| Cliff Garrison | |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Birth Date: | 13 August 1906 |
| Birth Place: | Belmont, Oklahoma |
| Death Place: | Woodland, California |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | April 16 |
| Debutyear: | 1928 |
| Debutteam: | Boston Red Sox |
| Finalleague: | MLB |
| Finaldate: | July 2 |
| Finalyear: | 1928 |
| Finalteam: | Boston Red Sox |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat1value: | 0–0 |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat2value: | 7.88 |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
| Stat3value: | 0 |
| Teams: | |
Clifford William Garrison (August 13, 1906 – August 25, 1994) was a professional baseball pitcher who played in six games for the 1928 Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Listed at 6inchesft0inchesin (ftin) and 180lb, he batted and threw right-handed.
Garrison's minor league baseball history is incomplete.[1] He was originally signed by the New York Yankees in February 1926 after playing baseball at Tempe High School in Arizona, where he started as a catcher and outfielder before becoming a pitcher.[2] In 1927, he played with the Edinburg Bobcats of the Texas Valley League, compiling an 11–8 win–loss record.[3] It is unclear when Garrison moved on from the Yankees' organization; in January 1928, he was reported to be "another recruit" of the Boston Red Sox for the upcoming season.[4]
Garrison appeared in six games for the Red Sox in 1928,[5] a team that finished with a 57–96 record.[6] He made his major league debut on April 16, pitching two innings of relief against the Yankees in a home game at Fenway Park.[7] Entering the game in the top of the eighth inning with the Yankees holding a 7–2 lead, Garrison held the Yankees scoreless while allowing two hits in two innings.[7] Three of the batters that Garrison faced were future Baseball Hall of Fame inductees: Leo Durocher (who singled), Babe Ruth (who doubled), and Lou Gehrig (who hit a sacrifice fly).[7] Garrison made six total appearances with the Red Sox; two in April, two in May, and one each in June and July.[8] All of his appearances came in relief; he did not earn a win or a loss or record a strikeout, while allowing 14 earned runs in 16 innings pitched for a 7.88 earned run average (ERA).[5] Boston released Garrison on July 11, optioning him to the Portland Mariners of the New England League.[9]
Whether Garrison played for Portland is unclear; by the end of the 1928 season he was pitching for the Pittsfield Hillies of the Eastern League.[2] [10] Garrison started the 1929 season with Pittsfield, was released, then joined the Mesa Jewels of the Arizona State League.[2] [11] After being released by Mesa in early July 1929, Garrison went on to play semi-professional baseball in California into the 1930s.[2]
After his baseball career, Garrison worked in law enforcement as a deputy sheriff in Yolo County, California, and later served as chief of police of Woodland, California, from 1939 to 1943.[2] Garrison, who grew up in Meeker, Oklahoma,[2] died in Woodland in 1994.[5]