Clarence T. "Cack" Henley (June 21, 1884 – July 9, 1929) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played for the San Francisco Seals and Venice / Vernon Tigers of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

from 1905 to 1915. He is a member of the PCL Hall of Fame.

Early life and career

Henley was born in

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

. He worked with his father as a

bricklayer A bricklayer, which is related to but different from a mason, is a craftsperson and tradesperson who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The terms also refer to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of maso ...

, while he began his baseball career as a

. In 1903, he pitched in an outlaw league.

Pacific Coast League

Henley joined the San Francisco Seals of the

in 1905. He played for the

Pueblo Indians The Pueblo peoples are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Among the currently inhabited Pueblos, Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, Zuni, and Hopi are some of the ...

of the Western League and the Sacramento Cordovas of the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...

due to the 1906 San Francisco fire during the 1906 season, but returned to the Seals the next year. On June 8, 1909, Henley pitched a 24-

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

against the

Oakland Oaks Oakland Oaks may refer to one of the following sport teams, listed chronologically: *Oakland Oaks (PCL), a minor league baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1955 *Oakland Oaks (ice hockey), a professional ice hockey te ...

, with the Seals winning the game 1–0. This is the longest complete game shutout in baseball history. He finished the 1909 season with a 31–10

win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...

; his .756

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage or Copeland score is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the to ...

was the best in the PCL. Henley won 34 games in the 1910 season, setting a PCL record. After the 1913 season, San Francisco traded Henley and Roy McArdle to the Venice Tigers for

Spider Baum Charles Adrian "Spider" Baum (May 28, 1882 – June 28, 1955) was an American baseball pitcher. He played professional baseball for 19 years from 1902 to 1920, including 15 years in Pacific Coast League (PCL) with the Los Angeles Angels (PCL), Lo ...

. Henley did not report to the Tigers in 1916 due to a salary dispute, as the Tigers wanted to cut his salary. He signed on with the Sacramento franchise in the independent Trolley League. Henley also played for the Colusa Prune Pickers of the Trolley League in 1916. Henley had a career record of in the PCL.

Later life

After he retired from baseball, Henley drove a school bus in Fruitridge Pocket, California. Henley died on July 9, 1929, during an operation. Henley was inducted into the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame in 2003.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henley, Cack 1884 births 1929 deaths Baseball players from Sacramento, California Baseball pitchers San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Venice Tigers players Vernon Tigers players Pueblo Indians players Sacramento Cordovas players