Clayton Van Alstyne pitched in a handful of games for the
Senators in 1927 and 1928.
Clayton Emory Van Alstyne was born May 24, 1900, in
Stuyvesant, a small town on the Hudson River in upstate New York, south of
Albany. He was the youngest of 12 children born to Dudley, a blacksmith, and
Anna Van Alstyne.
In the 1905 New York state census, the family lives in
Stuyvesant, all nine surviving children living at home. 26-year-old Anna Jr.,
the eldest, is a dressmaker; Eva, 23, does housework; Harry, George, William,
Marion, Florence and Howard go to school; and Clayton is five years old. Apparently
at that time houses did not have addresses in Stuyvesant.
In the 1910 US census, the two eldest girls have moved out,
while Harry, George and William are all blacksmiths, seemingly working for
their father. Marion, Florence, Howard, and Clayton are all in school.
On September 12, 1918, 18-year-old Clayton filled out his
draft registration card. He gives his occupation as student, his nearest
relative as Dudley, and his appearance as medium height, slender build, blue
eyes and brown hair. (He apparently filled out later, as he is listed now as
having been 5-11, 180.) In 1919 Clayton was pitching for the semi-pro Bonackers
of Rensselaer, directly across the Hudson from Albany; they won the inter-city
championship that season.
In the 1920 census Clayton is living at 1300 2nd
Street in Rensselaer, with sister Anna, her husband Frederick Ham, a clerk for
an electrical company, their son, and Frederick’s mother. Clayton is listed as
having no occupation. On March 29 the Albany Times-Union reported that
he was among the attendees at the Alumni Dance at School No. 1. He re-signed
with the Bonackers; the Times-Union reported on April 22:
Another Rensselaer boy, Spike Van Alstyne, will do his share
of the pitching and also cover right field when not working in the box. Van
Alstyne is a splendid hitter and Jim Ronin wishes to keep him in the game at
all times for his hitting ability.
In October Clayton went to Brooklyn to attend the World
Series. Over the winter he played basketball for the Rensselaer East Siders, a
team affiliated with the Phi Epsilon Delta fraternity. In January he was among
the members of the fraternity who attended a stag party at the new fraternity
president’s home, in February he played a piano solo at a fraternity “theatre
party,” and in March he attended an American Legion post dance.
Clayton returned to the Bonackers for the 1921 season. On
May 12 the Times-Union said that:
Van Alstyne is now recognized as one of the best drawing
cards among the semi-professional stars in this section. The fans love to see
him cut at the ball and he affords almost as much amusement as Babe Ruth
himself even if he fans the old air.
Same paper, August 26:
Spike Van Alstyne, the Babe Ruth of semi-professional ball,
will be back in the uniform of the local boys. Spike is noted for driving them
over the fence, having registered at least one home run in the last ten
consecutive games.
On September 10 the Schenectady Gazette reported that
he was pitching for another team in the championship series of another league:
SWITCHBOARDS ANNEX FIRST OF SERIES FOR SUNSET LEAGUE TITLE
Switchboards defeated the Edison club, 3 to 1, Thursday
night at G.E. park in the first of two games to decide the championship of the
Sunset league. The next game will be played next Saturday between Switchboard
and the General Engineering team.
The victory of Switchboard was made possible largely through
the individual efforts of “Spike” Van Alstyne, who excelled in the box and at
bat. Van Alstyne secured four of mates [sic], one of them a triple and another
a double. He struck out fifteen men, stole two bases, had a pair of put-outs
and as many assists [pitching a three-hitter].
Over the following off-season Clayton was again active with
his fraternity, playing basketball and attending parties. An article in the Times-Union
of April 26, 1922, on the Bonackers, reported that:
It is also said that “Spike” Van Alstyne, champion fence
buster of these parts will be seen on the pitching staff this year. “Spike” is
one of the most popular players ever performing in this city, and one of the
few who enter the game merely for the sport of it.
Despite that, Clayton left the Bonackers for a pro contract,
with the Pittsfield (Massachusetts) Hillies of the Class A Eastern League. On
April 26 the North Adams Transcript reported:
Clayton Van Alstyne, the Rensselaer twirler, who has signed
with the Hillies, pitched one season for the Albany Southerns [this is the only
reference I found to this—it would have had to be when he was 18] and three
seasons for the Bonackers. Manager Gardella liked his work on the mound
yesterday. Gus is delighted when he sees a twirler with a fast ball and he says
the Rensselaer hurler has such a thing as well as a good change of pace. Van
Alstyne is recuperating from throat trouble and will go along easily for a
little while.
According to the Springfield Republican of July 21:
“Spike” Van Alstyne has a tendency to weaken with men on the
sacks and frequently pulls a wild pitch with a runner on third. Manager
Gardella knows he has great curves and speed and is trying to inspire
confidence in the young pitcher.
