Everyone kind of perceives me as being angry. It’s not anger, it’s motivation.
Roger Clemens
This Edition of “Who’s Your Daddy?” focuses on 354-game winner Roger Clemens, long noted as one of the most aggressive competitors in the game.
Who’s You Daddy? What it’s all about.
Those of you who read Baseball Roundtable regularly are familiar with the “Who’s Your Daddy?” series – presenting lineups of players who performed unexpectedly well against some of baseball’s top pitchers. In the past, BBRT has featured such moundsmen as Nolan Ryan, Bob Gibson and Pedro Martinez. (An explanation of the inspiration behind the Who’s Your Daddy? series can be found the end of this post.) This post looks at a lineup of hitters who found success against Roger “The Rocket” Clemens/ As always, I would stress that the pitchers included in the Who’s Your Daddy? series are among the “best in the business.” They are selected not because of the players who performed well against them, but rather because success among hitters when they were on the mound was the exception rather than the rule.
Before we get started on Clemens, here are links to the previous editions of this series:
- Nolan Ryan, click here.
- Sandy Koufax, click here.
- Pedro Martinez, click here.
- Bob Gibson, click here.
- Randy Johnson, click here.
- Greg Maddux, click here.
- Justin Verlander, click here.
- Bob Feller, click here.
Coming soon, Max Scherzer.
Now, on to Roger Clemens.
Roger Clemens pitched in 24 MLB seasons (1984-2007 … Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees, Astros). He was an 11-time All Star and his seven Cy Young Awards are the most earned by any pitcher. In 1986, he went 24-4, 2.48 – leading the league in wins, winning percentage (.857), ERA – capturing the Al Cy Young and Most Valuable Player Awards.
Clemens won 20 or more games in six seasons, leading his league in wins four times. He also led in winning percentage three times, earned run average seven times, strikeouts five times, complete games three times, shutouts six times and innings pitched twice. Notably, he recorded his leagues’ lowest qualifying ERA for the first time in 1986 (age 23) and for the last time in 2005 (age 42). He notched 354 career wins (ninth all-time) against 184 losses, put up a 3.12 in 4,916 2/3 innings and fanned 4,672 batters (third all-time). Over his career, Clemens held hitters to a .229 average and fanned one of every 4.3 batters he faced. In the post-season Clemens went 12-8, 3.75 in 35 games (34 starts), fanning 173 batter in 199 innings.
20-20 … More than a Vision
For most pitchers, fanning 20 batters in nine innings is no more than a “vision.” Only four pitchers have turned that vision into reality: Roger Clemens, Kerry Woods, Max Scherzer and Randy Johnson. Of those only Roger Clemens has achieved this feat twice. He was, in fact, both the first and second pitcher to whiff 20 batters in a nine-inning game – and he did it ten years apart (April 29, 1986 and September 18, 1996. Side note: Randy Johnson’s 20 strikeouts came in the first nine-innings of an eleven-inning contest (he was relived after nine frames by Byung-Hyun Kim). All the others were nine-inning complete games.
So, who could hit Clemens’ stuff? Let’s take a look. Keeping in mind, these lineup selections are subjective (but informed) choices – open for discussion and debate. Note: Unless otherwise noted the stats here are regular-season only. 
Now, the “Who’s Your “Daddy?” lineup versus The Rocket.
Catcher – Mike Piazza … .421 average, 1.105 slugging percentage
Mike Piazza clearly “had Clemens’ number” – and he put up the numbers of his own to prove it. In eight regular-season games against Clemens, Piazza hit .421 (8-for-19) and drove in ten runs. Further, five of his eight hits were for extra bases (one double and four home runs). That gave Piazza a 1.105 slugging percentage against The Rocket – the highest among batters with at least ten at bats versus Clemens. Piazza got on base via hit, walk or hit by pitch at least once in every regular-season game he faced Clemens. Notably, only 12 players notched at least four regular-season home runs against Clemens. Piazza accomplished the feat in 19 at bats. Everyone else with at least four dingers versus Clemens had at least 56 at bats against him.
Hall of Famer Mike Piazza played 16 MLB seasons (1992-2007 … Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Padres, A’s). He was the 1993 NL Rookie of the Year (.318-35-112 for the Dodgers) and a 12-time All Star.
Looking for the Long Ball
Mike Piazza hit an MLB-record (for catchers) 396 home runs as a backstop.
