Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens, nicknamed "Rocket", is a retired American baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseballfor four teams. Clemens was one of the most dominant pitchers in major league history, tallying 354 wins, a 3.12 earned run average, and 4,672 strikeouts, the third-most all time. An 11-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, he won seven Cy Young Awards during his career, the most of any pitcher in history. Clemens was known for his fierce competitive nature...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth4 August 1962
CityDayton, OH
CountryUnited States of America
I still remember my team at UT jumping on me after getting that final out against Alabama to win the National Championship in '83.
There will be a week I get up and I feel like I can do it again and then the next week, I don't want to get out in the outfield and start running those poles and doing those things. If last year's World Series was it for me, I'm more than happy. I know we didn't reach our ultimate goal, but it was a lot of fun. I have a lot to think about.
Just having him back and having this opportunity now to come to postseason play again with Andy and our guns loaded ... that's nice to have.
I just wanted to make sure I was ready before I gave (WBC manager) Buck (Martinez) the nod. There's a pride factor. You never want to go out there and embarrass yourself. I'm going to be competing against guys half my age.
Hopefully, we're moving into reaching for higher places, ... The opportunity is there. You know, we see it and hear it and it might not come around again and we might not have that opportunity. We know that there are a handful of us that are a little bit older on this club and might not get that chance, so in that sense there is an urgency.
We tried to encourage him on many occasions to come out and work with us. He was a big-bodied kid. It was a lot of fun when he started showing up in the mornings, working with us. We had fun and got to know him better.
We were like two tired old men walking out of the tunnel, and then we were like two kids having a good time. We were holding each other up.
When I step away from the game, our game is in good hands. We have some good, young talented players, everyday guys, and definitely pitchers. He's right there at the top of the list. You feel you pass the baton along to the next generation of guys. I think the fans out here will enjoy this kid for a long time.
I've never really been nervous at all in my playoff experiences,
It was worth the wait. This is for the city. This is for our fans at home.
I've been trying to shut it down for two years and I still can't answer that now, ... I'm glad I left that percentage point open.
I've been doing enough work -- throwing and conditioning -- to get ready for what I'm going to do the next eight to 10 days, enough to train with Mac and the intensity he trains with. I broke a cleat off on this hard, red clay here in Florida, so that must mean I'm close to being ready.
I've been in a lot of wonderful playoff games, wonderful World Series games, but never anything like this. This game here was incredible.
I've been fulfilling some personal services (in his contract). I'm here for this, today.