On August 23 it was reported that Clayton was “laid up with
blood poisoning in the foot and is expected to be out of the game for 10 days;”
yet on September 5 he won his third game in a week. He went 9-4 for Pittsfield,
with a 2.94 ERA in 141 innings in 28 games, despite walking 93. And despite his
semi-pro batting prowess, he hit just .180 with no homers. From the September
21 Albany Times-Union:
Spike Van Alstyne, former pitcher for the Bonacker club is
expected to return to this city next week, his contract with the Pittsfield
team of the Eastern league having expired. Van Alstyne has made an excellent
showing in organized baseball and his friends predict he will go higher. His
first showing in this city will be with his former team, a week from Sunday, at
Riverside park. The Phi Epsilon Delta fraternity is planning a reception in his
honor.
That fall Clayton spent five weeks that fall hunting and
trapping with teammate Del Capes. From the November 22 Times-Union:
Ball Club To Dine
The annual fall meeting of the Treat-‘Em-Roughs, the only
baseball fraternity in this district, will be held Saturday evening, Nov. 25,
at Keeler’s State st. restaurant. Among the guests of honor who will attend the
meeting are “Mickey” Devine, star backstop of the International league; Gene
Lansing of the Boston Braves, “Spike” Van Alstyne and Del Capes, of the
Pittsfield club of the Eastern league…
The music will be in charge of Spike Van Alstyne and Gene
Lansing.
North Adams Transcript, February 16, 1923:
HILLIES MANAGEMENT SIGNS VAN ALSTYNE
Pittsfield, Mass., Feb. 16—C.E. (Spike) Van Alstyne of
Rensselaer, who made a good showing with the Hillies last season as a pitcher,
has signed for 1923. Van Alstyne has been working at the General Electric plant
in Schnectady.
Van Alstyne was inclined to be erratic at first, but before
the season was over steadied down and looked like a promising hurler.
On June 14 the Berkshire Eagle reported:
“Spike” Van Alstyne is finding the going tougher in the
league this year than last. He was wild last season, but had a good record as
to wins and losses. So far he has been unable to show much this season. He
loses his control when a man gets on base.
On June 28 it was reported that he was at home caring for a
bad shoulder, and on June 30 the Springfield Republican said that:
“Spike” Van Alstyne, who was suspended because of failure to
get in condition, has been called back and if his arm is right he will get a
chance to pitch either against Waterbury here tomorrow or in the doubleheader
at Bridgeport Sunday.
Clayton finished out the year with the Hillies, doing much
worse than in 1922: a 3-8 record with a 4.27 ERA in 139 innings in 34 games,
walking 74. Though to be fair, hitting was way up in the league, as the number
of pitchers with sub-2.00 ERAs went from 23 to five. (And Clayton’s hitting was
way up as well, as he hit .333 in 63 at-bats, though still with no homers.) A
September 24 article in the Berkshire Eagle on what the Pittsfield
players would be doing in the off-season said:
“Spike” Van Alstyne will return to Rensselaer. He and Del
Caper probably will rig up a radio equipment and spend a few weeks in the fall
hunting as they did last year.
On November 30 the Berkshire Eagle reprinted an item
from the Albany Knickerbocker Press:
When “Spike” Van Alstyne, the Rensselaer pitcher who was
with Pittsfield last season, decided [sic] that he no longer wants to pitch, he
should try the outfield. Van Alstyne, the 1923 records show, batted .333 in 36
games. He always was a good hitter even when he played in the semi-professional
ranks.
Lack of control is Van Alstyne’s chief pitching fault. And
he shows no signs of being able to overcome this handicap.
Van Alstyne played the outfield for semi-professional teams
and also was used in several games by Pittsfield last season. He should develop
into a good outfielder if he ever decides he wants to become one.
Albany Times-Union, March 27:
VAN ALSTYNE TO HELP CONDITION ACADEMY
Spike Van Alstyne, pitcher of the Pittsfield Eastern League
club and one of the hardest hitting twirlers in the O’Neil circuit, will take
charge of the Albany academy battery candidates starting Monday. Van Alstyne
will also assist Coach Jim Ronin later with the main squad.
The Rensselaer youth is in tip-top form this spring and he
is anticipating having one of the best seasons he has ever experienced in case
he decides to go back into professional baseball. [I don’t understand this
sentence, as he was at that time in spring training with Pittsfield.] Van
Alstyne will have a collection of ambitious young pitchers and catchers working
for him at the academy, and he should be able to help them a great deal.
He was one of the best semi-professional pitchers ever
developed in this section but his main drawback since going into professional
baseball has been lack of control. A great many players in the Eastern League
claim that Van Alstyne has as much stuff on the ball as any twirler in the
circuit and when he is right it is almost impossible to beat him.
Last season the East Side boy was troubled with a bad arm
but this spring it has rounded into great shape, and barring accidents, Van
Alstyne should be a wiz.
Coach Ronin is well pleased that Van Alstyne has been selected
as an assistant coach for the Red and Black.
