Detroit’s Kody Clemens delivers a pitch Monday night to the Angels in Anaheim, Calif. Ringo H.W. Chiu/Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Kody Clemens will never catch his father in career strikeouts. When it comes to their first one, though, the kid has the upper hand.
The Detroit Tigers’ rookie utility player – and son of seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens – caught Shohei Ohtani looking late in Monday night’s 10-0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.
Mopping up in the eighth inning, Clemens froze last year’s AL MVP with a 68 mph pitch on the outside corner for his first major league strikeout and gave an exuberant strike three call on the mound.
Ohtani hit two home runs earlier – his sixth multihomer game of the season.
“I’m just trying to get outs, and for it to come like that is obviously super cool,” Clemens said. “He’s the best player in baseball. So it’s a pretty cool moment for me.”
Grinning ear to ear, the 26-year-old Clemens tossed the souvenir ball into the dugout for safe keeping and is hoping to get it signed by the Angels’ two-way star during the final two days of the series.
“It was a wonderful pitch,” Ohtani said through his interpreter.
By far the hardest one of their encounter, too.
Ohtani fouled off a 54 mph delivery from Clemens, took a 57 mph pitch for a ball and then fouled off a 56 mph offering.
“I mean, obviously can’t do it slow enough for Ohtani. Maybe you can throw it slow and slow and slow and then maybe surprise him with a fastball,” Detroit Manager A.J. Hinch said. “Big smile on Kody’s face, and Shohei tipped his cap.”
Those were four of the seven slowest pitches Ohtani has faced this season, according to MLB Statcast. The other three were by Tampa Bay outfielder Brett Phillips, including a 53 mph “fastball” during the Angels’ 12-0 victory on May 12, when Reid Detmers threw a no-hitter for Los Angeles.
Clemens was pitching for the third time in the past seven days to save Detroit’s bullpen with the game out of reach. He worked one inning and allowed one run on three hits.
He has pitched six times this season and given up three runs on 10 hits in six innings.
Roger Clemens had 4,672 strikeouts during his 24-year career, third on the all-time list behind Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson. The Rocket’s first one came against Cleveland’s Mike Hargrove on May 15, 1984.
“I don’t know how (Kody’s) father would have done against (Ohtani), but he can always say he punched him out,” Hinch said.
TUESDAY’S GAMES
PIRATES 8, METS 2: Mitch Keller scattered five hits over six shutout innings and host Pittsburgh beat New York.
The Mets failed to get a runner to third base against Keller (5-10) while dropping their third straight against teams playing out the string.
New York has managed just four runs during a slide that began with two losses to Washington at home over the weekend and continued on a dreary night at sparse PNC Park against last-place Pittsburgh.
The Mets have lost three in a row for just the third time this season.
PHILLIES 3, MARLINS 2: Bryce Harper got a gift double in the ninth inning when Miami left fielder Brian Anderson slipped chasing a fly ball, then hustled home on Jean Segura’s single to send Philadelphia over visiting Miami.
Edmundo Sosa homered and doubled and Aaron Nola struck out 10 for the playoff-contending Phillies, who rebounded from a poor trip in which they lost 5 of 6 to the sub-.500 Diamondbacks and Giants.
Anderson drove in both runs for the Marlins. Miami lost its eighth in a row and has scored no more than two runs in nine straight games.
CARDINALS 4, NATIONALS 1: Nolan Gorman broke out of a slump with a homer and a pair of RBI, and St. Louis beat visiting Washington.
José Quintana (5-6) gave up a run on five hits and struck out five in five innings to earn his first win since Aug. 10. The Cardinals have won five of their last six games and 19 of their last 22 at Busch Stadium.
YANKEES-TWINS: The New York Yankees’ game against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night was rained out.
The game, the second of a four-game series, was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Wednesday starting at 3:05 p.m.
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