DETROIT – Roger Clemens has spent some of his big baseball moments in Detroit. Not many of them had quite as much as Tuesday’s second double-header game between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins.
Clemens traveled to town from Texas to see his son, Cody, making his league debut with the Tigers. He was called up by Detroit on Monday.
Third round pick in the 2018 Amateur Draft, Cody Clemens He was hitting .283 in Toledo with eight other players and 31 RBI players in 45 games. Recruited as second captain, he played first, second, third and on left field this season.
“I’m really happy for him – he worked really hard to get here and it finally happened for him,” said Clemens, 59. “We got everyone in scramble mode yesterday to get up here.”
Clemens went 11-8 on the 26th start of his career against the Tigers in Detroit, but he has some special memories.
“It’s like a second home to me,” he said, “because an aunt used to live here, and I was always staying in her basement when we were here rather than the team hotel.” “And I went for (my win) 300 here, and of course, on the road (at Tiger Stadium), I had my 20-stroke match.”
Cody Clemens would wear the number 21, one of the numbers his father wore. He also wore No. 22 with the Yankees and Astros.
Roger Clemens made 18 minor league appearances before getting stuck in the big leagues. Play Cody 325.
“We had very different experiences, but we discussed the same thing we always talk about – if you’re going to be in the big slams, you might as well win,” Clemens said. “Find a way to do it.”
Roger Clemens knew how to do it. The seven-time Cy Young winner has a record 354-184 with the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Astros and Yankees. The 11-time All-Star was a member of two World Championships. Powerful launcher, hit 4672.
Cody Clemens doesn’t have to worry about any comparisons to hitting his dad. The older Clemens insists that he was a really good rabbit, but his son does not hesitate to tell him he knows nothing of spanking and politely tells him to be quiet.
“The cool thing is that when he got the news, he got text messages from several of my teammates in the Major League, so I was able to step back as a parent and let them pass on some wisdom,” Roger Clemens said. Derek Jeter advises him and Jeff Bagwell advises him.
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