On May 13 the North Adams Transcript reported that
“Spike Van Alstyne is expected to be dropped,” but he hung on and on June 9
pitched a two-hitter. He ended up with an 11-15 record and 3.11 ERA in 214 innings
in 37 games, walking 102 for his best ratio so far. He hit .234, with still no
professional home runs.
In October Clayton pitched a game for a team of pro players
from Albany, against Chapple Johnson’s Stars, an African-American team. On
November 12 the Albany Times-Union reported:
BASEBALL FRAT PLANS DINNER
The annual fall get-together party of the Treat-‘Em-Roughs
will be held on Saturday, November 15. The evening’s doings will start with a
theatre party at Harmanus Bleecker hall, which will be followed by the annual
banquet and entertainment at Keeler’s, State street. The entire grill has been
reserved for the affair.
The Treat-‘Em-Roughs body is the only baseball fraternity in
this section and has been in existence five years. “Spike” Van Alstyne of the
Pittsfield Eastern league club, who is an accomplished musician, will be in
charge of the music…
On February 22, 1925, it was announced that Clayton had been
traded to the Albany Senators, also of the Eastern League, for catcher Fred
Hager. Three days later he married Martha Atchison (or Atchinson) in
Stuyvesant. From the May 14 Times-Union:
Van Alstyne Day Is Arranged For Sunday
“Spike” Van Alstyne, Rensselaer boy, who has been hurling
winning ball for the local Eastern league club, will be honored at Chadwick
park Sunday. The day has been set aside as “Van Alstyne Day,” the banner crowd
of the season is expected to be on hand…
On June 1 the New York state census was taken, showing
Clayton and Martha living with the Ham family in Rensselaer, now at 1235 2nd
Street; Clayton is listed as a professional ball player.
Clayton went 15-15 for Albany, with a 3.80 ERA in 258
innings in 40 games, and leading the league by comfortable margins with 142
walks and 24 wild pitches. In November he was again in charge of the music for
another Treat-‘Em-Roughs banquet.
On February 17, 1926, Clayton Jr. was born in Albany. On
April 9 the Times-Union reported:
Clayton “Spike” Van Alstyne, Rensselaer boy, yesterday
refused terms offered by Owner Hawkins. After a lengthy conference, Hawkins
told the East Sider he could accept the terms or remain idle. Van Alstyne asked
for a raise in pay.
Clayton eventually signed, as he pitched for Albany on April
29 and on May 9, but by May 28 he was pitching for the Bridgeport Bears, also
of the Eastern League, though I didn’t find an explanation. On July 14 he
pitched a three-hitter in his first game back after missing three weeks with a
“badly injured finger.” In his first three games back he went 3-0 while
allowing just 15 hits and two runs in 27 innings.
On August 1 Clayton was purchased for $10,000 by Clark
Griffith of the Washington Senators, to report on September 16, one day after
the end of the Eastern League season. A report in the August 12 Sporting News
said that “Van Alstyne is a big right-hander, 23 years old [actually 26], with
great speed and good curves, but is sometimes a little shy on control.”
Later in August Griffith started lobbying to get Clayton
sooner. On September 8 the Washington Evening Star reported “Griff asked
Bridgeport to have Pitcher Clayton Van Alstyne report immediately, and on the
refusal of Bridgeport to do so Griff told the Bridgeport officials that all
negotiations for the young twirler are off.”
With Albany and Bridgeport combined, Clayton went 15-8 with
a 2.60 ERA while walking 114 in 201 innings in 30 games; he batted .293 in 99
at-bats and hit his first three professional homers. On October 24 it was again
reported that he had been obtained by Washington, and on December 30 that he
had signed a contract. From the January 11, 1927, Times-Union:
VAN ALSTYNE RECEPTION
Clayton “Spike” Van Alstyne, who last year excelled as a
pitcher in the Eastern Baseball league and who is soon to join the Washington
club of the American league, will be given a farewell tomorrow night at Kapps’
hotel, Sixth street.
From the February 11 Washington Times:
That shrinking violet, standing close to six feet in height
and filling his overcoat to perfection, is one Clayton Van Alstyne. He is said
to be a marvelous flinger; he was that in the Eastern Association last season.
He won 15 and lost eight games last year.
“Yes,” says [Senators coach] Uncle Nick Altrock, “if that
guy can’t make good I’ll give you baseball writers a party down in Tampa. No,
he’ll last longer than that. Make it Chicago or Detroit, I know a lot of places
in both towns.”
Albany Times-Union, February 24:
Clayton Van Alstyne, Rensselaer, N.Y., lad, came to life
with a real bang yesterday. He had everything—excellent pitching motion, good
speed and excellent control. He’s a bit older than some of the others and shows
it in the way he works. He is almost ready now to fact the batters, though he
has yet to uncork any hooks.
