Drafted by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 1972 Major League Baseball Draft, he soon emerged as one of the top pitching prospects in the Yankees\' organization. However, he never lived up to his potential, and was eventually traded away by the Yankees after three seasons in which he went 6-14 with a 4.72 earned run average. Clay\'s lack of success at the major league level is often cited as the catalyst for Yankees owner George Steinbrenner\'s desire to build his team through free agency and trades rather than relying upon his own farm system.\n', '

Clay was drafted in the second round of the 1972 draft upon graduation from E. C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Virginia. He put up respectable numbers in his first five seasons in the Yankees\' farm system, going 46-40 with a 3.64 ERA, but was wild. In 726 innings pitched, Clay walked 348 batters. He got it together in 1977; in ten starts with the International League\'s Syracuse Chiefs, Clay went 5-1 with a 1.68 ERA. He was called up by the Yankees to relieve some of the burden on manager Billy Martin\'s overextended pitching staff.\n', '

He joined a team that was tied for first place in the American League East, and eventually won the division by 2.5 games over the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox. Clay went 0-2 with a 7.73 as a starter, but was far more effective out of the bullpen. He was 2-1 with a 3.40 ERA and one save as a relief pitcher. Oddly, the one loss may have been his best pitching performance of the season. On June 17, Catfish Hunter gave up four first inning home runs against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. He handed the ball to Clay down 4-0 with two outs in the first. Clay held them scoreless through the fourth, allowing the Yankees to tie the score. The Red Sox scored a run in the fifth to hang the L on Clay.\n', '

Return to Ken Clay Autograph Profile