Red Sox-Twins Battle Featured Father-Son Moment For Boston Legend
The Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins squared off at Fenway Park on Saturday, but the regular-season matchup meant much more to four-year veteran Kody Clemens and his father, “Rocket” Roger Clemens.
Clemens, a 28-year-old infielder/outfielder who’s logged stops with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies, had never played at Fenway Park — his father’s home territory across 13 seasons — until Saturday. Fast forward 29 years since the last time the 62-year-old Clemens ruled the mound in Boston, and it was Kody’s turn to collect an unforgettable memory of his own. And that’s exactly what Minnesota’s starting second baseman did in the sixth inning by crushing a two-run home run to give the Twins a 3-1 lead over the Red Sox, in front of his father, mother and wife.
“It was amazing,” Clemens, the seven-time Cy Young Award winner, said, per ESPN. “Just think about — I put myself in his shoes — even though he’s my kid, he’s here at Fenway, and he obviously wants to perform well, hitting a home run would be the ultimate thing to do and he goes up there up in a clutch situation and does it. Just a great moment and I’m glad we’re here.”
Clemens homered off Boston’s Hunter Dobbins, just before Fenway Park’s grounds crew rushed to cover the field and the game underwent a 72-minute rain delay. It proved to be the most valuable swing of the game as it haunted the Red Sox amid their desperate late-inning rally attempt that fell short. The Twins ended their four-game losing streak with the 4-3 win, and Clemens, now with his first round-tripper of the season in the books, can forever share that dream-like father-son moment with his Red Sox Hall of Fame father.
“I didn’t face him, but he was at Texas while I was at (Texas) Tech,” Dobbins told reporters postgame, per NESN. “So, you know the name. Him and his brother (Kory) were great ball players, and obviously his dad was too. So yeah, I knew who he was.”
Luckily for the Clemens family, Fenway Park staff didn’t have any trouble retrieving the ball after it traveled 398 feet to right field. The ball was initially tossed back to the field and thrown back into the crowd by a ball attendant. But a friend of the Clemens family made sure to snag it and deliver it to its rightful owners.