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 was trying to stay extremely tall and violent on the mound so my stuff was moving well. Leg feels fine, just emptying the tank.
My legs felt fine, ... I still need to get a little more strength in my lower half, but I think Jim Hickey, our pitching coach, and the skipper were happy with the way I was getting out over my front leg. So it makes a big difference; without the burning sensation in my leg, it was a lot nicer. My control was still off, and I think that was what was aggravating me a little early.
My arm feels good but it's taking longer to get my legs in shape than I thought. I'm going to wait until after the (Classic) games to make that decision.
It's a legendary name, a guy that I've met on several occasions at a couple of golf tournaments,
I know my body, ... That's the best thing about it. I know that with my back, I'm getting through this OK. With a leg injury, I probably wouldn't be able to disguise it as well and probably wouldn't be able to start. We've probably got a handful of guys on this team right now that have things going on. It's not that big a deal. We'll grind through it.
I don't think I'm ever going to be too far behind. Right now, my arm is a little bit ahead of the curve. I want to make sure my legs are where they need to be.
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.