Washington Evening Star, February 27:
The most notable advance in the scale has been made by
Clayton Van Alstyne, the Eastern league acquisition, who was snared on the
recommendation of Altrock. The coach, after seeing him in action last Summer,
while doing a bit of clowning in New England, reported that the native of
Rensselaer, N.Y., shaped up in his estimation as a fine prospect and this youth
of 26 years gradually is adding corroborative evidence to the fact that Uncle
Nick is a reliable scout.
Washington Times, March 4:
VAN ALSTYNE ATTRACTS ATTENTION OF PREXY OF GRIFFMEN
By Louis A. Dougher
TAMPA, Fla., March 3.—Clayton Van Alstyne, working quietly
but not earnestly, has begun to attract attention here and now ranks as the
best of the staff given the second squad. President Griffith braved yesterday’s
cold wind long enough to see the former star of the Bridgeport club in the
Eastern Association uncork his stuff in the batting spree.
“I wanted to see him before I’d go to lunch and I’m glad I
did,” explained the Washington magnate. “He’s coming ahead fine and may soon
graduate into the first squad. I saw him pitch a game last summer and he looked
good in every way. Wait ‘till he begins using his curve ball. That’s his best
asset. He’ll have some of these birds breaking their backs going after it. He’s
got a real hook, believe me.”
Van Alstyne is a heavily build young man of 26 years. He
seldom speaks but he keeps his eyes open and nothing gets away from him. To
strengthen his hands and thus get a better grip on the ball, he carries around
a rubber ball and is squeezing it all the time. This is an old trick, but a new
one on the Washington club.
Van Alstyne weighs 185 pounds and looks like a stone house
out there on the rubber.
He had a world of speed in yesterday’s batting drill and was
whizzing the ball past the batters’ heads while he performed. Johnny Berger was
behind the plate and he, too, looked good to President Griffith. Berger
displayed a fine throwing arm in the fielding…
With four exhibition games on next week’s schedule, Van
Alstyne is almost certain to be seen on the hill for three innings. Manager
[Bucky] Harris says that Jack Onslow reports Van Alstyne one of the quickest to
learn he has ever coached and that he is about ready to pitch now…
Same paper, next day:
Dick Coffman was the first to open with curves, but Clayton
Van Alstyne followed suit when the second team swung into action and Van
Alstyne’s sweeping hook made Coffman’s look like a mere wrinkle. The former
Bridgeport slinger banks on his curve ball, and he has a beauty, easily the
best of all on the squad.
Despite all the praise, on March 12 Clayton was optioned to
the Birmingham Barons of the Class A Southern Association after racking up a
6.00 ERA in exhibition games. On the 14th the Washington Times
reported:
Clayton Van Alstyne has refused to accept a transfer to Birmingham
and last night left for his home in Rensselaer, N.Y., to think things over. He
fears Dixie’s hot summers but may change his mind later and report to Johnny
Dobbs.
The Bridgeport Telegram, March 16:
Spike Van Alstyne May Yet Be Returned to Bears as Hurler
Refuses to Play in South
FORMER BEAR HURLER WANTS TO RETURN HERE; REFUSES TO REPORT
TO BIRMINGHAM CLUB
By Joseph F. Kraynick
Clayton E. (Spike) Van Alstyne, one of the best pitchers in
the Eastern League last year who bore the brunt of the Bears staff last year
may yet be returned to the Bridgeport club, Manager Frank Stapleton
optimistically announced last night.
Spike has been released on option by the Washington club to
the Birmingham club of the Southern League but upon his release Van Alstyne
flatly refused to report to the team designated. Van Alstyne, who is more
careful of his physical condition than a majority of pitchers and who is
ambitious enough to take every advantage in the game, fears that his pitching
would be weakened by the extremely warm weather in that section of the country.
Van Alstyne is admittedly a cold weather pitcher and goes
great under these conditions. He communicated with Manager Stapleton shortly
after his release by the Senators asking aid to have him come back to the
Bears. The local team will pay him a like salary offered by the Birmingham club
Manager Stapleton said.
Clayton did report to Birmingham. From the May 5 Decatur
(Alabama) Daily:
Van Alstyne Checks Bruins In Hitting; Gillis Hits All Around
The gent who goes by the fancy handle of Clayton Van Alstyne
and who scowls nobly between a pair of overgrown ears, can do more than frown,
he can likewise chunk a baseball, for which unfortunate ability his is [sic]
well paid by John Dobbs & Co…
In league stats published on May 17 he had struck out 23
batters in 69 innings—which was good enough for second in the league. On May 18
he pitched a complete game that was scoreless through nine innings; he gave up
a run in the top of the tenth but hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the
inning to win it. On May 25 he got called a “fancy-name pitcher” in an AP
story. The next day the Washington Evening Star reported:
Van Alstyne, Washington Farm Hand, Proving Sensation in
Southern League
ROOKIE IS LEADING DIXIE LOOP WITH MARK OF .875
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., May 26.—“The finest young pitcher it has
ever been my good fortune to work with,” said Jonathan G. Dobbs, manager of the
Birmingham Barons, who are leading the Southern Association race by the slim
margin of one-half game over Atlanta, in commenting yesterday on the brilliant
showing that Clayton Van Alstyne, his pitching ace, has been making. Van
Alstyne has won 7 games and lost only 1 in his career as a Baron, giving him a
winning percentage of .875, which is easily the best in the league of hurlers
that have appeared in a considerable number of games.
