Kody, Roger Clemens exchange lineup cards before Phillies spring training game

Kody Clemens had a unique father-son moment at BayCare Ballpark on Tuesday.

The Phillies infielder exchanged lineup cards with his father, former superstar pitcher Roger Clemens, before the club’s Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. The elder Clemens is in New York’s camp as a guest instructor for his former team.

Roger Clemens pitched 24 seasons with the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees and his hometown Astros and was one of the most dominant starting pitchers in the history of baseball. With a tremendous power arsenal, “Rocket” amassed 354 wins, 4,672 strikeouts and a record seven Cy Young Awards. He won the American League MVP Award in 1986 and won back-to-back World Series championships with the Yankees in 1999 and 2000. While Clemens is one of the most accomplished and decorated pitchers of all-time, his inclusion in the Mitchell Report and other steroid-related suspicions have kept him out of the Hall of Fame.

Two of Roger Clemens’ four children have gone on to play professional baseball. His oldest, Koby, played in the minor leagues, while Kody has reached the majors. Like his father, Kody Clemens attended college at the University of Texas and played for the Longhorns. He was then drafted by the Tigers in 2018 and made his big-league debut in 2022. Following that season, Clemens was traded to the Phillies.

Since then, Clemens has been back and forth between Philadelphia and Triple-A, serving as a utility player and a left-handed bat that the Phillies have relied on during certain stretches. He’s played 90 games with the Phillies in his two years with the team with a .672 OPS and nine home runs. The results haven’t been phenomenal and the opportunities have been relatively scarce, but Clemens has still shown positive signs.

Roger Clemens has been seen around the ballpark at times when Kody has been up with the Phillies. For example, the former ace was in attendance at Citizens Bank Park for his son’s first postseason hit last October. And on Tuesday, the father and son got to take in a spring training game from opposing dugouts after meeting at home plate for a special moment ahead of the first pitch.