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
Teams were playing us tough anyway, but maybe more so after we got back in the race. The guys persevered, and this makes that trip back home a whole lot easier.
I was pitching 100% at this time of year regardless. It was my job after the guys came out and put the numbers on the board -- threw strikes, not walk anybody, get them back in and swinging the bat a little bit.
I'm happy for all these kids, ... Just like I told our guys, the other guys in the clubhouse, hopefully it won't be for a few more weeks, but when I do look back on these years here, it's been a privilege to play with these professionals.
There are a few guys (on the Mexican team) that we do know, that I'm able to recognize and realize what they can and can't do. But as it goes on now, we're able to get a little more film. I'll look over what Jake did, and some of our other right-handers, and then I'll make my assessment from there.
When you leave a ball in the middle, the guys hit it. That's just the way it is. There's nothing different than the postseason or regular season - get ahead, expand the strike zone and move people around, same thing that you do all year.
But I got a guy on third, I was in a jam the other day in a game, all those situations, when you need a strikeout there, in big spots. But we are very aware of that fact, that these guys put the ball in play.
When Phil turned to me and said, 'Get your jersey and spikes on,' I knew he was dead serious. So we got to it, and I had to pick my spot to get out there in the bullpen. I don't really relish what those guys have to go through.
I've got guys getting the laundry bag out of my closet to go down and keep filling it with ice,
It took a lot of work from a lot of guys in this clubhouse. It made it worth the wait. It made it worth my decision to come back. Playing this time of year never gets old.
You still attack the zone with them. I was very aggressive in the zone and let these guys swing the bat like they did.
This is another game, probably the second or third inning, you're thinking, here we go. You cannot make a mistake. Don't leave the ball in the middle of the plate, so on and so forth. To give our guys a chance.
This is spring-training mode, even though I think for us, man to man, it's a little more meaningful. As the days pass and progress, I think guys will start to get a little more serious.
I was able to beat a few guys in the zone and they (fly balls) stayed in the ballpark,
I was just sitting back and letting him enjoy it over there, ... I mean, what else can you do? It was a very hittable pitch. Guys on this level, whether they're 21 or 41, are going to hit that. And he took advantage of it. I've given up some home runs, I'm sure, in my career. But it was probably pretty exciting for that kid.