“Van Alstyne is by far the best pitcher Washington has
farmed out to us since we have had any relationship with the Senators,”
continued Dobbs. “[Bump] Hadley served me in good stead last Summer, but Van
Alstyne is steadier than Hadley.”
Van Alstyne’s performance has been the bright spot of a drab
collection of pitching for the Barons, who are leading the league through sheer
ability to swat the ball rather than through dependable pitching…
Van Alstyne, who is married and the father of a fine
youngster, while satisfied with Birmingham and the Southern association as a
minor league location, naturally is anxious to work himself back to the big
show.
“If I have got to stay in the minors, Birmingham is a fine
place, but Washington is my goal and if hard work plus whatever ability I have
will get me back up, I hope to be there in another year,” says Van.
The Barons have Van for the Summer, however, and there is no
chance of the Senators getting him away from Dobbs as long as the club has a
chance at the bunting.
In late June Clayton’s record was 14-3. On July 6 Martha
gave birth to son Allen. On July 17 the Washington Evening Star
reported:
GRIFFITH GOES SOUTH ON SCOUTING EXPEDITION
…The Nationals’ prexy was noncommittal about his plans, but
it is possible he may try to bolster his mound staff by persuading the
Birmingham management to immediately return Clayton Van Alstyne, the Washington
farmhand, who has proved the pitching sensation of the Southern Association to
date and who is not due to come back until the close of the season.
On July 31 it was reported that Clayton was being sent to
Washington; on August 1 the Pittston (Pennsylvania) Gazette had a
follow-up:
SOUTHERN PITCHING STAR JOINS SENATORS
Clayton Van Alstyne, who has been burning things up in the
Southern Association this year, has rejoined the Washington Senators, but will
not see service with Harris’ club for ten days at least. Van Alstyne has, to
all appearances, gone “stale” due to overwork in the South and Trainer Mike
Martin has prescribed a complete rest for ten days at some country place near
the District of Columbia in order that the youthful pitcher may regain his
strength.
Clayton’s final Birmingham stats do suggest that he may have gone stale toward the end of his stint there; while he had been 14-3 he wound up at 16-9, with a 3.74 ERA in 195 innings in 32 games. He hit .291 with one homer. On August 6 the Washington Times reported:
Van Alstyne’s hook was what attracted Uncle Nick Altrock, on
a scouting trip up in New England last year. At Tampa, tipped to conserve his
energies because there was “lots of time,” Van Alstyne kept his hook under
cover too long and suddenly found himself booked for Birmingham. Others with
less ability were retained.
On August 11 the Times reported that Clayton had
arrived in town, adding:
Instead of coming to Washington at once, Van Alstyne
continued on to his home in Rensselaer, N.Y., where he left his wife and small
children, the youngest but a month old or so. Then he hurried here, getting in
today.
Taking ten days on the road has provided him with the rest
he needed after a strenuous service with Birmingham in Dixie’s summer heat and
Bucky Harris expects to have him in condition to enter the box in two or three
days.
Next day, Times again:
Clayton Van Alstyne, with a gain of six pounds while
motoring from Birmingham to Rensselaer, N.Y., and much refreshed by more than a
week’s absence from the diamond, begins light work tomorrow and will be ready
for relief duty by the time the Griffs open their last Western tour in St.
Louis next Tuesday.
Still the Times, three days later:
Clayton Van Alstyne, considerably thinner than when working
out at Tampa last spring, will hardly start any games on this swing through the
West, but he is available for relief duty.
“I was pretty down in Birmingham,” says Van Alstyne, “and I
just about escaped in time. I’m glad Griffith happened along when he did. I was
fading away to a shadow. Joe Engel told him I was being overworked, but I
hardly think that’s quite true.
“The heat was getting to me, that’s all. I wasn’t working
out of turn, but it just so happened that my day to pitch was becoming a
scorcher more and more. In New Orleans, Mobile and Birmingham they have real
hot weather, and I was taking off weight as you would an overcoat. It finally
killed my desire to eat. I just didn’t want to eat anything at all. Then along
came orders to report to the Washington club. That was like a Christmas
present, I’ll tell you.
“I gained six pounds on the trip North and four more pounds
have been packed on since I arrived in Washington. I’ll be myself inside of
another week and hope to get into some games.”