While he never led his league in any of the key offensive categories, Poazza topped 30 home runs in nine seasons (reaching 40 twice); had six seasons of 100+ RBI; and hit .300 or better nine times Over his career, Piazza hit .308 (2,127 hits), with 427 home runs, 1,335 RBI, 1,048 runs scored. His best season was 1997, when he hit .362-40-124 in 152 games for the Dodgers. He hit .242-6-15 in 32 post-season games.
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Making Contact… or Not – A Couple of Players with Twins Ties
Brian Harper made pretty consistent contact versus The Rocket. In 23 regular season plate appearances against Clemens, he never struck out (the highest total of PA against Clemens without a whiff of any player). He also never walked, and collected seven hits (for a .304 average).
On the other side of the coin, Torii Hunter faced Clemens 27 times, fanned 14 and never got a hit (two walks). His 25 at bats are the most of any player with a .000 average versus Clemens.
First Base – Jim Thome … Eight home runs and 19 RBI versus Clemens
Hall of Famer Jim Thome’s eight home runs and 19 RBI are the most of any hitter versus Clemens – and his .373 average (Thome was a career .276 hitter) wasn’t bad either (understatement there). Thome had 22 career hits (in 23 games) against Clemens – 15 of which went for extra bases.
Jim Thome played 22 MLB seasons (1991-2012 … Indians, Phillies, White Sox, Dodgers, Twins, Orioles). The five-time All Star hit 30 or more home runs 11 times (a high of 52 in 2002). He led the AL in home runs with 47 in 2003 – and hit 190 home runs between 2001 and 2004 (four seasons). Thome also topped 100 RBI in nine seasons, 100 runs scored in eight and drew 100 or more walks nine times.
Walk, Don’t Run
Going into the 2020 season (we hope), Jim Thome leads all of MLB with 13 career walk-off home runs. He also shares the MLB lead with walk-off home runs in extra innings at eight (tied with Frank Robinson and Albert Pujols).
For his career, Thome went .276-612-1,699, with 1,583 runs scored. His 612 regular-season home runs are eighth all-time. Side note: His career 2,548 strikeouts are second all-time. Thome also had 17 post-season home runs (71 games … .211-17-37). His best season was 2002, when he went .304-52-118 for the Indians. He became a free agent after that campaign and signed with the Phillies, where he led the NL in home runs with 47 in 2002. Side note: In his first game facing Clemens, (August 13, 1992), Thome played third base and batter eighth.
Honorable Mention at 1B: Paul Konerko only faced Clement in eight games, but he made the most of them – going 10-for-20 (.500), with two home runs and six RBI; Will Clark went eight-for-20 (.400), with two home runs and six RBI in nine games versus Clemens.
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Where was that pitch?
Greg Vaughn clearly had trouble with Roger Clemens’ heat – fanning 25 times in just 49 plate appearances (45 at bats), putting up a .089 average and driving in just one run in 15 games. Vaughn was a career .242 hitter (15 MLB seasons), who fanned in 21.4 percent of his plate appearances. He went down on strikes in 51 percent of his plate appearances versus Clemens.
Second Base – Lou Whitaker … .338 average. .444 on-base percentage
Lou Whitaker hit a healthy .338 against Roger Clemens and also drew 14 walks (in 24 games). Whitaker reached Clemens for three home runs and drove in eight runs against him. In his final game against Clemens (August 2, 1995), Whitaker reached him for two walks and hit a long home run in three plate appearances.
Lou Whitaker played 19 MLB seasons (1977-95), all with the Tigers. He was the 1978 AL Rookie of the Year (.285-3-58 in 139 games), a five-time All Star and three-time Gold Glover. His best season was 1983, when he hit .320 (206 hits), with 12 home runs, 72 RBI, 94 runs scored and 17 steals. Over his career, Whitaker hit 20 or more home runs four times, and scored 100+ runs twice.
Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun
The Tigers’ vaunted double-play combination – Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammel – did pretty well against Clemens: Whitaker hit .338 against him in 65 at bats; Trammel .364 in 66 at bats.
Whitaker was a career .276 hitter (2,369 hits in 2,390 games), with 244 home runs, 1,084 RBI, 1,386 runs scored and 143 stolen bases.
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Third Base – Paul Molitor … 33 hits
Yes, I know Paul Molitor spent most of his career (and made the Hall of Fame) primarily as a DH, but he started five of his first ten games against Clemens at third base (four at DH and one at 2B).
Molitor’s 33 hits against Clemens are the most safeties The Rocket gave up to any hitter. They are also the most hits Molitor had off any pitcher (he also had 33 off Jack Morris). Molitor’s performance against Clemens is dampened a bit by his 18 strikeouts (versus seven walks), but he did put up a .308 batting average.
