Roger Clemens Stats & Facts

Roger Clemens

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right
6-4, 205lb (193cm, 92kg)
Born: August 4, 1962 in Dayton, OH
Draft: Drafted by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 1981 MLB June Amateur Draft from San Jacinto College (Pasadena, TX) and the Boston Red Sox in the 1st round (19th) of the 1983 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX).
High School: Spring Woods HS (Houston, TX)
Schools: San Jacinto College (Pasadena, TX), San Jacinto College, North Campus (Houston, TX), University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)
Debut: May 15, 1984 (12,512th in MLB history)
vs. CLE 5.2 IP, 11 H, 4 SO, 3 BB, 4 ER
Last Game: September 16, 2007 
vs. BOS 6.0 IP, 2 H, 4 SO, 3 BB, 0 ER
Full Name: William Roger Clemens
Nicknames: Rocket or The Texas Con Man
Twitter: @rogerclemens
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

 

 

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1984

Terry Pendleton
Kirby Puckett
Stan Javier
Eric Davis
Roger Clemens
John Franco
Dwight Gooden
Mark Langston
Bret Saberhagen

 

All-Time Teammate Team

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Notable Events and Chronology for Roger Clemens Career

Major League Season Recap 1986

Major League Season Recap 1986

Major League Season Recap 1987

Major League Season Recap 1987

Major League Season Recap 1991

Major League Season Recap 1991

Intro

The all-time strikeout leader in American League history, Roger Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, the 1986 Most Valuable Player Award, and had a colorful and controversial career. In 2008, his reputation was tainted after an appearance before a Senate Committee as he tried to wriggle out of allegations that his former trainer injected him with steroids. A flamethrower, Clemens often matched his heater with a hot-temper, once being ejected from a playoff game as a member of the Red Sox, and later as a Yankee, nearly causing a riot when he hurled part of a broken bat at the Mets’ Mike Piazza in the 2000 World Series. As a pitcher, Clemens dominated hitters with a high fastball and a sharp curveball. He led the AL in ERA six times, won 20 games six times, and racked up five strikeout titles. He holds the Red Sox career record for K’s and tied Cy Young for most wins for that franchise. After two Cy Young Award seasons for Toronto in the 1990s, “Rocket” was traded to the Yankees, where he haunted his former Red Sox employers by winning two World Series rings. In 2001, at the age of 39, Clemens won 20 of his first 21 decisions en route to his sixth Cy Young award. He spent a couple of successful seasons with Houston, pitching part-time, and received a similar deal that prompted his return to the Bronx in 2007. Sadly, Clemens has found himself in many post career controversies.

Unform Number

#21 (1984-1998), #12 (1999), #22 (1999-2004)

Quotes From

“He’s the one who gave me a chance to get to the World Series. This is where I wanted to be all along. We had a couple of nice offers from other teams, but I tied my agent’s hands. I told them I wanted to be a Yankee.” – Roger Clemens on why he signed with George Steinbrenner’s Yankees

Replaced By

It appears, in light of the steroid allegations against him, that 2007 was his final season in uniform. He was a non-factor for the Yankees in their rotation in 2007, and will probably be replaced by a young pitcher.

Best Season

We picked this season because his ERA of 2.05 was more than 2.5 runs better than the American League average. He won the triple crown for the Blue Jays, leading in wins, K’s and ERA. FWIW, this is the season in which his former trainer claims Clemens first used steroids.

Factoid 1

Twice in one month – July 1st and 21st in 1987 – Roger Clemens threw complete games without recording a single strikeout.

Transition

Selected by Boston Red Sox in the 1st round (19th pick overall) of the free-agent draft (June 6, 1983) Granted free agency (November 5, 1996) Signed by Toronto Blue Jays (December 13, 1996) Traded by Toronto Blue Jays to New York Yankees in exchange for Homer Bush, Graeme Lloyd and David Wells (February 18, 1999). October 31, 2002: Granted Free Agency. December 30, 2002: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Yankees. November 6, 2003: Granted Free Agency. January 19, 2004: Signed as a Free Agent with the Houston Astros. November 11, 2004: Granted Free Agency. December 13, 2004: Signed as a Free Agent with the Houston Astros. November 10, 2005: Granted Free Agency. May 31, 2006: Signed as a Free Agent with the Houston Astros. October 31, 2006: Granted Free Agency. May 6, 2007: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Yankees.

Strengths

The heat.

Weaknesses

His sometimes volatile personality, and his tubborness (see the collapse of his character in 2008 when he testified before Congress and his extra-marital affair was revealed).

Feats

Clemens twice struck out 20 batters in a nine-inning game. On April 29, 1986, he fanned 20 Mariners in a 3-1 at Fenway Park; ten years later, on September 18, 1996, he set down 20 Tigers on strikes, also at Fenway Park. In the first contest, in 1986, he had struck out eight straight batters, tying an AL record held jointly by Nolan Ryan and Ron Davis�. From mid-1998 and into 1999, Clemens won 20 straight games to tie the mark held by Hall of Famer Rube Marquard� Clemens won his second straight pitching triple crown in 1998 (leading in ERA, K’s and wins). He joined Pete Alexander, Lefty Grove and Sandy Koufax as the only hurlers to do that.

The Rocket in Ultimate Games

Clemens started Game Seven of the ’86 Playoffs against the Angels, pitching into the 8th inning in a 8-1 Red Sox victory; he did not pitch in Game Seven of the WS in ’86, having started Game Six; Clemens lost Game One and Game Four of the 2000 ALDS against the A’s and did not appear in Game Five; in 2001, Clemens started and lost Game One against the A’s and came back to start Game Five, leaving with a one-run lead in the 5th; in the 2001 World Series, Clemens started Game Seven and left in the 7th in a 1-1 deadlock; in 2003 Clemens started Game Seven of the ALCS against the Red Sox, leabing in the fourth inning with a 4-0 deficit. The Yanks rallied and he did not get a decision. Overall, Clemens has started four UG’s, with a personal 1-0 record, and his teams have went 2-2.

Milestones

Clemens 3,000th strikeout victim was Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ outfielder Randy Winn, on July 5, 1998… On June 13, 2003, Clemens won his 300th game, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in Yankee Stadium. In that contest, he also reached the 4,000 strikeout mark, fanning Edgar Renteria.

 

 

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