came in June, when the Expos traded him to the Mets for Jay Carden, David Colon, Kevin Collins, Steve Renko, and, eventually, Terry Dailey.
Clendenon hit .252 with 12 home runs in 72 games for the Miracle Mets as they pulled off their worst-to-first trick, then didn’t appear at all in the National League Championship Series.
The veteran was back in action against the Orioles in the World Series, though. Playing in four of the five games, Clendenon hit .357 (magnum!) with three home runs, four RBI, and four runs scored…and timely hits galore. It all added up to make him the MVP of the Fall Classic when the Mets completed their world-shocking run.
Yes, the east seemed full of hills for Clendenon to climb, and he was up to the challenge at least one more time. He put together one more big season (.288, 22 HR, 97 RBI) in 1970 before slipping to part-time status in 1971. Released after that season, Clendenon signed with the Cardinals — a West Hill, in our vernacular — and wrapped up his career with 61 games for St. Louis in 1972.
Done with baseball, Clendenon returned to school to complete his Juris Doctor degree…then practiced law…then overcame some personal demons, only to discover he had leukemia.
Donn Alvin Clendenon, who climbed big hills all his life and passed away in 2005, was born on July 15, 1935.
1969 WS MVP!!