Molitor played 21 MLB seasons (Brewers, Blue Jays, Twins). He was a seven-time All Star … and hit .306. His 3,319 base hits rank tenth all-time. He finished with 234 regular-season home runs, 605 doubles, 114 triples, 1,307 RBI, 1,782 runs scored and 504 stolen bases. Molitor led his league in hits three times (topping 200 hits in four seasons); runs scored three times (with five campaigns of 100+); doubles once and triples once. He stole twenty or more bases in 13 seasons, reaching forty or more steals four times.
Three for 300
Paul Molitor and Ichiro Suzuki are the only MLB players to triple for their 3,000th MLB hit.
Molitor was even more of a force on the big stage, putting up a .368-6-22 line in 29 post-season games – and earnings MVP honors in the 1993 World Series (for Toronto), when he had 12 hits in 24 at bats (.500), two home runs, eight RBI and ten runs scored.
Honorable Mention at 3B: Gary Sheffield, who faced Clemens in five games (three at 3B, one at SS, one at DH), went 11-for-18 against him for a .611 average (nine singles, two doubles). In his first game versus Clemens (June 27, 1989), he went single, single, double, walk.
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Shortstop – Alex Rodriguez …. .377 average in 18 games
Alex Rodriguez collected 20 hits in 18 games off Roger Clemens – for a nifty .377 average. He had two home runs, six doubles and nine RBI. Interestingly (at least to BBRT), when Rodriguez first faced Clemens (in A-Rod’s 1994 rookie season), he batted ninth in the lineup.
Rodriguez played 22 MLB seasons (1994-2013, 2015-16 … Mariners, Rangers, Yankees). He was a 14-time All Star, three-time AL Most Valuable Player and a two-time Gold Glover at shortstop. He won one batting title (as a 20-year-old in 1996, when he hit a career-high .358) – and hit .300 or better in nine seasons. Rodriguez was also a five-time home run leader and topped 50 home runs in three seasons. He hit 30 or more dingers in 14 campaigns. In addition, he led the AL in runs five times (scoring 100 or more runs in 13 consecutive seasons) and RBI twice (driving in 100+ tallies in 14 seasons – 13 consecutively). He also led the league in hits once, doubles once and total bases four times.
Rodriguez retired with a .295 batting average (3,115 hits), 696 home runs (fourth all-time), 2,086 RBI (third all-time), 2,021 runs scored (eighth all-time) and 329 stolen bases (in 405 attempts). He hit .259-13-41 in 76 post-season games.
40-40
Alex Rodriguez is one of only four players to record 40 or more home runs and 40 or more stolen bases in a single season (Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds and Alfonso Soriano are the others). In 1998, Rodriguez his .310, with 42 home runs and 46 steals.
Honorable Mention at SS: Allen Trammel went .364-2-14 in 20 games against Clemens.
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Outfield – Ken Griffey Jr. … Six home runs and 16 RBI
Ken Griffey Jr. hit .311 in 30 games versus Clemens. His six home runs off The Rocket are second only to Jim Thome’s eight round trippers and Griffey’s 16 RBI trail only Thome (19), B.J, Surhoff (18) and Gary Gaetti (18). Griffey Jr.’s first five plate appearances against Clemens produced three ground outs, one fly out and one strikeout – a nice round 0-for-5. He then got on base six straight times – walk, single, single, double, walk, walk. In 1994, Griffey Jr. faced Clemens six times in two games and collected five hits (four singles and a home run).
Like Son, Like Father
Ken Griffey, Sr. also touched up Clemens pretty well. While he faced him only 11 times (three games), he recorded five hits (all singles) and two walks (.556 average, .636 on-base percentage).
Ken Griffey Jr. played 22 MLB seasons (1989-2010 … Mariners, Reds, White Sox). The Hall of Famer was a 13-time All Star, ten-time Gold Glover and the 1992 AL Most Valuable Player. He was a four-time home run leader (hitting 40 or more home runs in seven seasons – 56 in a season twice); led the league in RBI once (getting 100 or more RBI in eight seasons); led the league in runs scored once (scoring 100 or more runs in six campaigns); He also hit .300 or better seven times. Griffey finished his MLB career with 2,781 hits (.284 average); 630 home runs (seventh all-time), 1,836 RBI, 1,662 runs scored and 184 stolen bases. His best season was 1997 (Mariners), when he hit .304 and led the league in home runs (56), RBI (147), run scored (125) and total bases (393) – and threw In a Gold Glove to ice the cake.
Some Pretty Good Players, by George
What do Babe Ruth, Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr., George Brett, and Tom Seaver have in common?
