View the original article to see embedded media.
Kody Clemens, the son of former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens, made his major league debut as an outfielder for the Tigers earlier this year. However, on Wednesday, he took another step to follow in his father’s footsteps.
With Detroit down 11-0 to the White Sox and looking to save their pitchers, manager A.J. Hinch called on Clemens to pitch in the eighth inning.
On the Tigers’ broadcast, Dan Dickerson mentioned that Hinch said he missed an opportunity to have Clemens pitch in a blowout loss vs. the Yankees earlier this month, which would’ve really enhanced the “like father like son” idea.
In his pitching debut, Clemens allowed one run on three hits and a walk while throwing just 16 pitches, while also getting out of a bases loaded jam. However, none of his pitches topped 50 miles per hour, with 14 of the 16 pitches landing in the 40s.
It was a respectable appearance for a rookie position player needing to eat an inning, but nothing compared to what his father accomplished.
Clemens wasn’t the only position player to pitch for the Tigers on Wednesday either. Infielder Harold Castro threw a scoreless seventh inning, while catcher Tucker Barnhart also took a turn on the mound in the ninth inning with Detroit down 12. He, too, allowed one run on three hits.
