Editing Roger Clemens (section)

===Boston Red Sox (1984–1996)===
[[File:Roger Clemens Boston.jpg|thumb|upright|Clemens in 1986]]
On May 15, 1984 at [[Cleveland Stadium]], Clemens made his Major League debut. An undiagnosed torn [[Glenoid labrum|labrum]] threatened to end his career early; he underwent successful arthroscopic surgery by [[James Andrews (physician)|Dr. James Andrews]].<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Helyar |title=Andrews still surgeon to the sports stars |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/news/story?id=3024046 |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=September 20, 2007 |access-date=October 13, 2007 }}</ref>

On April 29, 1986 at [[Fenway Park]], in a 3–1 win over the [[Seattle Mariners]], Clemens [[strikeout|struck out]] a career-high 20 batters, becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to strike out 20 batters in a nine-inning game.<ref name="library" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Boston Red Sox 3, Seattle Mariners 1 | url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1986/B04290BOS1986.htm | website=Retrosheet | date= April 29, 1986 }}</ref> Following his performance, Clemens made the cover of ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'', which carried the headline "Lord of the K's [strikeouts]."<ref name="Archived copy">{{Cite web |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/b5a2be2f |title=Roger Clemens &#124; Society for American Baseball Research |access-date=January 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307044135/https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/b5a2be2f |archive-date=March 7, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other than Clemens, only [[Kerry Wood]], [[Randy Johnson]] and [[Max Scherzer]] have matched the total. (Johnson fanned 20 batters in nine innings on May 8, 2001. However, the game went into extra innings but Johnson got credit for it as he only pitched 9 innings. [[Tom Cheney (baseball)|Tom Cheney]] holds the record for any game: 21 strikeouts in 16 innings.)

Clemens started the [[1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1986 All-Star Game]] (played in his hometown of Houston) in the [[Astrodome]] and was named the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player]] of the contest by throwing three perfect innings and striking out two. He also won the first of his seven [[Cy Young Award]]s. In 1986, Clemens won the [[American League]] [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|MVP]] award, finishing with a 24–4 record, 2.48 ERA, and 238 strikeouts.<ref name="Stats">{{cite web |title=Roger Clemens Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/clemero02.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> When [[Hank Aaron]] said that pitchers should not be eligible for the MVP, Clemens responded: "I wish he was still playing. I'd probably [[beanball|crack his head open]] to show him how valuable I was."<ref name="22 Things" /> Clemens was the only starting pitcher since [[Vida Blue]] in 1971 to win a league MVP award until [[Justin Verlander]] won the award in 2011. Clemens attributes his switch from what he calls a "thrower" to a "pitcher" to the partial season Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver spent with the Red Sox in 1986.<ref>[[Associated Press]].
 [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jul-24-sp-26007-story.html "Clemens Rockets His Way Past Seaver."] [[Los Angeles Times]], July 24, 2001. Retrieved November 3, 2017.</ref>

Facing the [[California Angels]] in the [[1986 American League Championship Series|1986 ALCS]], Clemens pitched poorly in the opening game, watched the Boston bullpen blow his 3–1 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4, and then pitched a strong Game 7 to wrap up the series for Boston. The League Championship Series clincher was Clemens's first postseason career victory. He did not win his second until 13 years later. After a victory in game five, Boston led 3 games to 2 over the [[New York Mets]] in the [[1986 World Series]] with Clemens set to start game six at [[Shea Stadium]]. Clemens who was pitching on five days rest started strong by striking out eight while throwing a no-hitter through four innings. In the top of eighth and with Boston ahead 3–2, manager [[John McNamara (baseball)|John McNamara]] sent rookie [[Mike Greenwell]] to pinch hit for Roger Clemens. It was initially said that Clemens was removed from the game due to a [[blister]] forming on one of his fingers, but both he and McNamara dispute this. Clemens said to [[Bob Costas]] on an [[MLB Network]] program concerning the 1986 postseason that McNamara decided to pull him despite Clemens wanting to pitch. McNamara said to Costas that Clemens "begged out" of the game. The Mets rallied and took both game six and seven to win the World Series.

[[File:President Ronald Reagan posing with Roger Clemens and Don Baylor.jpg|thumb|left|Clemens with Boston teammate [[Don Baylor]] and President [[Ronald Reagan]]]]
The Red Sox had a miserable 1987 season, finishing at 78–84, though Clemens won his second consecutive [[Cy Young Award]] with a 20–9 record, 2.97 ERA, 256 strikeouts, and seven shutouts.<ref name="Archived copy"/><ref name="Stats" /> He was the first AL pitcher with back-to-back 20-win seasons since [[Tommy John]] won 20 with the Yankees in 1979 and '80.<ref>{{cite web|agency=Associated Press|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2026&dat=19871005&id=JZQrAAAAIBAJ&pg=6514,548596&hl=en|title=Tanana Pitches Tigers to Title|work=Moscow-Pullman Daily News|date=October 5, 1987|access-date=March 31, 2020}}</ref> Boston rebounded with success in 1988 and 1990, clinching the [[AL East Division]] each year, but were swept by the [[Oakland Athletics]] in each [[ALCS]] matchup. His greatest postseason failure came in the second inning of the final game of the [[1990 ALCS]], when he was ejected for arguing [[balls and strikes]] with umpire [[Terry Cooney]], accentuating the A's four-game sweep of the Red Sox.<ref name="slate">Nocera, Joseph. [http://www.slate.com/id/91141/ "Roger Clemens, Choke Artist."] ''[[Slate.com]]'', October 10, 2000. Retrieved November 17, 2017.</ref> He was suspended for the first five games of the 1991 season and fined $10,000.<ref name="library" />