Their first names: George Herman Ruth; George Kenneth Griffey Sr. and Junior; George Brett; and George Thomas Seaver.
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Outfield – Harold Baines … 32 hits, 17 walks, .402 on-base percentage
Harold Baines came to the plate more times against Clement than any other player (122 plate appearances in 37 games-) He collected the second-most hits against him (32, one behind Paul Molitor) and tied for the most walks (17, tied with Rafael Palmeiro and John Olerud). That added up to a .305 average and a .402 on-base percentage.
Baines played 22 MLB seasons (1980-2001 … White Sox, Rangers, A’s, Orioles, Indians.) The Hall of Famer was a five-time All Star. He collected 2,866 hits (.289), 384 home runs and 1,628 RBI. Baines hit 20 or more home runs in 12 seasons, drove in 100+ runs twice and hit .300 or better in eight campaigns.
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Making Them Count
Gary Gaetti hit only .194 against Clemens (13-for-67 in 23 games) – but he made those hits count. His 18 RBI against Clemens are the second most of any batter. Gaetti had seven extra base hits against Clements (two doubles, one triple and four home runs). He has one of only six Grand Slam hit off Clemens.
Outfield – Trot Nixon … .371 average, .476 on-base percentage
Christopher Trotman “Trot” Nixon faced Roger Clemens 42 times in 15 regular-season games and came away with 13 hits (35 at bats) and seven walks (.372 average, .476 OBP). Of his thirteen hits, eight went for extra bases – four doubles, one triple and three home runs (.800 slugging percentage).
Nixon played in 12 MLB seasons (1996, 1998-2008 … Red Sox, Indians, Mets). He hit .274 (995 hits), with 137 home runs, 555 RBI and 579 runs scored. Nixon hit 20 or more home runs in three seasons and scored 100 runs in one campaign. His best season was 2003, with the Red Sox, when he went .306-28-87. Nixon was a solid post-season performer, hitting .283, with six home runs and 25 RBI in 42 games.
Honorable Mention in the OF: Carmello Castillo faced Roger Clements in ten games (1986 and 1991) and hit .385 (10-for-26), with three home runs and five RBI; Dave Winfield went .308-3-13 in 20 games versus Clemens.
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Pitcher – Jon Rauch & Shawn Estes … Only pitchers to go deep versus Clemens
Pitchers, as a whole, didn’t fare well against The Rocket, so I give you the only pitchers to take Clemens yard during his career.
Rauch hit a two-run homer in an Expos’ August 13. 2004, 6-5 win over the Astros. (Clemens got a no-decision, as did Rauch, who pitched 4 2/3 innings of scoreless ball.) It is easy to see where Rauch’s power came from – at 6’11, 290 pounds. Rauch pitched 11 MLB seasons (2002, 2004-13 … White Sox, Expos/Nationals, Diamondbacks, Twins, Blue Jays, Mets, Marlins). He went 43-40, 3.90 with 62 saves. As a hitter, he went 2-for 21 (15 strikeouts) and his home run against Clemens was his only MLB long ball.
Estes hit his dinger against Clemens on June 15, 2002. It came in an 8-0 Mets win over Clemens and the Yankees. It was two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth that gave the Mets a 3-0 lead. Estes went seven innings (five hits, no runs, one walk, eleven strikeouts) for the victory. Estes pitched 13 MLB seasons (1995-2006, 2008 … Giants, Mets, Reds, Cubs, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Padres). He went 101-93, 4.71 and was an All Star in 1997, when he went 19-5, 3.18 for the Giants. As a hitter, he went 79-for-498 (.159) with four home runs and 28 RBI.
Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Stathead.com; MLB.com; Baseball-Almanac.com
Who’s Your Daddy? What It’s All About.
On September 24, 2004, in the middle of a tight pennant race, the Yankees handed future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez and the Boston Red Sox a tough 6-4 loss. Martinez went 7 1/3 innings giving up nine hits and five earned runs. The game came just five days after (in his previous start) Martinez had lasted just five frames against the Bronx Bombers (eight hits, eight earned runs) in a 16-7 loss.
After that second loss, Martinez candidly commented, “What can I say? I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy.” Little did he know that his comment – and a Yankee fans’ chant of “Who’s your daddy?” would follow him into future starts in New York (all the way to his final MLB start – against the Yankees for the Phillies – in Game Six of the 2009 World Series.)
The concept of “Who’s your daddy?” became the inspiration for Baseball Roundtable to take a look at the players who “had the number” of some of MLB’s premier pitchers. Again, you can find links to the previous “editions” of “Who’s Your Daddy?” near the top of this post.
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