Clayton made his AL debut on August 20 in Detroit, relieving
Tom Zachary for the bottom of the seventh after Zachary was pinch-hit for by
Walter Johnson. Clayton pitched two scoreless innings, finishing off a 5-0 loss
to Earl Whitehill. In the eighth he retired Charlie Gehringer, Harry Heilmann,
and Heinie Manush in order. On the 24th he pitched the eighth in a
7-1 loss in Cleveland; he gave up a run as Joe Sewell led off the inning with a
double and Luke Sewell singled him in. On the 28th he was injured
during fielding practice, as reported in the next day’s Washington Times:
His Shoulder Out, Van Alstyne May Be Done For Year
CHICAGO, Aug. 29.—Clayton Van Alstyne, the Griffs’ young
pitcher, who injured his left shoulder before yesterday’s game at Comiskey
Park, has been found to be suffering from a dislocation and may be done with
baseball for the year. Van Alstyne was hurried to Mercy Hospital shortly after
tumbling while trying to catch a fly ball in the outfield. He remained there
all night, and x-ray pictures were taken.
Today those pictures showed a separation between the
shoulder and arm. The injured hurler will have his injury dressed and he will
accompany the squad to Washington tonight.
Clayton did in fact miss the rest of the season. On October
14 it was announced that he had been voted a half share of the Senators’
third-place portion of the World Series money, which meant that he received
$332.87.
From the Washington Evening Star of February 2, 1928:
Van Alstyne has earned an opportunity for a thorough test to
prove his fitness for a place on the pitching staff of the Nationals and he is
mighty well thought of by those close to the club. “If Van Alstyne can show me
control,” opines a club official, “I predict for him a permanent position on
the staff. He has a whale of a curve ball, a fast one, and, best of all, a
heart of steel.”
I remember his general deportment in Chicago last Fall, when
he injured his shoulder while chasing a fly ball. I accompanied him to the
hospital and he “sold” himself solidly to me as to his nerve by the manner in
which he conducted himself then.
“Van Alstyne won 14 out of his first 16 starts with
Birmingham after being sent to that club last year following his trip here with
the Nationals in the Spring. His palpable overworking precluded his getting an
opportunity to demonstrate just how much he had improved over his Spring trial.
But I would not be at all surprised if Van Alstyne dd not prove the star of the
recruits here this Spring.”
Tampa Morning Tribune, March 1:
Clayton Van Alstyne, the chunky right-hander from
Birmingham, was permitted to throw a few “hooks” in yesterday’s practice. He is
the first to receive this permission and he stopped after handing up 20 or so
for the delectation of President Griffith, Coach Milan and Sir Mique Martin.
Van Alstyne is primarily a curve ball pitcher and he has
already progressed so well with his training that it is not believed
yesterday’s performance will bother him in the least. A year ago he held back
and so failed to hang on in the big show, but this spring finds him intent on
making good from the beginning and he seems well on his way.
Clayton made the team, and he made his first appearance of
the season on April 22, in the team’s ninth game of the year, at home against
the Red Sox. He relieved Bump Hadley with one out in the top of the second,
runners on first and third, and the Senators down 4-3. He allowed a sacrifice
fly to the first batter, Ken Williams, before retiring the side; he lasted 4
2/3 innings, allowing two runs of his own, before being pinch-hit for in the
sixth. The Red Sox won 8-5.
On April 25 in New York Clayton relieved Firpo Marberry and
pitched the last five innings of a 12-4 loss, allowing five earned runs on
eight hits and five walks. On May 1 he again finished up a Marberry loss to the
Yankees, this time in Washington, allowing the final two runs in four innings
in an 8-5 loss.
On May 7 Clayton pitched 7 2/3 innings of relief at home
against the Browns, the last of three Senators pitchers in a 15-2 loss. He
allowed five runs on nine hits and four walks—and he scored both Washington
runs. His first time up to bat, in the bottom of the third, he hit a solo home
run off Lefty Stewart; he led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, also
off Stewart, and came around to score on a single by George Sisler.
Clayton sat on the bench for the rest of the month, until on
the 31st he was optioned to the Minneapolis Millers of the Class AA
American Association. With the Millers he went 7-7 with a 4.69 ERA in 119
innings in 25 games; he was recalled by the Senators on September 11 but did
not get into any of their last 14 games. On October 22 Washington sold him to
Birmingham.
The 1929 Albany city directory shows Clayton and Martha
living at 61 Partition Street in Albany, though 61 Partition Street seems to
have been, and still is, across the river in Rensselaer. On March 16 the Worcester
Evening Gazette reported:
VAN ALSTYNE IS GIVEN A SHOCK
Clayton Van Alstyne received quite a shock when he heard
that he had been sold by Washington to Birmingham. Van Alstyne pitched for
Minneapolis last season on option from the Senators and presumed that he would
at least get another fling at Class AA ball.
Two days later it was reported that he had not yet arrived
at spring training because he had been detained by illness in his family. But
he did get there, and he spent the year with Birmingham, going 12-7 with a 4.76
ERA in 155 innings in 35 games, walking 81. In December the Barons traded him
back to Minneapolis.
