"Hit in the clutch" (1927)

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Sun, 22 May 2005 20:24:19 EDT, Bapopik at AOL.COM wrote:

>29 December 1927, Sporting News, pg. 4, col. 7:
>CASEY STENGEL was in a narrative mood at the last meeting of the minors in
>Dallas.
>(...)
>And then Casey rambled on with the info (illegible?--ed.) of another
>pinch-swinger. "I knew that I might need some one to hit in the clutch for
>me,  so I called this bird off the bench and told him to warm up, as I
>would probably want him to hit."

OK, how about this from 1926?

-----
1926 _Lincoln Star_ (Neb.) 15 Apr. 14/1 Lincoln's lone marker punctuated
the third inning. Blenkiron poled a single to right and walks to Swanson
and Zwilling filled the bases. "Strawberry" Bliss, up in the clutch, lined
viciously to Patterson in deep center, Blenkiron sprinting to the plate
after the catch.
-----

(Presumably "up" here is short for "up at bat".)



--Ben Zimmer