[[File:Lipofsky-Roger-Clemens.jpg|thumb|Clemens in 1990]]
Clemens led the American League in 1988 with 291 strikeouts and a career-high 8 shutouts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=clemero02|title=Roger Clemens Baseball Stats &#124; Baseball Almanac|website=www.baseball-almanac.com}}</ref> On September 10, 1988, Clemens threw a one-hitter against the [[Cleveland Indians]] at Fenway Park. [[Dave Clark (baseball)|Dave Clark]]'s one-out single in the eighth inning was the only hit Clemens allowed in the game.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://static.espn.go.com/mlb/s/2003/0610/1565996.html |title=ESPN.com: MLB - No-hitters: Best who haven't, worst who have |access-date=January 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801073931/http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/s/2003/0610/1565996.html |archive-date=August 1, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> In a 9–1 victory over Cleveland on April 13, 1989, Clemens recorded his 1,000 career strikeout by fanning [[Brook Jacoby]] with the bases loaded in the second inning.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-04-13-sp-2067-story.html|title=Clemens Tops 1,000 Mark in Strikeouts : Red Sox Batter Cleveland With 15-Hit Attack|date=April 13, 1989|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Clemens finished second to Oakland's [[Bob Welch (baseball)|Bob Welch]] for the 1990 AL Cy Young Award, despite the fact that Clemens crushed Welch in ERA (1.93 to 2.95), strikeouts (209 to 127), walks (54 to 77), home runs allowed (7 to 26), and WAR (10.4 to 2.9).<ref name="s318">{{cite web | last=Baer | first=Bill | title=The 1990's had some atrocious awards voting | website=NBC Sports | date=2020-05-06 | url=https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/the-1990s-had-some-atrocious-awards-voting | access-date=2024-09-20}}</ref> Clemens did, however, capture his third Cy Young Award in 1991 with an 18–10 record, 2.62 ERA, and 241 strikeouts.<ref name="Stats" /> On June 21, 1989, Clemens surrendered the first of [[Sammy Sosa]]'s 609 home runs.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-06-22-sp-2747-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|title=Petralli Leads Attack as Rangers Rough Up Clemens and Red Sox, 10–3|agency=Associated Press|date=June 22, 1989|access-date=August 18, 2010}}</ref> On September 18, 1996 at [[Tiger Stadium (Detroit)|Tiger Stadium]], in a 4–0 win over the [[1996 Detroit Tigers season|Detroit Tigers]], Clemens had a second [[List of Major League Baseball single-game strikeout leaders|20-strikeout game]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Boston Red Sox 4, Detroit Tigers 0 | url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1996/B09180DET1996.htm | website=Retrosheet | date= September 18, 1996 }}</ref> This second 20-K day occurred in his third-to-last game as a member of the Boston Red Sox.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.cgi?id=clemero02&t=p&year=1996|title=Roger Clemens 1996 Pitching Gamelogs|access-date=May 21, 2011|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref>  Later, the Tigers presented him with a baseball containing the autographs of each batter who had struck out (those with multiple strikeouts signed the appropriate number of times).

[[File:Roger Clemens 1996.jpg|thumb|Clemens pitches at Fenway Park, 1996]]
The Red Sox did not re-sign Clemens following the 1996 season, despite leading the A.L. with 257 strikeouts<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.highheatstats.com/2012/04/roger-clemens-1996-and-the-other-unluckiest-pitching-seasons-of-all-time/|title=Roger Clemens, 1996, and the other unluckiest pitching seasons of all-time &#124;|first=Graham|last=Womack|date=April 12, 2012 }}</ref> and offering him "by far the most money ever offered to a player in the history of the Red Sox franchise." General Manager [[Dan Duquette]] remarked that he "hoped to keep him in Boston during the twilight of his career", but Clemens left and signed with the [[Toronto Blue Jays]].<ref>[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/17353212.html?did=17353212&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&date=Dec+14%2C+1996&author=MICHAEL+SILVERMAN&pub=Boston+Herald&desc=Baseball+END+OF+AN+ERA+No+return+fire+from+Sox+Brass+tried+to+keep+ace,%20Nolan/ Baseball END OF AN ERA No return fire from Sox Brass tried to keep ace] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921062254/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/17353212.html?did=17353212&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&date=Dec+14%2C+1996&author=MICHAEL+SILVERMAN&pub=Boston+Herald&desc=Baseball+END+OF+AN+ERA+No+return+fire+from+Sox+Brass+tried+to+keep+ace%2C%20Nolan%2F |date=September 21, 2012 }} ''[[Boston Herald]]''</ref>

The emphasis on the misquoted 1996 "twilight" comment took on a life of its own following Clemens's post-Boston successes, and Duquette was vilified for letting the star pitcher go.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_10_223/ai_54117613 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051223011906/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_10_223/ai_54117613 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 23, 2005 |title=Losing Momentum – Boston Red Sox |last=Doyle |first=Paul |access-date=September 15, 2006 |date=March 8, 1999 |work=[[The Sporting News]] }}</ref> Ultimately, Clemens would go on to have a record of 162–73 for the rest of his career after leaving the Red Sox.<ref name="22 Things" /> Clemens recorded 192 wins and 38 shutouts for the Red Sox, both tied with [[Cy Young]] for the [[List of Boston Red Sox team records|franchise record]] and is their all-time strikeout leader with 2,590.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BOS/leaders_pitch.shtml|title=Boston Red Sox Pitching Leaders|access-date=December 19, 2008|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref> Clemens's overall postseason record with Boston was 1–2 with a 3.88 ERA, and 45 strikeouts, and 19 walks in 56 innings. No Red Sox player has worn his uniform #21 since Clemens left the team in the 1996–97 offseason.