The 1930 US census was taken in April. Clayton and Martha
are living in a rented home at 3 Kinderbrook Road in Stuyvesant, with
four-year-old Clayton Jr., two-year-old Allen, and new baby eight-month-old
Richard. Clayton’s older brother Howard, a beekeeper, lives with his family at
4 Kinderbrook Road.
Clayton pitched for the Millers until being sold to the
Chattanooga Lookouts on May 30, taking him back to the Southern Association. He
made his debut on June 9, starting but lasting just 3 1/3 innings and giving up
seven runs on six hits and three walks. He then missed some time with an
injured foot, and he was returned to Minneapolis on June 21. On June 26 the
Millers sold him to the Indianapolis Indians, also of the American Association.
He finished up the season there; his American Association stats between the two
-apolises included a 3-15 record and 5.95 ERA in 124 innings in 32 games, with 67 walks.
In February 1931 Clayton was sold to the Reading Keystones
of the International League, keeping him at AA, the highest class of the
minors. From Ed Hill’s “One Word More” column in the August 28 Reading Times:
Clayton Van Alstyne Due For Promotion
Reading Has Seen a Parade of Catchers
At least one more—if not two—Reading Keys should be in line
for a promotion before the International league season draws to a close.
We refer to Clayton Van Alstyne, the husky right-handed star
of the twirling corps who has won 16 games thus far for Reading, and Doc
Legett, the peppery backstop.
Van Alstyne seems to have regained his health this season
after having been ailing for several years and with it his fast and curve ball.
Players throughout the league say that Van has the best control of any chucker
in the circuit. [Were they nuts?] He is also a good hitter and can help himself
in a lot of games by driving in tallies when they are needed. He is a young
fellow as pitchers’ ages go and has a lot of good baseball years ahead of him.
In the big show, where control is probably the mainstay, Van
should be a winner. In this respect we have but to recall the case of Socks
Seibold.
Clayt is not of the nervous type. He is calm and collected
during his sojourn on the mound. He is not inclined to be bothered when one of
his teammates boots one in a pinch. With a fair chance, he should be able to
hold his own in the big leagues any time and will undoubtedly be up there
sooner or later.
Clayt walked 94 in 215 innings that season, very far from
the best control in the league, but went 17-7 despite a 4.77 ERA. He did not
get a promotion, though peppery Doc Legett, who had played for the Boston Braves
in 1929, did make it back to the majors with the Red Sox in 1933. From the
Reading report in the November 12 Sporting News:
ROWLAND MUST FIND NEW KEYS
Pitching Staff Needs Bolstering, With Van Alstyne Only
Winning Hold-Over
READING, Pa.—President-Manager Clarence Rowland is
confronted with the problem of rebuilding every department of the Reading club,
when he starts swinging deals during the winter meetings. The pitching staff
requires special bolstering with only Clayton Van Alstyne remaining as a steady
winner. Clayton, no doubt, would have passed the 20-mark in victories this year
had injuries not hampered him, but outside of Van there were practically no
reliable twirlers.
In March 1932 Clayton and a teammate trained on their own in
Hot Springs, Arkansas, before joining the rest of the club. Clayton got the
opening day start on April 13, pitching seven innings of a game the Keystones
won in ten. He was removed after a third of an inning in his next start; the
Reading Times reported on the 21st that: “Clayton Van Alstyne has
been having trouble in getting started due to the cold weather and also has put
his salary flipper under the care of an osteopath.” In his third start he gave
up six runs on five hits and five walks in eight innings, and lost.
Things didn’t get much better for Clayton, and on July 21 he
was released. The team relocated to Albany later in the season, and as Albany they picked him back up toward the end of the year. He pitched in at least one more game; his final stats for Reading/Albany were a 6-11 record and an eye-catching 9.26 ERA in 136
innings in 26 games, allowing 74 walks and 193 hits.
Clayton signed another contract with Albany in early 1933. He relieved on May
3, opening day, and got a start on May 7, allowing 18 hits and four walks in a
12-1 complete game loss. On May 11 he was placed on the inactive list to make
room for a new pitcher, and the next day he was released, ending his professional
career.
Clayton pitched some semi-pro ball in 1933 and 1934. On
August 19, 1934, fourth son Roger was born. In 1937 the Columbia County
Democratic Committee named Clayton as a candidate for the county assembly but
he lost to Republican incumbent Fred A. Washburn by 3022 votes—he won within
the city of Hudson but lost outside the city. In 1939-40 he played more semi-pro
ball, now as an outfielder. On October 25, 1939, an insurance advertisement
appeared in the Albany Times-Union, reading in part: “While it is fresh
in your mind, consult one of the members of the ALBANY ASSOCIATION OF LIFE
UNDERWRITERS listed below,” with Clayton one of the listed members.
