On May 15, 1984, Roger Clemens made his MLB debut. Exactly 12 years later, Kody Clemens was born. And Tuesday night, father will watch son make his MLB debut in a place that one of the greatest pitchers ever once considered a home away from home.
"My aunt lived here (in Harper Woods) and I stayed in her basement I can’t tell you how many nights instead of the team hotel when I came here with other teams in the AL East," Clemens said in the press box at Comerica Park shortly before his son would take the field for the Tigers for the first time. "I went for my 300th win here and down the road I had the 20-strikeout game (at Tiger Stadium).
"Good memories here in Detroit and now to see Kody in the uniform is pretty special."
Kody Clemens, a third-round pick of the Tigers in 2018 after starring at the University of Texas just like his farther, was summoned to Detroit on Monday from a Home Depot parking lot in the middle of Ohio. He had been traveling with the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, who had to stop the team bus when the Tigers called so that Clemens could grab his gear before re-routing to Detroit. But not before FaceTiming his dad, who answered the phone and asked him, "Where you guys at? There's a Home Depot behind you."
There's an opportunity in front of him in Detroit. The Tigers' offense is desperate for a spark, and Clemens has the bat to provide it. He was first on the Mud Hens with eight homers and second with an .843 OPS, killing right-handed pitchers the same way right-handed pitchers have been killing the Tigers. He was slated to play second base Tuesday night, his natural position, but he's played all over the field the past couple seasons. He figures to do the same in Detroit.
"Kody’s whole journey, I don’t expect it to be any different here," Roger said. "He makes other players around him better and he could care less about his stats. He wants to win. You come to the ballpark every day, you might as well win. That’s our little Knute Rockne thing that we go through: 'You’re here, let's freaking win.' Find a way to do it because if not, it gets really old really quick."
It's already gotten old for the Tigers this season. They entered the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Twins 12 games below .500, largely because of the worst offense in the majors. Clemens, the club's No. 17 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was called up after outfielder Robbie Grossman was placed on the injured list, one of five Tigers regulars hitting below .200 at the start of play Tuesday.
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"I think just like anyone, it’s going to take him a little time to get some at-bats and (adjust)," Roger said. "I’m just talking out loud because nobody knows what’s going to happen, but I think it’ll be kind of fast paced for him (at first). Again, the main thing is to get here, do something well and help them win (even) if you’re not getting any hits."
At this, Clemens mentioned former teammate Craig Grebeck, who hit five homers in three seasons with the Blue Jays but earned the eternal respect of The Rocket by selling out for everything hit his way.
"He’s like, 'I ain’t getting any hits and they ain’t gonna get any hits past me.' He was leaving skin on that turf. That’s what you want from your teammates and that’s how we roll," Clemens said. "When we’re out there, you take a lot of pride in it. My mom and my grandmother taught me that, they raised me. And just like my grandma said, 'If you’re a ditch digger, be the best damn ditch digger in the country.' That’s the way you’ll see (Kody) operate, too."
Indeed, A.J. Hinch called Kody "a little bit of a throwback" when asked about him Monday. He called him "a baseball player," the kind of kid who "will stick his nose in there and not back down."
"His personality is great," said Hinch. "If you asked him to go up there right-handed, he’d do it, because it’s Kody.”
He'll be swinging left-handed on Tuesday, hitting sixth. He won't cure the Tigers' offensive woes by himself. He will have a huge section of fans who were shuttled in from Texas by his father, including a crew of old college teammates who landed in Detroit Tuesday afternoon. When The Rocket touched down, he said he felt like he was returning to his "second home." This is a new home for Kody, who's hopefully sticking around.
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