Tigers’ Clemens Gets First MLB “K” Against Ohtani, Gets Ball Signed And Displayed
Kody Clemens was called up to the Majors on May 31st of this year, and since that time, he's made his name as a great teammate, and a pretty decent infielder for the Tigers.
But Clemens picked up his biggest highlight this past week... on the mound.
Kody is the son of legendary pitcher Roger Clemens, so you would think becoming a pitcher was in his blood. Turns out, it's more in the "hobby" range for Kody. But, that didn't stop him from taking the mound Sept. 5th for an inning to close out their game against the Angels.
For reference, the Tigers were down 10-0 headed into the 9th in L.A., so at that point... why not, right? Save your big arms for bigger games.
So Clemens gets his moment on the mound, and BOY did he make the best of it. We'll just look past the fact that he allowed three hits, but it's the one "K" he managed to score that has everyone stoked for him.
Shohei Ohtani now stands as the ONLY player that Kody Clemens has struck out. This is the same Shohei Ohtani who is being compared to some of baseball's best ever, putting up 33 home runs this season, 79 runs, and 86 RBI. He already had two home runs on the night, and just happens to be one helluva pitcher... so he knows good pitching when he sees it.
While on the mound, Clemens managed to sneak three by Ohtani, and got his first ever career Strikeout in the MLB... on a BLISTERING 68mph "fast" ball.
Obviously, afterward, Clemens wanted to keep the ball, and actually got Shohei to sign it... "What a nasty pitch."
It's good to see even when both teams are effectively eliminated from the MLB Playoffs, they can still manage to have some fun, and enjoy the game they love so much.
Congrats to Kody on his first "K." Now, only 4,671 away from tying your dad.