Roger Clemens took to the mound for the second time since his comeback at the age of 50, and once again he looked good.
For the now infamous Sugar Land Skeeters, Clemens went 4.2 innings without allowing a single run on two hits with one strikeout. Clemens only surrendered one hit in both the second and fourth innings while he remained perfect the rest the time he was on the mound.
In his latest start, Clemens also had the chance to pitch to his own son Koby, who was behind the plate for the entirety of the Rocket’s outing. Clemens got the first two outs in the fifth inning before hugging his son and exiting the game.
You know a baseball player is up there in years when his own son is catching him and it isn’t for Little League practice.
This start is an improvement for Clemens, who was impressive in his comeback debut when he threw 3.1 scoreless innings. It seems that the Rocket is progressing quite nicely and can still handle himself on the mound.
So is the Rocket preparing for a comeback to MLB?
There’s no doubt the Houston Astros would love to have him on their team. Clemens might not bring a ton of positive press, but he does bring a ton of press. Along with all the media attention the lowly Astros would receive, they could also put some butts in the seats for at least one game.
In Houston, it’s becoming harder and harder to do just that.
Clemens has tried everything he can to shoot down the idea that he wants to return to the bigs, and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter) confirmed that.
Roger Clemens in a press conf before side session with Sugar Land about pitching in MLB in 2012: “I don’t see it happening.”
— Dan Connolly (@danconnollysun) September 4, 2012
The Rocket is set to be on the Hall of Fame ballot this season, and with the doubts about the validity of his career thanks to suspicions of performance-enhancing drug use, getting into Cooperstown might be impossible.
It’s quite possible that Clemens is hoping to make at least one appearance in the majors this season to push that back and give some more time to allow baseball writers to cool off.
It’s doubtful that thought process would work, but at least Clemens can separate himself from some of the other accused PED users who will be on the ballot for the first time.
Chances are, he may never get in thanks to his alleged use of PEDs, but nobody can take away the fact that a comeback for Clemens at the age of 50 is nothing short of remarkable.
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