The 1940 census shows Clayton, Martha, and the four boys
living in a house in Stuyvesant, no address, rent $15; they are noted as having
lived in the same house in 1935. Clayton is in life insurance with a 1939
income of $1850.
On February 14, 1942, Clayton filled out another draft
registration card. He gives his address as Stuyvesant, the person who will
always know your address as Martha, his employer as Connecticut General Life
Insurance Company, Albany, and his appearance as 5-9 ½, 185, blue eyes, brown
hair, light complexion. From the February 18, 1943, Sporting News:
Clayton (Spike) Van Alstyne, who pitched for Washington,
Albany, in the old Eastern League, Albany in the International League,
Minneapolis, Birmingham, Reading and several other minor league clubs, recently
was stricken ill while bowling in a Hudson, N.Y., City League match. A resident
of nearby Stuyvesant, he was taken to the hospital, where it was reported he
was making satisfactory progress. Van Alstyne has played with and managed
semi-pro clubs since retiring from Organized Ball. He performed in the outfield
after leaving the mound.
In 1948 Clayton Jr. made his professional baseball debut; he
was a middle infielder in the Pirate organization for three seasons, getting as
high as Class A. The 1950 census shows Clayton, Martha, and 15-year-old Roger
living in Stuyvesant, still with no house numbers. That year Allen, an
outfielder, signed a pro contract with the Red Sox organization. From the Boston
American of March 10, 1952:
Sox Van Alstyne ‘Doing It for Dad’
By Mike Gillooly
SARASOTA, March 10.—Al Van Alstyne’s a kid outfielder who
wants to make good in a hurry. He’s got the incentive. He’s got the ability. He
can hit; he can go after a ball. He wants to wear a Red Sox uniform for his dad’s
sake, as much as his own…
“I’d like to get to the top in a hurry so my father could
watch me play,” tells Al. “He had a heart attack a few years back, and it would
certainly do him good to see me in a big league uniform. That’s always been one
of his ambitions. To see one of his boys in the majors.
“Dad’s able to get around again now. He’s in the insurance
business. He’s rooting for me every day to get in some long pokes that will catch
the eyes of the Red Sox.”…
“My father was Clayton Van Alstyne, a pitcher with the
Washington Senators years back. He had moved up through the minors and was
considered a fine prospect. One day, he fell on his shoulder while in the
outfield and hurt his arm. He pitched the next day, really hurt it, and never
did too much in the majors. [Of course, we know that it was not his pitching arm
he fell on.]
“But I’ve had a bat in my hand since the day I could hold
one. I guess that sore arm he got convinced him it would be better for his boys
to be outfielders. He always taught us to hit, rather than pitch. He never
forced baseball on us, just coaxed the four boys along. If we liked it, okay.
If we didn’t, we could try other sports.”
Al’s brother, Clayton, Jr., had three shots with the
Pittsburgh Pirates; his brother Dick, now in engineering school, suffered a
back injury so he now confines his baseball to semi-pro leagues; youngster
Roger, 17 years old, is playing the outfield on his high school team at Stuyvesant,
N.Y.
They all had the benefit of their father’s experience. Every
minute of his spare time when he was playing in various leagues around New York
state, he had the four boys out on the field; in the back yard, reaching them
tricks that would make them better baseball players.
Two days later Al got married, with brother Clayton as his
best man. Al lasted in the minors through 1956, but never played a regular
season major league game.
On July 26, 1959, Clayton (Sr.) was one of the former
players appearing at Old Timers Day before the Reading at Albany game. Less than
six months later he was dead. From the Troy Times Record, January 6,
1960:
“Spike” Van Alstyne, Former Pitcher, Dies
Clayton E. “Spike” Van Alstyne, Sr., 59, of Stuyvesant, an
ex-pitcher who reached the pinnacle of his career in 1927 and 1928 with the
Washington Senators, died suddenly yesterday in Columbia Memorial Hospital. He
had suffered a heart condition for many years and was moved from his home to
the hospital only several hours before his death…
His athletic career began in the early 20s when he starred
at Rensselaer High School in baseball and basketball after which he continued
his diamond success with the semi-pro Bonackers.
The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at the Dutch
Reformed Church in Stuyvesant with interment in Firwood Cemetery, that city.
And from the January 20 Sporting News:
Clayton E. (Spike) Van Alstyne, former Washington hurler and
father of two former minor leaguers, Allan [sic] and Clayton, died at Columbia
Memorial Hospital in Hudson, N.Y., January 5. He was 59.
The former righthander was with the Senators in 1927 and ’28,
appearing in a total of six games.
A resident of Stuyvesant, N.Y., he was in O.B. from 1923 to
1933, In addition to Washington, he was with Pittsfield, Albany and Bridgeport
(Eastern), Birmingham (Southern) and Minneapolis (American Association).
He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Martha Van Alstyne, and two
other sons, Richard and Roger.
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