Win–loss record 36–37 Name Tex Clevenger Innings pitched 694⁄3 | Strikeouts 361 Earned run average 4.18 Role Baseball player | |
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Truman Eugene "Tex" Clevenger (born July 9, 1932 in Visalia, California) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher and spot starter who played for the Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees from 1954 to 1962. He was 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) tall and 180 pounds (82 kg), and threw and batted right-handed. He attended Fresno State University. Clevenger owned Clevenger Ford, an automobile dealership in Porterville, California, and resides in Ivanhoe.
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Career
Clevenger began his pro career in the Red Sox organization in 1953. In the minors that year, he went 16–2 for the Class C San Jose Red Sox, which was good enough to earn him the 1953 California League MVP Award.
On April 18, 1954, at the age of 21, Clevenger made his MLB debut with the Boston Red Sox. His first season was no more than mediocre, as he went 2–4 with a 4.79 earned run average. Overall in his career, he compiled a 36–37 record with a 4.18 ERA, 298 walks and 361 strikeouts. Oddly enough, perhaps his best season was his last — in 21 games with the American League champion Yankees in 1962, he had an ERA of 2.84 and a record of 2–0. As a hitter, he hit .157, with the highlight of his hitting career being a triple in 1958. He had a .961 career fielding percentage. He did not appear for the Yankees in either the 1961 or 1962 World Series.
Clevenger was often among the league leaders, but only led the league in any category once. Four times was he on the top 10 list for games pitched, leading the league in 1958. Four times was he on the top 10 list in saves, and also four times was he on the top 10 list in games finished. In each of the categories, he appeared on the top 10 lists every year from 1957 to 1960.
In 1987, Clevenger was inducted into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame.